Verse by Verse

⁶ And when Jesus was in Bethany at the house of Simon the leper,

⁷ a woman came to Him having an alabaster flask of very costly fragrant oil, and she poured it on His head as He sat at the table.

⁸ But when His disciples saw it, they were indignant, saying, “Why this waste?

⁹ For this fragrant oil might have been sold for much and given to the poor.”

¹⁰ But when Jesus was aware of it, He said to them, “Why do you trouble the woman? For she has done a good work for Me.

¹¹ For you have the poor with you always, but Me you do not have always.

¹² For in pouring this fragrant oil on My body, she did it for My burial.

¹³ Assuredly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be told as a memorial to her.”

This account is also found in Mark 14:3-9 and John 12:1-8. John says it took place six days before Passover, so therefore, in Matthew, it is given in topical order and not chronological order.

Simon the leper (v.6) — Most commentaries think he was probably the father of Lazarus, Martha and Mary, but the Bible doesn’t say.

disciples (v.8) — apparently led by Judas (John 12:4)

good (v.10) = beautiful

It was common to anoint the heads of the Rabbis who attended marriage feasts with fragrant oil, and special guests were sometimes similarly honored. Jesus Himself, at an earlier date [Luke 7:36-50], had had even His feet anointed by a grateful penitent, who had, besides, washed them with her tears and wiped them with her hair, flowing loose, in self-forgetfulness. But now, Mary outdid all former honor paid Him. The costliest anointing oil of antiquity was the pure spikenard, drawn from an Indian plant, and exported in flasks of alabaster for sale throughout the Roman Empire, where it fetched a price that put it beyond any but the wealthy.

Of this Mary had bought a flask, containing about twelve ounces weight, and now, coming behind the guests as they reclined, opened the seal, and poured some of the perfume, first on the head and then on the feet of Jesus, drying them, presently, with the hair of her head, like her predecessor. — Pentecost, page 413.

Mary, probably because she was more content to sit and listen, understood more about the Lord’s coming death of which He repeatedly spoke than any of the other disciples. Because of the resurrection of her brother, Lazarus, she may have also understood that Jesus Christ would also rise from the dead. It was due to this understanding that she anointed the Lord (v.12).

The Lord’s words about the poor in verse 11 don’t mean that helping the poor isn’t important, but that there are things that are more important — like the salvation of rich and poor alike that would be available because of His death and resurrection.

1 Now it came to pass, when Jesus had finished all these sayings, that He said to His disciples,

2 “You know that after two days is the Passover, and the Son of Man will be delivered up to be crucified.”

3 Then the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders of the people assembled at the palace of the high priest, who was called Caiaphas,

4 and plotted to take Jesus by trickery and kill Him.

5 But they said, “Not during the feast, lest there be an uproar among the people.”

The events of these five verses occurred on Tuesday of the last week. (Matthew 21:23-26:5 all takes place on that day.)

This (v.2) was the Lord’s fourth prediction of His death. The account also is covered in Mark 14:1 and Luke 22:1.

palace (v.3) — The courtyard of the high priest’s residence

Caiaphas (v.3) — A Sadducee, appointed about AD 18.

The rulers wanted Christ dead at anytime except during the feast (Passover and the seven-day feast of Unleavened Bread that followed), but God’s plan, which in fact took place exactly as He wanted, was for Christ to die the moment the Passover lamb was slain in the temple.

Christ’s scathing denunciation of the Pharisees (Matthew 23:1-36) stirred that group into a frenzy of activity. The hostility between Christ and the Pharisees became so open and irreversible that action could not be delayed.

While He was delivering His Olivet discourse to the disciples, the chief priests and elders of the people withdrew into a secret session in the house of the high priest. This assemblage was under the direction of Caiaphas, the one who had counseled the Jews that “it is better for you that one man die for the people than that the whole nation perish” (John 11:50).

The High Priest was, in virtue of his office, President of the Sanhedrin, and at that crisis the High Priest was Joseph Caiaphas, a remarkable man and allied with a remarkable family. He was son-in-law to old Annas, who not only had held the high priesthood from AD 6 to 15 but enjoyed this unique distinction, that after his deposition by the governor Valerius Gratus, his four sons and his son-in-law held the sacred office. Such good fortune, remarks the historian, “has fallen to the lot of no other of our High Priests.” Yet it was in no wise to the credit of Annas and his family. In those days the high-priesthood was at the disposal of the Roman governors and the Herodian princes, and went commonly to the highest bidder; and the prolonged ascendancy of the house of Annas is an evidence no less of their corruption than of their astuteness. — Pentecost, pages 411-412.

³¹ “When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory.

³² All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats.

³³ And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left.

