Brethren,
Here are some thoughts on Mt 24:1-3...
Please have your Bible opened.
May the Lord bless us to rightly divide the word of truth.
I hope it is helpful.
sing
----
A brother asked:
==
I wanted to put this through again to see if any of you had given it any thought over the weekend. I’m still wondering if any of you have any input as to how the parables of Matthew 24-25 relate to Matthew 25:31-46. I do not want to grab only part of the Master’s teaching here and take it out of context but would like to understand all that He would teach us.
==
Dear Brother,
I refer to your post at the above.
"And Jesus went out, and departed from the temple: and his disciples came to him for to shew him the temple's buildings. 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. 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?" Matthew 24:1-3
I will give my wobbly understanding.
The disciples' SEVERAL questions deal with ONE basic matter, ONE matter with SEVERAL components. And their questions were prompted by the momentous matter announced by Christ - the destruction of the temple, and with it the end of the theocratic nation of Israel and the Jewish age. That is the only CENTRAL issue in their mind, and are expressed in their questions. Christ's second coming and all the rest are REMOTELY in the minds of the disciples. The context is quite plain about it. I would say such ideas are read into the passage.
The coming of the Son of Man in the clouds of heaven (Mt 24:30) in judgment brought about the temple's destruction and marked the end of the Jewish theocratic nation and age. All three matters are intimately related.
"And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth [land] mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory... Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled." Mt 24:33-34.
That PARTICULAR and SPECIFIC generation of stiff-necked and rebellious and murderous Jews shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and glory in judgment - i.e. coming in judgment upon the nation. And that happened in AD 70, through the Roman army led by the Roman prince Titus. Read Luke 21:20-33.
In Mk 14:62, Jesus addresses the Sanhedrin, "And Jesus said, I am: and YE shall see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven." The coming spoken of happened in that particular generation, those who heard him shall see the coming of the Son of Man in judgment.
Mt 26:64, Jesus saith unto him, Thou [singular, i.e. high priest] hast said: nevertheless I say unto you [plural, the Sanhedrin, see v57], Hereafter shall ye see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven." Again ALL THOSE present in the audience shall see the Son of man resurrected and glorified, AND coming the clouds of heaven in judgment upon the perverse nations.
"And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward [perverse, stiff-necked, wicked] generation" Acts 2:40. Apostle Peter warned them to flee from the unique judgment that was coming upon that perverse generation.
The fact that later on in Mt 25:31ff Jesus SEEMS to say something about his second coming and the judgment DOES nothing to disprove what has been said. I think it is an error to assume that Christ is speaking of His second coming. All three parables are exactly parallel, speaking of the same event.
(See these articles here:
http://things-new-and-old.blogspot.com/2013/11/another-look-at-matthew-2531-36-and-rev.html
http://things-new-and-old.blogspot.com/2013/12/sheep-and-goats-take-another-look.html
Regardless, all would agree that the coming of the Son of man in the clouds of heaven to execute judgment upon that particular and specific generation of perverse and murderous Jews (in Matt 24:30) and the coming of the Son of man in all his glory with all the holy angels at the END of the gospel age are TWO very different events. The former deals with the Jewish nation; the latter deals with the human race. This distinction is indisputable. In Matthew 25, it is about the end of the Jewish nation. Sheep are believing children of God among the Jews; the goats are unbelieving children of God among the Jews.
I fear that Mt 25:31ff is erroneously read backwards into the questions of the disciples in Mt 24:2. Mt 25:31ff should be read as part of the answers to their ONE question.
I find it very interesting that Jesus didn't say something like, "Come, ye blessed of my Father, because you hear and believe the gospel." This is significant. I wonder whether that means that hearing and believing the gospel PLAYS no role whatsoever on the great day of judgment. Apostle Peter did say, and I think pretty momentous, "Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons: But in every nation, he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him." Acts 10:34-35. Apostle Peter did NOT say, "But in every nation he that heareth and believeth the gospel, is accepted with him."
[Please DO NOT misconstrue from the above and accuse me of denying the biblical command and the necessity of preaching the gospel, and the obligation of calling all those who hear the gospel to repent and believe. Please do remember that only those whom God has already given eternal life are able to hear the gospel truth and believe it as the message of their salvation.
Kindly note that Cornelius was accepted by God long before Apostle Peter brought the gospel message of Cornelius' salvation to him. I think the gospel message plays a crucial role in instructing God's children on the truth of their salvation and training them unto godliness.
Apostle Paul said this, "11 For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, 12 Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; 13 Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; 14 Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works." Tit: 2:11-14
It is also interesting that Jesus highlighted things that we thought were too ordinary - Mt 25:35-36. Nothing about those 'grand' and 'glamorous' things that many would boast in, as in Mt 7:22.
Just a few rusty thoughts... from your fellow student.
Now let us wait to hear from our veteran teachers.
