Mateus 24
William Hendriksen · Citado em PreceptAustin
Mateus 24
Hendriksen - throughout the centuries there have been violent earthquakes. For example: On Nov. 1, 1755, 60,000 people perished at Lisbon, Portugal; in 1783 the great Calabrian earthquake occurred with the death of an estimated 30,000; in 1857 the Neapolitan earthquake took more than 12,000 lives. There was also the Charleston earthquake in 1886; the Assam in 1897; the one in California in 1906, which destroyed a considerable section of San Francisco; the one in Messina in 1908; in Avezzano, Italy in 1915; several in Turkey, from 1939 until very recently; the one that shook Kansu Province, China, in 1920; the one that hit Japan, in 1923, wrecking parts of Tokyo and Yokohama; those in Chile, in 1939, 1960, and even more recently; the devastating earthquake in Peru, 1970; etc. Ancient historians and philosophers—such as Thucydides, Aristotle, Strabo, Seneca, Livy, and Pliny—describe similar seismic phenomena in their days. And as early as the year 1668 Robert Hooke wrote his work bearing the title, Discourse on Earthquakes (see page 278). A certain author counted no less than seven hundred disturbances of this nature, great and small, which had occurred in the nineteenth century! (ED: See Earthquake map - you will be surprised at how many earthquakes occurred yesterday!) (BORROW Exposition of the gospel according to Matthew) As an aside several years ago a church we attended had a mission's conference and asked for booths from each Sunday School class (yes, they did exist at one time in the past! What a tragedy they are now considered archaic! They were not perfect, but they did provide a place where one could efficiently dig a little deeper into the Scriptures -- instead of having to plan and orchestrate another "small group" meeting, which is logistically difficult for young families and which may or may not have an individual with the gift of teaching. They were also conducive to close fellowships! Sorry but I had to get on my "soapbox!") Our class (really it was my wife Marty's idea) proposed we would use a world map and then simply document the locations of the earthquakes over the recent past. What we discovered to our utter shock was that there was a very real concentration of severe earthquakes over the so-called "10/40 Window," which of course has the most unreached people groups in the world. Given that calamities often cause people to cry out "O God," or "Help God," one cannot help but wonder if God had brought about these earthquakes in order that the peoples might cry out for the Gospel and be saved (See Earthquake Map above). Related Resources: Up to date information on latest earthquakes - As I wrote this note 4/6/18 at 4:23 AM I read report of 5.9 quake off coast of El Salvador (Apr 2, 6:23 PM)! Earthquake map - Track the latest earthquakes around the world (hold pointer location of earthquake for details). Note this map records only magnitude 2.5+ Earthquakes during the Past Day - you may be surprised at how many earthquakes occurred globally YESTERDAY! There is a "whole lot of shaking going on!" Earthquakes, great - Wikipedia Why does God allow natural disasters, i.e. earthquakes, hurricanes, and tsunamis? | GotQuestions.org Nation (Gentile) (1484)(ethnos gives us our word "ethnic") in general refers to a multitude (especially persons) associated with one another, living together, united in kinship, culture or traditions and summed up by the words nation, Gentiles (especially when ethnos is plural), people (much like "people groups" in our modern missionary vernacular). In somewhat of a negative sense ethnos conveys the meaning of godless (generally idol worshiping) pagans (heathens, cp Eph 4:17, Mt 6:32), foreign nations not worshipping the true God (Mt 4:15). Often ethnos stands in clear contradistinction to Jew (Ioudaios) (Gal 2:14+ - "Gentiles...Jews" twice). With the definite article "ta ethne" the meaning is Gentiles (non-Jews) as contrasted with Jews (Mt 6:32; 10:18; Acts 11:1, 18; 14:5; Ro 3:29). Ethnos in the Gospels - Matt. 4:15; Matt. 6:32; Matt. 10:5; Matt. 10:18; Matt. 12:18; Matt. 12:21; Matt. 20:19; Matt. 20:25; Matt. 21:43; Matt. 24:7; Matt. 24:9; Matt. 24:14; Matt. 25:32; Matt. 28:19; Mk. 10:33; Mk. 10:42; Mk. 11:17; Mk. 13:8; Mk. 13:10; Lk. 2:32; Lk. 7:5; Lk. 12:30; Lk. 18:32; Lk. 21:10; Lk. 21:24; Lk. 21:25; Lk. 