³⁴ Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:

³⁵ for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in;

³⁶ I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’

³⁷ “Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink?

³⁸ When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You?

³⁹ Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’

⁴⁰ And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’

⁴¹ “Then He will also say to those on the left hand, ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels:

⁴² for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink;

⁴³ I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.’

⁴⁴ “Then they also will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?’

⁴⁵ Then He will answer them, saying, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’

⁴⁶ And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

This judgment, at the Lord’s second coming, of Gentiles who survived the Tribulation, is not the same as the Great White Throne Judgment at the end of the Millennium when the wicked dead will be resurrected to judgment.

nations (v.32) — Gentiles

My brethren (v.40) — Israel

The reference to “these brothers” indicates that there will be a third group there in the presence of Christ. That phrase may refer to those who are Christ’s brothers after the flesh, that is, the nation of Israel; or it may refer to those chosen messengers, the 144,000 of Revelation 7, who will bear witness of Him during the Tribulation. Such ones will be under a death sentence by the beast. They will refuse to carry the beast’s mark, and so they will not be able to buy and sell. Consequently, they will have to depend on those to whom they minister for hospitality, food, and support. Only those who receive the message will jeopardize their lives by extending hospitality to the messengers. Therefore what is done for them will be an evidence of their faith in Christ, that is, what is done for them will be done for Christ. These will not be accepted because of their works, for no man is ever saved by works. But their works will demonstrate their faith in in the person of Christ that renders them acceptable to Him. — Pentecost, page 410

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By rejecting God’s love and mercy, by continuing in unbelief they [the goats, v. 46] sided with the devil and his angels and now there is no other remedy for them but to share for all eternity the place prepared for the devil and his angels. At the close of the thousand years the devil is put into the lake of fire (Revelation 20:10). Previously the beast and the false prophet were cast into that place before the Millennium (Revelation 19:20). The order of punishment then is the following: 1.) The beast and the false prophet. 2.) The unrighteous nations. These go there before the millennial kingdom. 3.) The devil with his angels. 4.) The wicked dead from the great white throne judgment. This takes place after the thousand years. — Gaebelein, page 548.

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This judgment, which results in the goats being cast into everlasting fire, is in keeping with the previous prediction of Christ in the parable of the wheat and tares and the parable of the dragnet (Matthew 13:24-30, 31-43, 47-50), and is also clearly taught in Revelation 14:11 and 19:15. No adults who are not converted will be allowed to enter the millennial kingdom. The judgment here is not a final judgment, but is preparatory to establishing the kingdom of righteousness and peace, of which many Scriptures speak. — Walvoord, page 202.

Pentecost includes a helpful summary of the entire Olivet Discourse.

Christ’s announcement of judgment on Jerusalem undoubtedly was understood by the disciples in its eschatological context as a judgment preceding the second advent of Messiah to the earth. They asked when the judgment would come and what signs would be given to the nation Israel. Christ explained the signs in detail (Matthew 24:4-26), outlining the events of the first half of the Tribulation (vs.4-8) and also the events of the second half (vs.9-14). He then described the climactic sign (vs.15-26). Christ moved on to the next eschatological event, His second advent to the earth (vs.27-30), followed by the regathering of Israel (v.31). In a parenthetical statement in unfolding the eschatological events, He gave exhortations to watchfulness, preparedness, and faithfulness (vs.32-51). He then resumed the eschatological revelation, teaching that following Israel’s regathering, Israel will be judged to separate the saved from the unsaved. The saved will be received into the kingdom but the unsaved will be excluded (25:1-30). In concluding He spoke of the judgment of living Gentiles to separate the saved Gentiles from the unsaved. Again, the saved will be received into the kingdom but the unsaved will be excluded (Matthew 25:31-46). — Pentecost, pages 410-411

¹⁴ “For the kingdom of heaven is like a man traveling to a far country, who called his own servants and delivered his goods to them.

¹⁵ And to one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, to each according to his own ability; and immediately he went on a journey.

¹⁶ Then he who had received the five talents went and traded with them, and made another five talents.

¹⁷ And likewise he who had received two gained two more also.

¹⁸ But he who had received one went and dug in the ground, and hid his lord’s money.

¹⁹ After a long time the lord of those servants came and settled accounts with them.

²⁰ “So he who had received five talents came and brought five other talents, saying, ‘Lord, you delivered to me five talents; look, I have gained five more talents besides them.’

²¹ His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’

²² He also who had received two talents came and said, ‘Lord, you delivered to me two talents; look, I have gained two more talents besides them.’

²³ His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’

²⁴ “Then he who had received the one talent came and said, ‘Lord, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you have not sown, and gathering where you have not scattered seed.

