DID JESUS MEAN OUR GENERATION? Mt 24:1-14

IN A NUTSHELL

This chapter begings with Jesus leaving the Temple of Jerusalem for the last time, leaving the religious leaders without a kingdom and will hand the kingdom over to a people who are worthy of it “The Church”. More over, the disciple’s are clearly worried after certain predictions Jesus describes like the Temple destruction, but more so, the End of the World! As a result, we too should be afraid, because these end time events told by Jesus himself, hasn’t happened yet! The question then is, When and How will these event happen? Chirstians, be ready, Jesus’s predictions could be any day, our redemtion draws near!

Finally, Mt 24:1–14 The Beginning of Birth Pains. Jesus previews the general conditions of the earth, which in some sense characterize the entire age, before he returns: sufferings throughout the world (vv. 4–8), the suffering of his disciples (vv. 9–13), and the preaching of the gospel to all nations (v. 14) ESV Study Bible

KEY VERSES

• Tt 2:11–14

• Re 22:13

• 1 Co 15:50–55

• 1 Th 4:13–18

1. INTRODUCTION

Writing and studing at my computor, trying to understand the book of Matthew, especially the portion of Matt 24:1-14 which I believe to be the a good starting place in the bible of future consummation of worldly events. In other words,”The Study of Eschatology.” Although, here in Matthews account it’s believed that Mt 24:4-31 is the Tribulation period, 70th week in Daniel 9:20-27 and mirrors this same period in Rev 6-19 time of God’s wrath. As I follow in Matt 24:1-14 His steps, starts out on a Tuesday. This text begins with Jesus leaving the temple for the last time, taking with Him, Peter, James John and Andrew. [ Mark 13:3 ] I know, only because I’m over 2000 years latter reading my bible about all that took place that Tuesday AD 33 just 3 days before that Friday, when Jesus will be Crucified. Know also that these events, later to be called “The Passion Week” A week that was eternally planned for eternity purposes. April, 1, AD 33 on Tuesday, we begin Matt 24:1-2 as they were leaving the Temple, the Disciple spoke to Jesus with concerns, but he then he said to them that everything before you will be destroyed [AD 70 the Temple was destroyed] then they walked about 2km and Jesus sat down on the Mount of Olives. “ There are three major divisions in the discourse; 24:1–44, which is primarily Jewish; 24:45–25:30, which deals with Christendom, the professing church as seen in the world; and 25:31–46, which deals with the Gentiles. You have, then, the threefold division of humanity today—the Jews, the Gentiles, and the church (see 1 Cor. 10:32). The Jewish character of 24:1–44 is seen in the following:”

[ Wiersbe’s expository outlines ] So, as I read and reread about how Jesus and His Diciples are moving about from one place to another, I can’t help but to try and put myself in their shoes and feel a sense of their emotions as they approached the beginning of what we call “Passion Week” and on the 1st day of that week, last week of March on Sunday, Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey known as the “Triumpet Entry” into the amired City ofJerusalm. What a uplifting feeling of emotions that must have been, as they all witnessed King Jesus entering the city. Then, fast forward 2 days latter, Tuesday April, 1, as Jesus and his disciple left the Temple leaving the City with the words “you will not see me again...” Matt 23:39 What just happened? Before the disciple can digest those words, Jesus then says “you see all these ‘stones’ do you not? Truely, I say to you, there will not be left one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.” Matt 24:2 If I were there, I would probably be saying to myself, “What the heck just happened?” This study will try to investigate the ups and downs of this passage. Having an advantage, only because today we have all the tools necessary to follow past hisorical events, we know that in AD 70 the Temple buildings were infact destroyed just what Jesus perdicted Matt 24:3 or at least the first part out of 3 perdictions made in that verse. The other two still have not happened -here’s where our generation should be very concerned! This study is to try and understand better Matt 24: 4-14 coming Birth Pains predicted events, some of which we can say, maybe have been happening and continues to be happening, but to what extent or Phase of how Jesus meant these predicted words in Matt 24:3 We can know when the disciples asked, “When will these things be” That was answered in AD 70 the Temple was Destroyed. However, The focus of this study is on the other two predictions “Sign of your coming” and the “End of the age” that which should be concerning to our generation. Well, I’m hoping this study will shed some light, on our FCF [will go into more detail later on what is the FCF of the text] and help give purpose and enlighten the very burden of this text, and subject of how things will end- besides, looking into our future though the lens of Jesus our creator and God.

2. Main Idea: Jesus fortells the future and we can not know when that will be, like we cannot know what the next moment will be. We can know how to read the signs of the times or when its about to rain. We can know that every word of God is true and trustworthy that if Jesus said it, so be it! That being said, Matt 24 is filled with words of Jesus foretelling the future. Jesus give us clear insights of what it will look like as we approach the signs of His Second Coming. Let us pray God reveal His Word to us that we maybe ready for His Coming! The Day of our Redemption draws nearer today than yesterday! (Signs of the times, Portents marking significant historical events. In Scripture the phrase refers principally to signs indicating the coming of the Messiah and the kingdom of God (both in the ministry of Jesus Christ and at the end of time) Bible Themes It is impossible to predict the date of Jesus Christ’s return from the signs of the times 1Th 5:1-2.

