Matthew 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?
Just before this chapter, we have the account of the Lord weeping over Jerusalem. The Jewish House called The Temple (no longer My Father's House) is left unto them desolate (without the presence of God). And the Jews are never to see Him again till they repent.
The chapter begins with the prophecy of the destruction of the city by Titus. The Lord Jesus does not say when it will occur. Paul says that it might have been avoided (Romans 10:9-10). But Israel would not confess Jesus Christ as their Messiah or believe God raised Him from the dead. So their calamity befell them.
The disciples have three questions to ask;
1. When shall these things happen?
2. What will be the sign of the coming?
3. What is the sign of the ending of the age?
These questions are answered in reverse order. Rumors of wars, wars, and there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they should deceive even the Christians, but yet this will not mark the end of the age. But there will be upheavals in nature and a great tribulation before the end of the age, and those days will be shortened, or no one will survive.
The sign of His coming is not seen till after the tribulation. This precludes any thought of a pre-tribulation coming, as many teach. The coming will not be in secret but as plain as the lightning when it flashes across the heavens. It is plainly stated that if anyone says, "He has come" or "He is at a certain location," that person is a liar and not to be believed.
He finally says that for certain, this very same generation to which He was speaking will not pass away till these things are fulfilled. Can The Lord Jesus be wrong, make a mistake, or, God forbid, lie? Never, for it was entirely possible, and these things would have happened exactly as He foretold if Israel would have only repented. Now, the prophecy of Daniel 9 tells us that The Lord was to come again in 85 A.D. to set up His Kingdom. But Israel did not repent, so the Lord did not return and has not returned yet.
But they are to watch for the prophetic events, even as they watch the fig tree, to tell the season.
He also tells them that things will be going on as usual on the earth when He comes. He will not be expected any more than the flood was expected in the days of Noah. All was business as usual.
Those in the ark were preserved through the flood, but the flood took the others away. And so on that day, the tares will be taken away first, and then the harvest. So the tares will be taken from the midst as two grinding at the mill and one taken or two in the field and one taken. The other is left for it is the wheat, which will be part of the harvest. But the tares are to be taken away.
It is also made plain in that chapter that when the Lord does come, there will be a judgment of the servants who think He will delay His coming. The next chapter tells how the nations that remain (no resurrection mentioned here) will be judged and which will remain and which will not remain to go on into the Great Millennial Kingdom.
The reader may wish to compare the events in Matt 24 with the opening of the seals in Revelation chapter 6. Also, there is more information in Daniel 12. Note the trump that is sounded, which marks the end of the great tribulation and the coming of The King. See 1 Cor. 15:52; 1 Thes. 4:16; and Rev. 11:15-19.