²⁵ And I was afraid, and went and hid your talent in the ground. Look, there you have what is yours.’

²⁶ “But his lord answered and said to him, ‘You wicked and lazy servant, you knew that I reap where I have not sown, and gather where I have not scattered seed.

²⁷ So you ought to have deposited my money with the bankers, and at my coming I would have received back my own with interest.

²⁸ Therefore take the talent from him, and give it to him who has ten talents.

²⁹ ‘For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away.

³⁰ And cast the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

The words “the kingdom of heaven” (v.14) aren’t in the Greek. The verse should read “For it is as if a man traveling …” But it is obviously referring to the sentence immediately preceding (there are no verses in the original, so there is no break here). “… the hour in which the Son of Man cometh.” So, along with the context of the whole passage, this makes it clear that it’s still referring to the Lord’s return at the beginning of the millennial kingdom.

talent (v.15) — A talent was a large sum of money, varying greatly in value according to whether it was silver or gold, and could weigh from 58 to 80 pounds. A silver talent could be worth as much as $2,000, and a gold talent could be worth as much as $30,000. With the rise in price of these metals, today the value would be even higher. When taking into consideration that a man’s wage in Christ’s time was 16 cents a day, the purchasing power of this amount of money was very large. At maximum, the five-talent man could have received as much as $150,000, a fortune, which would be worth millions today in purchasing power. — Walvoord, pages 197-198

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The explanation seems to be that this wicked man had the same kind of cunning that Judas Iscariot used when he accepted the money for the betrayal of Christ. Judas had reasoned that if Jesus was indeed the Messiah, his betrayal would not matter, and he would be ahead thirty pieces of silver. If Jesus was not the Messiah, he at least would have the silver. So, the wicked one-talent man likewise reasoned: If my lord returns, I will be able to give him back his talent and cannot be accused of being a thief, but if he does not return, there will be no record that the money belongs to him, such as would be true if I deposited it in the bank, and then I will be able to use the money myself. His basic problem, like the problem of Judas, was a lack of faith.

The one-talent man did not believe that it was sure his lord was coming back. It is therefore clear that his basic problem was that of being an unbeliever, not simply being unfaithful in service. Accordingly, the conclusion of the illustration, “for unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath” (v.29), refers to everyone who has faith or who is lacking faith. — Walvoord, page 199.

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In the second parable (Matthew 25:14-30), Christ again taught that following His return and Israel’s regathering the nation must undergo judgment, This again will be a judgment to determine, on the one hand, who is saved and therefore to be accepted into the kingdom, and on the other hand, who is unsaved and to be barred from entering the kingdom. In this parable the Lord taught truth similar to what He had taught in Luke 19:11-27. In that parable in which there was equal distribution, Christ taught equal opportunity; here however, where there is an unequal distribution, He taught individual responsibility.

Christ in this parable revealed that the nation Israel, which had been set aside as Gods servant (Exodus 19:5-6), received a responsibility for which they were answerable. In the Old Testament Israel was designed to be God’s light to the Gentile world. The candelabra in the tabernacle was to be a perpetual reminder of Israel’s function. Because Israel was faithless to that function, Isaiah promised that another Light would come to bring light to the Gentiles (Isaiah 60:1-3). Christ came as the “true light’ (John 1:9; 8:12). God will set apart Israel again during the Tribulation to be His light to the world (Revelation 7:1-8). When Christ comes the second time, the nation will be judged to determine individual faithfulness to that appointment. Faithfulness will indicate faith in in the person of Christ. Those who prove themselves faithful will be accepted into His kingdom, but those who are faithless will be excluded from His kingdom.

Thus, in these two parables, Christ described the judgments that will come on the nation Israel following their regathering after His second coming. — Pentecost, page 408-409

1 “Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.

2 Now five of them were wise, and five were foolish.

3 Those who were foolish took their lamps and took no oil with them,

4 but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.

5 But while the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and slept.

6 “And at midnight a cry was heard: ‘Behold, the bridegroom is coming; go out to meet him!’

7 Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps.

8 And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’

9 But the wise answered, saying, ‘No, lest there should not be enough for us and you; but go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.’

10 And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding; and the door was shut.

11 “Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open to us!’

12 But he answered and said, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you.’

13 “Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming.

The lamps consisted of round receptacles for pitch or oil for the wick. This was placed in a hollow cup or deep saucer, which was fastened by a pointed end into a long wooden pole, in which it was born aloft. — Gaebelein, page 529

Every one of my commentaries (except Pentecost) inexplicably and almost desperately attempts to apply this parable to the current church age even though the Lord clearly states in verse 1 that He’s referring to the kingdom of heaven, the Millennium. My guess is that most pastors and writers find that it gives them such a great opportunity to lecture their listeners and readers about being good that they just can’t bear not to use it. Of course, there is universal application here, but first and foremost, it’s important to find out what the passage actually means and to whom it is written.