Interpreting the signs of the times

Mk 13:28-29 pp Mt 24:32-33 pp Lk 21:29-31 See also 1Ch 12:32

Signs of the times at the end of the age

Mt 24:3-14 pp Mk 13:3-13 pp Lk 21:7-19 Lk 21:25-28 pp Mt 24:29-30 pp Mk 13:24-26

A. Jesus’s Foretells the Destruction of the temple

Jesus says early in the book of , ( John 2:19-22 ) Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” 20 The Jews then said, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will you raise it up in three days?” 21 But he was speaking about the temple of his body. 22 When therefore he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this, and they believed the Scripture and the word that Jesus had spoken. (Jn 2:19–22) Note; the disciple still have not recieved the Holy Spirit, so they would have not been able to discern what is taking place even if Jesus explains it to them.

Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.

though many false witnesses came forward. At last two came forward 61 and said, “This man said, ‘I am able to destroy the temple of God, and to rebuild it in three days.’ ” (Mt 26:60)

wagging their heads 40 and saying, “You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save yourself! If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross.” (Mt 27:39-40)

58 “We heard him say, ‘I will destroy this temple that is made with hands, and in three days I will build another, not made with hands.’ ” (Mk 14:58)

39 But he answered them, “An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. 40 For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. (Mt 12:39-40)

“It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will you raise it up in three days?”

John 2:19 I will raise it up implies that Jesus himself would have a part in raising himself from the dead, though other verses mention that the Father and the Holy Spirit were also involved (see Acts 2:24; Rom. 6:4; 1 Cor. 6:14; Gal. 1:1; Eph. 1:20; also Rom. 1:4; 8:11; and note on John 10:17). In fact, Jesus says that he is “the resurrection and the life” (11:25). ESV Study Bible

John 2:20 forty-six years. Herod the Great’s construction of the temple proper (Gk. naos; see note on v. 14) lasted from 20/19 to 18/17 B.C., but the larger temple area (Gk. hieron) was not finished until A.D. 66. Some scholars favor an alternative translation: “This temple (Gk. naos) was built forty-six years ago,” which would date this statement in A.D. 29/30, since there was no year “0” (see The Date of Jesus’ Crucifixion).

If Jesus began his ministry shortly after John the Baptist, at the very earliest it would have begun in late A.D. 28 and at the latest sometime in A.D. 30. If Jesus was born in 5/4 B.C. (see notes on Luke 1:5–7; 2:2), and he began his ministry sometime in A.D. 28–30, then he would be 31–34 years old when he began his ministry (5 B.C.–A.D. 30 would make him 34, while 4 B.C.–A.D. 28 would make him 31, since there was no year 0). Any age between 31 and 34 would fit with Luke 3:23: “Jesus, when he began his ministry, was about thirty years of age.” ESV Study Bible

Jesus Is Crucified on the Day of Preparation: Friday, Nisan 14, in A.D. 30 or 33The Gospel of John (19:31) notes that Jesus was crucified on “the day of Preparation,” a phrase referring to Friday (cf. Mark 15:42), the day before the Sabbath (Saturday). But this was also a Passover week (see Mark 14:12), and Jesus had eaten a Passover meal with his disciples the night before (Thursday). Passover is always on the 14th day of the Jewish month of Nisan, and Nisan 14 (by Jewish reckoning) would have extended from Thursday sundown to Friday sundown. If the Pharisaic-Rabbinic lunar-solar calendar (the one in common use by Jews at that time) was followed, the only plausible years for such a Friday corresponding to Nisan 14 are A.D. 30 or 33. The question then becomes, does A.D. 30 or A.D. 33 best fit with other evidence regarding the years of Jesus’ ministry? ESV Study Bible

Mt 24:1-2 Re-Cap: Jesus leaves temple for the last Time; John tells us Jn 2:19 that early in Jesus ministry when He Cleanses the Temple the first time, and the Jews said to him, “What signs do you show us for doing these things?” Jn 2:13-18 So Jesus answers them,”Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” I’m sure The Disciples were remembering these things as they were leaving the temple with Jesus here in Mt 24:1-2 Else where, we read about when the Scribes and Pharisees were looking for a sign [as proof of His kingship] But Jesus would have none of it and said,”39 But he answered them, “An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. 40 For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.” This had to also been lerking in the minds of the Disciples as they heard Jesus say that the Temple that took over 40 years to build will not only be destroyed, but every stone it was built with will not be left upon another!

In this discourse, Christ is answering the questions put to Him by His disciples in 24:3. They asked, “When shall these things [the destruction of the temple, v. 2] take place?” He told them (see Luke 21:20–24), but Matthew does not record the answer. It took place in A.D. 70 when Titus conquered Jerusalem and destroyed the city. “What will be the sign of Your coming?” (NIV) is answered in 24:29–44; and “What shall be the sign of the end of the (Jewish) age?” is answered in 24:4–28.

The events described in Matt. 24:4–31 will take place during the seven years of tribulation following the rapture of the church. This is the 70th week of Daniel, described in Daniel 9:20–27. This same period of time is described in Rev. 6–19. It is the time when God will pour out His wrath on a rebellious world.

Wiersbe, W. W. (1992). Wiersbe’s expository outlines on the New Testament (p. 88). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.

Jesus final days

The Kingdom taken away

Jesus lift the temple

Disciple are worried

We should be worried

Jesus explains