Probably no other chapter of the Bible speaks more fully, and more
definitely, upon the subject of the second advent, than Matthew 24, in
Christ’s own words. We invite the attention of the candid reader to a
brief explanation of the entire chapter.
VERSE 1: “And Jesus went out, and departed from the temple; and
his disciples came to him for to show him the buildings of the
temple.”
Jesus had been addressing the multitude, in the presence of his disciples.
He had reproved the scribes and the Pharisees for their sins, and had
declared, in the previous chapter, the doom of the Jews, their city, and
their temple. The disciples supposed that the temple would stand forever,
and they called the attention of Christ to its magnificence and strength,
and to the great stones that entered into the structure. On this point the
historian of those times, Josephus, says: “Now the temple was built of
stones that were white and strong, and each of their lengths was twenty‐
five cubits, their height was eight, and their breadth about
twelve.”—_“__Antiquities,__”__ book xv, chap. xi._ If we compute a cubit
at twenty inches, we shall be able to gain some idea of the size and
“manner” of these stones.
VERSE 2: “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.”
VERSE 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?”
This statement from the Master could not but deeply interest the
disciples. And it matters not whether they supposed that the destruction
of the temple, the coming of Christ, and the end of the age, would all
occur at the same time, or at different periods, since Christ, in his
answer in this chapter, has distinctly spoken of each separately, and has
given each its place in the prophetic history of events. If it were their
impression that the overthrow of the temple and the end of the world would
occur at the same time, it by no means proves that this would be the case.
As the Scriptures show, up to the time of the out‐pouring of the Holy
Spirit on the day of Pentecost, their ideas upon many points were crude
and inaccurate. Take as proof of this the parable which the Lord spake
when he was going into Jerusalem. Luke 19. They thought that the kingdom
of God should immediately appear. To correct this impression, the parable
of the nobleman was spoken. If they understood the parable at the time
when it was spoken, it did not fully eradicate the impression from their
minds, as is proved by what they did when they entered Jerusalem. We
cannot believe that they would have hailed him as the Son of David, and
rejoiced before him as a King in his triumph, if they had realized that he
was going into the city to be condemned and crucified as a malefactor.
Palm branches and shouts of triumph did not attend the steps of the lowly
and the condemned.
John admits for himself and Peter, after they had seen the empty
sepulcher, that “they knew not the scripture, that he must rise again from
the dead.” John 20:9.
Again, after his resurrection, Jesus reproved two of his disciples, who,
though they had trusted that he would redeem Israel, were then sad and
disheartened. They did not then understand that Christ ought “to have
suffered these things, and to enter into his glory.” The suffering part
was still a mystery to them. And some of the apostles were so slow to
realize that which he had spoken to them, that they could hardly be
persuaded that he was indeed risen from the dead. And after he had been
with them full forty days, speaking to them of the things pertaining to
the kingdom, they did not yet understand “the times and the seasons,” and
therefore asked him, “Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the
kingdom to Israel?”
However the matter may have been entertained in the minds of the
disciples, it is evident that their query consisted of two distinct
questions in the mind of the Saviour. These questions relate, first, to
the destruction of Jerusalem; and, second, to Christ’s second coming at
the end of the world or age. They were distinctly answered by our Lord;
not, however, before the promiscuous multitude; but on the occasion of a
private interview with his disciples. Christ here speaks to his disciples;
hence his words in this prophetic discourse are addressed especially to
the church.
VERSES 4, 5: “And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed
that no man deceive you. For many shall come in my name, saying, I
am Christ, and shall deceive many.”
Jesus knew the hearts of men, and that many impostors would arise, and
deceive multitudes. He here warns his disciples, and guards them against
the deceptions of corrupt and ambitious men. Such was the general
expectation of the appearance of the Messiah among the Jews, that many
would set up the claim that they were the Christ, to carry out selfish
purposes, or to gain notoriety, and the credulous people would be easily
led into the deception, and then be destroyed for sedition. We are
informed that in the days succeeding those of Christ, impostors arose in
great numbers. Josephus tells us of an Egyptian false prophet who led
30,000 men into the desert to show them signs, and then brought them to
Jerusalem as if to attack the city. He caused great pillage and
destruction in Judea, but in the time of battle, ran away, leaving his
followers to the exasperated Romans.—_“__Wars of the Jews,__”__ book ii,
chap. xiii._
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