Again, the Lord was talking to His disciples (Matthew 24:3), the men who will sit on twelve thrones in the kingdom (Matthew 19:28). He was in the process of explaining the coming prophetic program. In chapter 24, He took them through the Tribulation and His second coming at the end of that period. Then He began teaching them through parables the importance of being ready for the second coming and the kingdom that would immediately follow. The existence of the church hadn’t yet been revealed and the existence of a gap of time in the prophetic program hadn’t yet been revealed. In fact, the kingdom hadn’t even been offered yet! There is simply no honest, logical way to apply this directly and primarily to the church.

Pentecost is the only commentary I have that sees this. I wish he had gone into some more detail, but here’s what he has to say on this passage in its entirety.

Christ now resumed His revelation of the chronology of prophetic events for Israel. He taught that following His return (Matthew 24:30) and the regathering of the nation Israel to their land (v.31), the nation would be brought under judgment (25:1-30). Christ used two parables to teach that the regathered nation will be judged to determine who is saved and who is unsaved. The purpose of this judgment will be to exclude the unsaved from, and to receive the saved into, the kingdom that He will establish following His Second Advent. The first parable is that of the ten virgins (25:1-13). While Paul used the figure of a virgin in reference to the church (2 Corinthians 11:2), the Jewish context here shows that the church is not in view. Christ in His discourse was developing the eschatological program for the nation Israel. The parable was based on the marriage customs of our Lords’ day. Previous to the actual wedding, an invitation would be extended to those who were invited to the marriage feast. At the time for the banquet, a second invitation would be sent out announcing that the marriage feast was prepared. While the bridegroom sent for his bride so as to claim her as his own, the guests would assemble. The presentation of the bride to the bridegroom would be made in a private inner chamber. At the conclusion of the presentation ceremony, the assembled guests would eagerly await the appearance of the bridegroom with his bride. In the Lord’s parable ten virgins had been invited as guests and were awaiting the appearance of the bridegroom with his bride. The ten were divided into two groups. Jesus called one group foolish. The reason was that while they took lamps anticipating a possible delay in the appearance of the bridegroom, they did not take any extra oil so their lamps could be kept burning if there was a delay in his appearance. The wise not only took lamps but, anticipating a possible delay, took extra oil so that their lamps could be replenished and thus kept burning. The bridegroom was delayed and the ten fell asleep. And in the middle of the night, they were suddenly awakened from their sleep. It was announced that the bridegroom had returned, and now they were expected to meet him to welcome him and his bride. The lamps of the foolish virgins had gone out, and they were unprepared to meet the bridegroom. They sought oil for their lamps, but it was too late to obtain oil because the bridegroom had come.

The foolishness of the five virgins thus consisted, not (as is commonly supposed) in their want of perseverance — as if the oil had been consumed before the bridegroom came, and they had only not provided themselves with a sufficient extra-supply — but in the entire absence of personal preparation, having brought no oil of their own in their lamps.

The five who had prepared themselves for the delay could light their lamps and welcome the bridegroom because they were prepared. “The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet” (Matthew 25:10). The appearance of the bridegroom terminated the time of opportunity to prepare to meet him. After the prepared virgins were admitted to the wedding banquet “the door was shut.” When the unprepared virgins returned and sought admittance, they were rejected because they were unprepared and were not watching.

In this parable Christ taught that during the interval in which He will be absent, those who anticipate His coming should be prepared and should be watching. His return will terminate the opportunity for people to prepare themselves to enter the millennial kingdom, and only the prepared will be accepted. No unsaved (unprepared) person will be admitted into Christ’s millennial kingdom. This is made very clear in Psalm 24, which tells of pilgrims proceeding to Jerusalem for a festival. They are seen approaching the city with the hope that they might on that occasion meet Messiah and welcome Him to His kingdom. But as they proceed, some ask, “Who may ascend the hill of the Lord? Who may stand in His holy place?” (Psalm 24:3), that is, who will be accepted into Messiah’s kingdom? Others give the answer, “He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to an idol or swear by what is false” (v.4). Thus only the pure in heart shall see God (Matthew 5:8). — Pentecost, pages 407-408.

45 “Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his master made ruler over his household, to give them food in due season?

