Chapter 24
Verses 1- 2 Read the Bible verses.
As Jesus left the temple, he told the disciples that the temple will be destroyed. It will be destroyed so completely that not one stone will be on top of another.
In 70 AD the Romans did completely destroy the temple so that not one stone was left on another.
Verses 3- 14 Read the Bible verses.
The disciples asked Jesus, “When will the temple be destroyed?
Will there be a sign of your coming and the end of the world?”
Jesus said, “Don’t let anyone lead you wrong. There will be many who will come in the future and say “I am the Messiah.”. People will believe them and follow them.
Jesus said, “There will be wars and rumors (talk) of wars. Wars will be all over in many countries. This must happen but the end is not yet.”
There will be nation against nation, and famine (no food) and earthquakes. But this is only the beginning.
Then you will be arrested (taken by the police). You will be persecuted (things will be done to hurt you or to make life hard for you).
You will be killed.
All this will happen to those who stay true to Jesus.
You will be hated all over the world because you love Jesus.
False (not true) prophets (person who tells the future) will come and speak things that are not from God–but people will believe them.
Sin will be everywhere. More sin than ever before–very bad kinds of sin–will be everywhere.
People who once loved Jesus will turn away from Jesus
Those who stay true to Jesus until the end will be saved.
The gospel (news about Jesus and salvation) shall be preached to all nations and people. Then the end will come.
Verses 15- 22 Read the Bible verses.
The time will come when you will see things happen that Daniel talked about in the Old Testament. Daniel saw a vision of things that would happen in the end of time. Daniel 9:27, 12:11
II Thessalonians 2:3 “Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come , except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition (evil doom):”
vs. 4” Who opposeth (is against) and exalteth (lifts ups) himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped: so that he as God sitting in the temple of God, shewing (showing) himself that he is God.”
The Jewish people were told in the Ten Commandments that they were never to make an image of a man or animal and worship it.
The only thing in the Holy Place of the temple were things that God told them to put there. In the Holiest of Holies, the one part of the Holy Place, was to be the gold box with angels on top called the Ark of the Covenant. That was where God himself came down to show his presence
(spirit) to the High Priest. The High Priest was the only person who was allow to go into the Holiest of Holies.
But at the end of time, a statue of a man will be put in the temple.
Jesus said, “When you see this happen–run to the hills of Judea.”
Jesus is talking to Jewish people. They are the ones who live in Jerusalem where the temple is.
Jesus said, “Don’t go in the house and get clothes. If you are in a field, don’t go get a coat.”
It will be a hard time for women who are expecting a baby or for women who have little babies.
Pray that it does not happen in the winter or on a holy Sabbath day.
At that time, when that statue is in the Holy Place–it will be the most terrible time (tribulation time) the world has ever seen.
That time will be so bad that God will cut the time short–if he did not, all the people of the world would be killed.
God will shorten the time because of his chosen ones the Jews.
Verses 23 -27 Read the Bible verses.
If someone says the Messiah is here or the Messiah is there–don’t believe them.
False prophets will try to tell people that Jesus has returned to earth.
Jesus said not to believe them.
In the end times there will be a person who pretends to be Christ. He will become a great leader in the world. He will fool the Jewish people into trusting him.
In the book of Revelation this person is called the “anti-Christ”. It means a false Christ.
This false Christ leader will put an idol in the Jewish temple. This is not allowed in a Jewish temple. It is very evil–an “abomination”.
When Jesus comes the second time to earth every eye will see him.
You will not miss seeing him. Just as lightning can light up the whole sky–so it will be when Jesus comes in the clouds.
Verse 28 Read the Bible verse.
Just like when you see the sky full of birds that eat dead animals flying in circles in the sky–you know there is a dead animal on the ground. So you when see certain things begin to happen you will know that the end of time is near and Jesus will be coming soon.
Verses 29-30 Read the Bible verses.
After those terrible days end (tribulation days), then the sun will go dark, the moon will not shine, stars will fall from the sky (like meteors do now) and the heavens will be shaken.
Then at last, the Son of Man (Jesus) will come in the heavens. The nations of the world will be sorrow of spirit to see Jesus come.
They will see Jesus come on the clouds with power and glory. This will be Jesus’ second coming to the earth. He will rule the earth as King at that time.
Verse 31 Read the Bible verse.
In vs. 30 —Angels will blow a trumpet–they will gather (bring together) God’s chosen ones ( the believers in Jesus) from all the world.
This gathering of chosen ones “elect” believers happens at the second coming when Jesus returns to earth. This seems to be people who have lived through the tribulation and have come to believe in Jesus.
The “four corners” seem to be the symbol used for the end of the harvest. The Jewish people were not to reap all the grain in their fields at harvest. They had to leave the grain in the corners of the field for the poor people to gather. Leviticus 19:9
God has already gathered in the “first fruit” (church-believers) in the rapture.
Then mid-way through the tribulation, God gathers in another harvest of believers (144,000 Jewish people, plus others).
So now at the end of the tribulation it is the time for the 4 corners of the harvest to be gathered in. A time for the few who have become believers during the tribulation.
Verses 32-35 Read the Bible verses.
When you see buds starting to grow on a tree—you know summer will soon be here. So, also, when you see these things happen, you will know that Jesus’ coming is at the door ready to happen.