22:25; Lk. 23:2; Lk. 24:47; Jn. 11:48; Jn. 11:50; Jn. 11:51; Jn. 11:52; Jn. 18:35 Famines (3042)(limos from leipo = to fall short, be destitute or be in need) can refer to a literal hunger or famine, and in a metaphoric sense one’s mind might be said to be “hungry, starved.” Famines will be part of the end times scenario according to Jesus (Mt 24:7, Mk 13:8, Lk 21:11). Famine forced Jacob to take his family to Egypt where he met his lost son Joseph (Acts 7:11, cf Ge 50:20). In Romans 8 Paul assures believers that nothing, including famine "can separate us from the love of Christ." (Ro 8:35+). John writes about the famine in the end times stating that "Authority was given to them over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword and with famine and with pestilence and by the wild beasts of the earth." (Rev 6:8+). In the last NT use of limos, John describes the destruction of Babylon, writing "For this reason (see Rev 18:7) in one day her plagues will come, pestilence and mourning and famine, and she will be burned up with fire; for the Lord God who judges her is strong." (Rev 18:8+) Limos - 12x/12v - famine(7), famines(3), hunger(2). Matt. 24:7; Mk. 13:8; Lk. 4:25; Lk. 15:14; Lk. 15:17; Lk. 21:11; Acts 7:11; Acts 11:28; Rom. 8:35; 2 Co. 11:27; Rev. 6:8; Rev. 18:8 Earthquakes (4578)(seismos from = to shake) means an agitation or shaking as a series of violent movements, usually of the earth, but once of a storm or tempest at sea (Mt 8:24). One can picture the height of the huge waves in this supernatural seismos! No wonder the disciples thought they were perishing (Mt 8:25)! William Mounce - Earthquakes are known throughout the Mediterranean region and particularly in eastern Palestine. Geologically, this is because of the movements of the African and Arabian tectonic plates against the Eurasian plates. Earthquakes in the Bible are often seen as divine acts with theological significance. A violent seismos shakes the foundation of the prison holding Paul and Silas; the doors fly open, enabling all the prisoners to escape (though no one does; Acts 16:26). A seismos also occurs in connection with significant events such as the death of Jesus (Mt 27:54) and his resurrection (Mt 28:2). In Revelation, an earthquake announces the opening of sixth seal by Jesus (Rev 6:12) and the opening of God’s heavenly sanctuary (Rev 11:19). Earthquakes are among the cataclysmic events that will occur in the days of judgment accompanying the last days (Mt 24:7; Mk 13:8; Lk 21:11; Rev 8:5; 11:13; 16:18). (SEE Mounce's Complete Expository Dictionary) Seismos - 14x/12v - earthquake(10), earthquakes(3), storm(1). Matt. 8:24; Matt. 24:7; Matt. 27:54; Matt. 28:2; Mk. 13:8; Lk. 21:11; Acts 16:26; Rev. 6:12; Rev. 8:5; Rev. 11:13; Rev. 11:19; Rev. 16:18 Seismos - 15x in 15v in the Septuagint Est. 1:1; Job 41:29; Isa. 15:5; Isa. 29:6; Jer. 10:22; Jer. 23:19; Jer. 47:3; Ezek. 3:12; Ezek. 3:13; Ezek. 37:7; Ezek. 38:19; Amos 1:1; Nah. 3:2; Zech. 14:5 - Below are some examples... Ezekiel 38:19+ “In My zeal and in My blazing wrath I declare that on that day (ED: "on that day, when Gog comes against the land of Israel" - Ezek 38:18) there will surely be a great earthquake in the land of Israel. Amos 1:1 The words of Amos, who was among the sheepherders from Tekoa, which he envisioned in visions concerning Israel in the days of Uzziah king of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam son of Joash, king of Israel, two years before the earthquake. Zechariah 14:5+ You will flee by the valley of My mountains, for the valley of the mountains will reach to Azel; yes, you will flee just as you fled before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah. Then the LORD, my God, will come, and all the holy ones with Him! Matthew 24:8 "But all these things are merely the beginning of birth pangs: panta de tauta arche odinon: CLICK FOR >60 ENGLISH TRANSLATIONS OF THIS VERSE Amplified All this is but the beginning [the early pains] of the birth pangs [of the intolerable anguish]. KJV All these are the beginning of sorrows. ESV All these are but the beginning of the birth pains. NLT But all this is only the first of the birth pains, with more to come. YLT and all these are the beginning of sorrows; ASV But all these things are the beginning of travail. Lev 26:18-29 Dt 28:59 Isa 9:12,17,21 10:4 1Th 5:3 1Pe 4:17,18 Matthew 24 