46 Blessed is that servant whom his master, when he comes, will find so doing.

47 Assuredly, 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 master is delaying his coming,’

49 and begins to beat his fellow servants, and to eat and drink with the drunkards,

50 the master of that servant will come on a day when he is not looking for him and at an hour that he is not aware of,

51 and will cut him in two and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites. There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

The Greek word here translated household is only once again used [in Scripture]. In Revelation we read that “the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.” What relation can there be between healing and household? This question can only be answered by an understanding of what this word household really signifies. It is the word form which we derive our word therapeutic, and the basic idea of it is healing. The word household refers to all such in the house as serve.

That first word, “Who then is the faithful and wise servant?” is the word bond-slave; but the word household comes from another term for servant, which is other than the word bond-slave. It is a word that signifies a loving service, a purpose of healing in service. This is a case of metonymy, where one word is put for another, which the other suggests, as when we say a man keeps a good table, when we refer really to his food. This word in the parable, then, suggests the picture of a great house, and one Lord; and all of those in the house under his control, as thinking of his interests, while serving under his command.

His attitude is simply that of bringing forth meat in the due season, and feeding the rest; the attitude of caring for all the other members of the household during the Lord’s absence, for the sake of the absent lord. — Morgan, page 288.

The commentaries don’t know what to do with this passage. Some try to apply it as a general truth for every age. Others say the Lord suddenly stopped talking about the Tribulation and His second coming and started talking about the current age.

While there is obvious universal truth here about serving faithfully, it is impossible for me to believe that the Lord suddenly shifted His topic from His second coming to a separate period that hadn’t yet been revealed and that His listeners could not possibly have understood. Since the kingdom He came to offer wasn’t actually offered until after His resurrection and ascension, it makes no sense that He would be speaking as though it had already been set aside.

36 “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only.

37 But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.

38 For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark,

39 And did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.

40 Then two men will be in the field: one will be taken and the other left.

41 Two women will be grinding at the mill: one will be taken and the other left.

42 Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming.

43 But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into.

44 Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.

watch (v.42) = be continuously on guard

Christ likened those future days in which the signs will unfold to the days of Noah (vs. 37-39). Noah announced a coming judgment and offered people a way of escape from it. However, people ignored Noah’s warnings of judgment and went on occupying themselves with their normal course of life. They were “eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage” (vs.38) right up until the very day Noah entered the ark. — Pentecost, page 405

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According to Matthew 24:40-41, “Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left.” Because at the rapture believers will be taken out of the world, some have confused this with the rapture of the Church.

Here, however, the situation is the reverse. The one who is left, is left to enter the kingdom; the one who is taken, is taken in judgment. This is in keeping with the illustration of the time of Noah when the ones taken away are the unbelievers. The word for “shall be taken” in verses 40-41 uses the same word found in John 19:16, where Christ was taken away to the judgment of the cross. — Walvoord, pages 193-194

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It is the opposite meaning of “taken” and “left” when the Lord comes as the “Bridegroom” for His Church. Then, too, some will be taken and others left. The true believers will be taken into glory, caught up in clouds to meet Him in the air; the unbelievers and mere professors will be left. Some deny that the word “taken” in our passage means a judicial taking away. The context, however, shows (the reference to Noah and the flood) that this must be the meaning. Surely those who were taken by the flood were not “received into glory.” — Gaebelein, page 516

I sent this e-mail to Ricky Kurth.

I’m working through Matthew chapter 24 now. Verse 36 says that no man or angel knows the day of the Lord’s second coming, but only the Father.

Here’s my question. Isn’t the second coming going to occur at the end of the 70th week? In other words, once the Tribulation begins, won’t all believers know that the second coming will be in seven years?

What am I missing?

Wait, I think I figured it out. It’s talking about His coming in judgment, so it’s referring to the beginning of the Tribulation, not the second coming, right?

Here’s his reply.

No, you were right the first time. In the context, both before and after, it is talking about the Second Coming (v.30, 37).

You ask tough questions! I have some theories I’ll share, and I’m copying Dave in, so he can contribute too.

An easy out would be to say that no one knew the date and time of the Second Coming at the time the Lord spoke those words. That would be because the 70th week countdown to the Second Coming had not yet begun. That’s true, but in the subsequent context, it makes it clear that the Second Coming will come unexpectedly on people standing around, so this explanation would not seem to be the natural choice.

Next, Matthew 24:22 says,

“Except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened“

This would explain why the Second Coming would come on men unexpectedly, as the subsequent context indicates, and why no man would know the day nor the hour.

How God will shorten the days of that is not clear. But when we read that “the third part of the sun was smitten” (Rev.8:12), that could mean the sun’s intensity is lessened by 33.3%, or it could mean as Amos says,

“And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the Lord GOD, that I will cause the sun to go down at noon, and I will darken the earth in the clear day.”

We mark days by the sun, and if days are shortened by a third, that would “shorten” the 70th week.