“This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.”
This group of people who see these things begin to happen will be the ones who see the end of things promised.
Jesus’ words will be true and stay forever. What He says will happen.
The heavens and the earth will some day disappear—but Jesus’ words will be true and will stay forever.
Verse 36 Read the Bible verse.
No one knows when this will happen. The angels do not know. Jesus does not know. Only God, the father, knows when Jesus will come back to earth.
Verses 37-39 Read the Bible verses.
When the Son of Man returns, it will be like it was in the days of Noah.
In those days before the flood, the people were having parties, and weddings and banquets. They were having a good time right up until the time Noah went into the ark (boat).
The people did not know it was about to rain. The flood came and washed them all away.
If you remember the story of Noah, you remember that Noah told the people for many years that there was going to be a flood. He told them that they needed to turn away from their sin and get right with God. The people did not want to hear about it. They never believed that a flood would come.
This is the way it is today. When people hear about things that will happen in the end times–they don’t want to hear it. It makes them afraid and they don’t want to feel afraid, or they laugh and make fun of it.
Just like the people did in Noah’s time.
Verse 40-43 Read the Bible verses.
Jesus said that two men will be working in the field–one would be taken and one left. Two women will be grinding and making flour–one will be taken and one left.
Jesus said, “Be prepared because you don’t know what day you Lord is coming.”
Paul speaks of this catching up into heaven. People use the word “rapture”.
The word “rapture” means “caught up”. Church people talk about the rapture of the believers.
In I Thessalonians 4:14-17, Paul talks about Jesus coming in the clouds. Vs.16 ‘For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead shall rise first: then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.”
Paul said in II Corinthians 15:52 “In a moment, In a twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible (into bodies that are perfect), and we shall be changed.”
It will be a surprise—like a robber coming–quietly –in and out.
Do you remember when Jesus went back to heaven after the resurrection? He was talking to people on the side of the mountain, then his feet left the ground and his body kept going up, up, into the clouds.
We will go up like that one day—we will go much faster–so fast that it will be faster than you can blink your eye.
The rapture of believers is the gathering of the first fruits. Just like the Jewish people gathered a few handfuls of the new grain harvest to take to the temple to give as an offering to God.
The church–believers—will be taken up into heaven before the tribulation begins.
There are some Christians that think believers go through the tribulation.
But there are scriptures that say that God will keep his people from that “great day of wrath”. The “great day of wrath” speaks of the time of great trouble on the earth Matt. 3:7. Romans 5:9 I Thessalonians. 1:10
I Thessalonians. 5;9 There are verses in the Old Testament, too.
Verses 44 Read the Bible verse.
You must be watching and ready all the time, for the Son of Man (Jesus) will come when you don’t expect it.
Verses 45- 51 Read the Bible verses.
Who is a faithful servant? Who can the master trust to run his house and take care of his family?
If the master comes home and finds the servant has done everything well –he will give the servant a reward (payment).
But if the servant says to himself “My master will be gone a long time.” Then he does not take care of things, but begins to have parties and get drunk–the master will come home suddenly and surprise the servant.
He will punish the servant and send him to a place of weeping (crying) and gnashing (grinding) of teeth (a place of pain and crying).
Satan tempts Christians to think that the coming of Jesus is far off.
There is a lot of time to have fun, sin, have parties. Live life and do not worry about the future.
Satan wants to get us to forget to live carefully pleasing God and living for Jesus.
We do not know when Jesus will come. We do not want to miss being ready for his coming.
We do not want to be the one who is left behind to go through the terrible days of the tribulation.
The days of tribulation will be days of the most terrible things happening. The book of Revelation tells of the things that will happen–sickness that kill tens of thousands of people all over the world, storms, earthquakes, famine, meteors falling and poisoning the water, ,–the list goes on and on. Thousands of people will suffer and die. Even the sun and moon will become partly dark.
We want to miss this time of trouble. We want to go up in the clouds with Jesus when the angles blow the trumpet.
We want to be ready when Jesus comes in the clouds!
Jesus’ second coming is after the tribulation–and at that time he comes to rule the nations.
Jesus will come to fight for the Jewish people. Many nations will be ready to fight Israel to kill all the Jewish people.
Jesus will come in the clouds. Every eye will see him—like lightning in the sky—people will see him. Jesus will come to earth and all those armies against Israel will be destroyed. This called the Battle of Armageddon.
At the time Jesus comes to fight this battle, there are people with him like an army from heaven. They are wearing robes of white. They come out of heaven with Jesus to fight this battle. Revelation19:14
Who are these people in white robes?
Revelation 19: 7, 8 White robes given to believers because of salvation. These are believers that have been taken to heaven. Believers who have died and those taken up in the rapture.
In Rev. 7:14 it talks about those who came out of the great tribulation have washed their robes white in the blood of the Lamb. Vs. 9 They were a great multitude (crowd) from every nation.
Some of these believers that come back with Jesus– lived during the time of the tribulation—they became Christians and died in the tribulation. When they died they went to heaven. Now they are coming back with the other believers who were already in heaven.
Jesus warns us to be watching what is happening in the world and to have our hearts right with Him so we will be ready for the angels when they blow the trumpet.
We want to be ready to go.