But then you could say that people who (unlike me) are good at math could figure out the day of the Second Coming once the days are shortened. Well, maybe; but then they’d have to wonder, “Will God go by the original 24 hour a day seventy weeks, or by this new way of reckoning days?”

Then you have to factor in that the 70th week is usually described as 42 months, or 1260 days (Rev.11:2,3). But in Daniel 12:11, half the Tribulation is called 1290 days, thirty days longer. This is because there are so many things that are said to happen mid-Trib that they can’t all be done in one day, so there is a pause in the 70th week. Well, if God can mess with the 1260 day amount in that way, why not in some other way? He’d have to stick to the Book, but maybe there are other things in the Book we’re not thinking of.

For instance, there is this fascinating thing that dispensational pioneer Clarence Larkin discovered, that God does not seem to count time when Israel is out of favor with Him. I don’t know if this could factor in too. It actually could be the only explanation. Or it could be this explanation plus all of the above, or only a certain combination of all of the above. But if we can’t figure it out, most likely Tribulation saints might not be able to figure it out either.

He also sent my question to Dave Stewart. He’s what he said.

Any, some, none or all of the above is exactly right, I think. Not only does the Lord say that no one knows the day or the hour, He goes so far as to say, “in such an hour AS YE THINK NOT the Son of Man cometh” (vs.44). And these guys will have the gifts of prophecy and of knowledge, and still they won’t be able to figure it out. The day and the hour is deliberately kept hidden as the parable of the ten virgins and others indicate. They need to keep their lamps burning because they just won’t know. The best they’ll have to go on is “when these things begin go come to pass, then look up…, for your redemption draweth nigh“. (Luke.21:28)

As to the known timeline of the Tribulation, we need to remember that the battle of Armageddon is a long, extended event. It doesn’t all happen in one day. So does the Lord return on day 1260? Or is that the day the battle ends? Or is it some time in between? Or does Christ return as Matthew 24:29-31 says, “immediately after.” If so, define immediately. And how long is it between “the sign of the Son of Man” and the actual second coming? I think this is one of the few major events God has planned that will be literally unpredictable.

32 “Now learn this parable from the fig tree: When its branch has already become tender and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near.

33 So you also, when you see all these things, know that it is near—at the doors!

34 Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place.

35 Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.

There are several opinions on what, exactly, the Lord was referring to when He mentioned the “fig tree” (v.32) and “this generation” (v.34). I have copied the two that make the most sense to me.

The fig tree is the picture of Israel. The parable of the fig tree in Luke 13 is well known, and its application is Israel, to whom the Lord came, looking for fruit, and did not find it. Luke 21, the record there of this discourse, mentions likewise the fig tree and all the trees; these are the Gentiles, the nations. In Matthew 21:18-22, we see in the withered fig tree a type of Israel’s spiritual and national death. But that withered tree is to be vitalized. The fig tree will bud again. However, the characteristic of the fig tree is that fruit and leaves are there together. As soon as the branch becomes tender the fruit is found. It is a rapid development. This is the lesson here. Israel’s blessing, new life, fruit and glory will quickly be realized in those end days. When in these last seven years, and especially the last 1,260 days, all these things come to pass, they will know that all which is promised to Israel will be at hand. — Gaebelein, pages 512-513.

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The word gena means not necessarily the same persons living, but it has also the meaning of race. The English word “generation” has this meaning of “family or a race of a certain class of people.” And so has the Greek. It is used in that sense in Luke 16:8. “This generation” is the race sprung from Abraham, God’s chosen earthly people. Well have they been called “the everlasting nation;” better still we could call them “the nation of destiny.” God has kept this race, and is keeping them, for the fulfillment of His own great, revealed purpose. The verse, however, has also the meaning that the people living, when the end of the Jewish age sets in, will behold its termination; it will all be accomplished in a small space of time. — Gaebelein, page 514.

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Some commentators refer “generation” to the nation of Israel. The meaning, then, would be that Israel would continue as a nation until the second coming of Christ. Some take generation to refer to an indefinite period of time (age) and, accordingly, take it as instructing the disciples that the age leading up to the second coming will not end until the event of the second coming itself. A third explanation is that the word generation means what it normally means, that is, a period of thirty to one hundred years, and refers to the particular generation that will see the specific signs, that is, the signs of the great tribulation. In other words, the same generation that will experience the great tribulation will also witness the second coming of Christ. — Walvoord, page 192-193.

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One having passed through the rigors of a cold Judean winter would eagerly anticipate the coming of summer. When such a one sees the first green shoots appearing on a fig tree, he has an indication of the season in which he is then living (Matthew 24:32). He can anticipate the passing of the cold and the coming of spring. Christ applied this simple principle, saying, “when you see all these things, you know that it is near, right at the door” (v.33). In the context “these things” refers to the signs of verses 4-28. Those who will see the signs will know that He, the Messiah, or it, Messiah’s judgment, is at the door. Since these signs will all occur in the seven years of Daniel’s seventieth week, the generation that sees the beginning of these signs will “not pass away until all these things have happened” (Matthew 24:34), for they all will fall within a brief span of time. These will not be signs given to a generation preceding the Rapture. Instead these signs will be given to a generation that cannot begin until after the church has been translated. — Pentecost, page 405.

The most simple explanation — that the Lord was speaking of the generation of people who were alive when He spoke these words — cannot be true because the Lord’s second coming did not occur while they were alive.

The possibility that the Lord was wrong also cannot be true because His Word is truth.

The position, held by Gaebelein (above), that the Lord was speaking of the nation of Israel and stating that the nation would survive until His return, while true, doesn’t feel right to me because of all the prophecies throughout Scripture that refer to Israel’s glorious future. Why would the Lord need to say it here?

So, for now, I’m leaning toward the view that the Lord was explaining that the generation that sees the signs that point to His second coming will also be there when the second coming occurs.

23 “Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There!’ do not believe it.

24 For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.

25 See, I have told you beforehand.

26 “Therefore if they say to you, ‘Look, He is in the desert!’ do not go out; or ‘Look, He is in the inner rooms!’ do not believe it.

27 For as the lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.

28 For wherever the carcass is, there the eagles will be gathered together.

29 “Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.

30 Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on 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 together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

signs and wonders (v.24) — Revelation 13

if possible (v.24) — but it isn’t, either because of God’s protection or because the days are shortened, or both

If told that Messiah has come already and is manifesting Himself in the desert they are not to go forth seeking Him there. If told He is hidden in some secret place they are not to believe it. For His coming will be in visible manifested glory when He shines forth from heaven as lightning flaming athwart the sky. — Ironside, page 321.

I have told you beforehand (v.25) — Matthew 7:15; 15:3-14; 16:6-12; 23:1-36; 24:11

Verse 28 is saying that, as where there is death, there will be vultures, so where there is corruption, there will be judgment.

those days (v.29) — Revelation 6:12-14

sign of the Son of Man (v.30) — probably the Shekinah cloud (Acts 1:9-11)

tribes of the earth (v.30) = lit. “of the land” — Israel, Zechariah 12:10-12

mourn (v.30) — an intense, ritualistic mourning

they will see the Son of Man (v.30) — Revelation 1:7: Behold, He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him, even they who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him. Even so, Amen.

trumpet (v.31) — the gathering of Israel — Isaiah 11:11-12; Isaiah 27:13

Christ now proceeded to describe the third eschatological event in Israel’s program — the restoration of the nation Israel back to the land. Since this whole discourse has been devoted to the prophetic program for Israel, the reference to “His elect” (Matthew 24:31) cannot refer to the church. Instead, the reference must be to the nation that God had chosen (Exodus 19:5-6). During the Tribulation, Israel will be scattered out of the land by military invasions. The Israelites will flee and find refuge among the Gentile nations. God will supernaturally bring the people of Israel back to the land through the instrumentality of angels. This will be the final restoration anticipated in the Old Testament (Deuteronomy 30:1-8). — Pentecost, page 404.

15 “Therefore when you see the ‘abomination of desolation,’ spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place” (whoever reads, let him understand),

16 “then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.

17 Let him who is on the housetop not go down to take anything out of his house.

18 And let him who is in the field not go back to get his clothes.

19 But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days!

20 And pray that your flight may not be in winter or on the Sabbath.

21 For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be.

22 And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect’s sake those days will be shortened.

Does he [Daniel] mention anything in his great prophecies about a future abomination and where do we find these passages? He does in three places.

Then he shall confirm a covenant with many for one week; but in the middle of the week he shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of abominations shall be one who makes desolate, even until the consummation, which is determined, is poured out on the desolate” (Daniel 9:27).

And forces shall be mustered by him, and they shall defile the sanctuary fortress; then they shall take away the daily sacrifices, and place there the abomination of desolation (Daniel 11:31).

And from the time that the daily sacrifice is taken away, and the abomination of desolation is set up, there shall be one thousand two hundred and ninety days (Daniel 12:11).

There can be no doubt that the Lord refers to these three passages in Daniel, and it is of that abomination mentioned in these passages of which He speaks. These three verses in Daniel refer all to the same period of time; this period is three years and a half. The same space of time is mentioned in Daniel 7:25. “He shall speak pompous words against the Most High, shall persecute the saints of the Most High, and shall intend to change times and law. Then the saints shall be given into his hand for a time and times and half a time.” (Which makes three and a half.) Then in Daniel 10:7 we have it mentioned again “… it shall be for a time, times, and an half; and when he shall have accomplished to scatter the power of the holy people, all these things shall be finished.” Later, in the book of Revelation we shall discover the same period of time there.

 The 24th verse in Daniel 9 is the prophecy stated in a general way. “Seventy weeks are determined for your people and for your holy city, to finish the transgression, to make an end of sins, to make reconciliation for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy, and to anoint the Most Holy.” Seventy sevens, as it is in Hebrew, make 490. This space of time is, so Gabriel declared, apportioned out, for the people of Israel and Jerusalem, and at the close of it the full blessing of Israel will come to pass; the righteousness of ages, undoubtedly refers to the kingdom age, the Millennium. So in a general way the whole prophecy of seventy-year weeks is given and what shall be accomplished in them and at the close of them for the people Israel and for Jerusalem. But now as we read on we find a division of these seventy weeks. First: Seven weeks; secondly: Sixty-two weeks; thirdly; One week. What does this division mean? We are not left to speculation, for the Word makes it plain. “Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the command to restore and build Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince, there shall be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublesome times. And after the sixty-two weeks Messiah shall be cut off, but not for Himself; and the people of the prince who is to come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end of it shall be with a flood, and till the end of the war desolations are determined” (Daniel 9:25-26). The first seven weeks, that is 49 years, is the period of time which elapsed from the giving of the command to rebuild Jerusalem and its walls till this was accomplished. The commission to restore and build Jerusalem was given to Nehemiah by Artaxerxes in his twentieth year. The sixty-two weeks is the period of time from the complete restoration of the city and the walls till Messiah is cut off, that is the death of Christ, and there is nothing for Him.

When this prince, the head of the revived Roman empire, appears, he will make a covenant with the Jews. His covenant will be for one week, that is for seven years. It is interesting to notice that the covenant will be made with “the many,” not with all, for the believing Jewish remnant will know the true personality of the wicked prince and refuse to enter into that covenant. What this covenant will be we do not know … It will undoubtedly be of a political nature and connected with the resettlement of the Jews in Palestine, the rebuilding of the temple, and the institution of their worship by sacrifices.

This covenant will be effected in the beginning of the week (seven years) and all will run smoothly for a while. But in the middle of the week he will unmask himself and in conjunction with that other wicked one, the man of sin, the son of perdition, the personal anti-Christ, he will break the covenant and cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease. In its place he will set up the abomination (Daniel 11:31). What then is this abomination? It will be idolatrous worship.

What will then take place is clearly stated in Revelation 13:12-18. There we read of an image. “He was granted power to give breath to the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak and cause as many as would not worship the image of the beast to be killed.” This, no doubt, will be the abomination, and image worshiped; as well as the second beast, “who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God” (2 Thessalonians 2:4). This then is the abomination which falls in the last half of the seventieth week. The result of this abomination, the revelation of Satan’s power upon the earth, will be the great tribulation. This is fully borne out by the thirteenth chapter in Revelation. Of this our Lord speaks, when He said, “For then shall there be great tribulation such as has not been from the beginning of the world, until now, nor ever shall be.” And in Daniel we likewise read of this tribulation, “and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation” (Daniel 12:1). The context shows that it will be at this very time of which the Lord speaks, immediately before His personal, visible and glorious coming. — Gaebelein, pages 496-503

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The need for haste will be so great that it will cause undue difficulties for those who are hindered because of pregnancy (v.19) or who for other reasons have problems traveling (v.20). As a result of this final invasion of the land, Christ said, “There will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now — and never to be equaled again” (v.21). As great as has been Israel’s sufferings in days past, unprecedented suffering awaits them in this period. But God has determined to preserve a remnant in Israel even though Satan seeks to exterminate every physical descendant of Abraham so as to prevent the fulfillment of the covenant God gave to him. John described this persecution (Revelation 12:13-17). Only the willingness of Gentiles to harbor the fleeing Jews will prevent the latters’ utter destruction. Christ promised that the Tribulation would be “cut short” and spoke of “those days” (Matthew 24:22). His promise has been misunderstood. Daniel spoke of the Tribulation as a “seven,” that is, a seven-year period (Daniel 9:27). John gave its duration in months (Revelation 11:2), and even in days (v.3) Some have asked, How could those days be shortened? Christ’s words cannot mean that the days will be decreased in number. The phrase “cut short” means “to terminate.” If those days with their awful judgments were allowed to continue indefinitely, the human race would be totally destroyed. Christ meant that God will allow that period to run its course but will terminate it according to His timetable so that a remnant will be spared. — Pentecost, page 403.