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Related Passages: 1 Thes 5:3 While they are saying, “Peace and safety!” then destruction will come upon them suddenly like labor pains upon a woman with child, and they will not escape. Jeremiah 30:6-7+ (NOTE DESCRIPTION AKIN TO BIRTH PANGS) Ask now, and see If a male can give birth. Why do I see every man With his hands on his loins, as a woman in childbirth? And why have all faces turned pale? 7 ‘Alas! for that day is great, There is none like it; And it is the time of Jacob’s distress, But he will be saved from it. NOT SIGNS OF THE END BUT OF THE BEGINNING But - This is a term of contrast. What is Jesus contrasting? It would seem to be all of the tumultuous events described in Mt 24:6 (and possibly Mt 24:5). Birth pangs is a vivid, easily understood figure of speech that indicates a birth is coming soon. In context the "birth" of greatest note is the return of the Righteous One, our Redeemer and King Who will crush the Gentile powers (Da 2:34-35+, Da 2:44-45+) and bring in (birth if you will) His glorious earthly kingdom. All these things - To what does all these things refer? Many coming in the Name of Jesus and misleading many (Mt 24:5), wars, rumors of wars (Mt 24:6), nations and kingdoms rising against one another, famines and earthquakes (Mt 24:7). The beginning of birth pangs (odin) - When birth pangs (odin) begin, birth generally soon follows. Having delivered a number of babies, it has been my experience that as one gets closer to the actual delivery of the baby, the birth pangs increase in quality and quantity. It would appear that Jesus' figure of speech at least implies that birth pangs (wars, earthquakes, etc) will increase in number and intensity as the end draws near. Birth pangs (odin) speak of hope for the pain will pass and give way to a "new birth" and in this case it will be a "new age," the Messianic Age which will follow the end of the age and a New Heaven and New Earth. Renald Showers has an entire chapter on The Birth Pangs of the Messiah in his excellent book Maranatha Our Lord Come (BORROW). I would highly recommend checking it out from archive.org (free) and reading this interesting chapter
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Hendriksen comments - Lovingly the Master provides for his disciples. When the fiery trial (cp 1Pe 4:12) arrives they must never be able to say, "How strange and unexpected! Why did not the Lord prepare us for this? Why did He not warn us?" Having been forewarned, the disciples (Ed comment: In the first century and until the end of time) will not be unduly disturbed when the prediction is fulfilled. In fact, their faith in Jesus will even be confirmed. Told in advance (4280)(proereo from pro = before + eréo = to say, declare) means literally to say beforehand, so to speak in advance. Some uses convey a "prophetic" sense of declaring or telling before an event (foretell - Acts 1:16, Ro 9:29, 2Co 13:2). Here we see Jesus' warnings in the context of the Olivet Discourse conveys the sense a foretelling of things to come. The perfect tense speaks of the enduring effect or impact of His words (i.e., the idea is "I told you and this warning stands!") Matthew 24:26 "So if they say to you, ' Behold, He is in the wilderness,' do not go out, or,' Behold, He is in the inner rooms,' do not believe them: ean oun eiposin (3PAAS) humin Idou (AMM) en te eremo estin (3SPAI) me exelthete (2PAAS - functions as an aorist imperative) Idou (AMM) en tois tameiois me pisteusete (2PAAS - functions as an aorist imperative): CLICK FOR >60 ENGLISH TRANSLATIONS OF THIS VERSE desert: Mt 3:1 Isa 40:3 Lu 3:2,3 Ac 21:38 Matthew 24 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries THE COMING OF THE SON OF MAN NOT HIDDEN OR SECRETIVE So (therefore, so then) (oun) is a term of conclusion. What is Jesus concluding? He has just given them a charge to pay attention to the forewarning. Behold...Behold (2400)(idou) - see Mt 24:25. He is in the wilderness - compare Mt 11:7-9 where the people went out into the wilderness to see John the Baptist, a true prophet who pointed to the true Messiah. Wilderness (2048)(eremos) describes a solitary, lonely, desolate (Lxx of streets of Jerusalem = Jer 33:10), uninhabited, abandoned place. Literally of a desert, a deserted place, a lonely region. Of an uncultivated region fit for pasture (Lk 15:4 = open pasture). Eremos describes the place where John the Baptist lived (Lk 1:80) and heard "the word of God" (Lk 3:2) and preached (Mt 3:1), and cried out "in the wilderness" (Mt 3:3, Mk 1:3, Lk 3:4, Jn 1:23). Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil (Mt 4:1, Mk 1:12, Lk 4:1 = where He "was led about by the Spirit") Of the lonely place Jesus withdrew early in the morning (Mt 14:14, Lk 4:42, Mk 1:35 - Do you have a "lonely place" to which you retire early in the morning? If Jesus needed one, so do we! Mk 6:31 Do you have a "wilderness" in which to pray? = Lk 5:16, cp Lxx use in Ps 63:1). Jesus speaking to faithless Israel declared "Behold, your house is being left to you desolate!" (Mt 23:38) Because of popularity Jesus had to stay "out in unpopulated areas." (Mk 1:45, cp Jn 11:54) Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness (Jn 3:14), the same place Israel ate manna (Jn 6:31, 49). Jehovah appeared to Moses in wilderness on Sinai (Acts 7:30, 38, cp Lxx uses Ex 3:1, 18, 4:27) and he led Israel 40 years in the wilderness (Acts 7:36; cp Lxx Ps 68:7, 78:52, Hos 13:5, Amos 2:10) where they offered sacrifices for 40 years (Acts 7:42, cp Acts 13:18 = where God "put up with" Israel, cp Lxx of Amos 5:25) and where they first had the tabernacle of testimony (Acts 7:44) and where God laid low most of Israel because He was not pleased with them (1Cor 10:5, Heb 3:17) for they provoked Him there (Heb 3:8, cp Lxx - Ps 95:8; 106:14, Ps 78:40). The wilderness is where the woman (Israel) will flee in the future and be nourished by God, protected from the devil for 3.5 years (time, times, and half a time = 1260 days - Rev 12:6, 14, cp Da 7:21, 25, Da 12:7). In Lxx of Hag 1:9 Jehovah laments "of My house which lies desolate." God "will make Nineveh a desolation, Parched like the wilderness (Lxx - eremos)." (Zeph 2:13) God says of Judah "The whole land shall be a desolation." (Jer 4:27, cp Jer 9:12 "like a desert"; Jer 12:10 = "a desolate wilderness") God speaks of Israel's future restoration when He will purge the rebels and bring others into the bond of the covenant (Ezek 20:37,38) - "As I entered into judgment with your fathers in the wilderness of the land of Egypt, so I will enter into judgment with you," declares the Lord GOD." (Ezek 20:36) Note that Ezekiel 20:33-44 speaks of His regathering Israel to their land in the future time of Christ's Second Advent. Figuratively eremos is used of individuals who are abandoned, forsaken (Gal 4:27, Acts 1:20 = desolate, cp Lxx of Hos 2:3) God says "Have I been a wilderness to Israel" (Jer 2:31) NAS translates eremos - desert(2), deserts(1), desolate(6), open pasture(1), secluded(5), unpopulated(1), wilderness(32). Eremos - 48x in 48v - Matt 3:1, 3; 4:1; 11:7; 14:13, 15; 23:38; 24:26; Mark 1:3f, 12f, 35, 45; 6:31f, 35; Luke 1:80; 3:2, 4; 4:1, 42; 5:16; 7:24; 8:29; 9:12; 15:4; John 1:23; 3:14; 6:31, 49; 11:54; Acts 1:20; 7:30, 36, 38, 42, 44; 8:26; 13:18; 21:38; 1 Cor 10:5; Gal 4:27; Heb 3:8, 17; Rev 12:6, 14; 17:3 Liddell-Scott-Jones - I desolate, lonely, solitary, 1 of places, the desert parts. 2. of persons or animals, ( I weep in solitude) 3. of conditions, II c. gen., 1. reft of, void or destitute of, 2. of persons, bereft of, a house without heirs, Isa 7.31. 3. with no bad sense, wanting, without; free from III 1. an undefended action, in which one party does not appear, and judgement goes against him by default, Eremos - 319v in the Septuagint - Ge 12:9; 13:1, 3; 14:6; 16:7; 21:14, 20f; 24:62; 36:24; 37:22; Ex 3:1, 18; 4:27; 5:1, 3; 7:16; 8:20, 27f; 13:18, 20; 14:3, 11f; 15:22; 16:1, 3, 10, 14, 32; 17:1; 18:5; 19:1f; 23:29, 31; Lev 7:38; 16:10, 21f; 26:31, 33; Nu 1:1, 19; 3:4, 14; 9:1, 5; 10:12, 31; 12:16; 13:3, 17, 21f, 26; 14:2, 16, 22, 25, 29, 32f, 35; 15:32; 16:13; 20:1, 4; 21:1, 5, 11, 13, 20, 23; 23:28; 24:1; 26:61, 64f; 27:3, 14; 32:13, 15; 33:6, 8, 11f, 15f, 36; 34:3; Deut 1:1, 19, 31, 40; 2:1, 7f, 26; 4:43, 45; 6:4; 7:22; 8:2, 15f; 9:7, 28; 11:5, 24; 29:5; 32:10, 51; 34:3; Josh 1:4; 5:6; 12:8; 14:10; 15:1, 21; 16:1; 20:8; 21:36, 42; 24:7; Jdg 1:16; 8:7, 16; 11:16, 18, 22; 20:42, 45, 47; 1Sam 4:8; 23:14, 24f; 24:1; 25:1, 4, 7, 14, 21; 26:2f; 2 Sam 2:24; 15:18, 23, 28; 16:2; 17:16, 29; 1Kgs 2:34; 4:20; 19:4, 15; 2Kgs 2:8; 3:8; 1Chr 5:9; 6:78; 12:8; 21:29; 2Chr 1:3; 8:4; 20:16, 20, 24; 24:9; 26:10; Ezra 9:9; Neh 2:17; 9:19, 21; Esther 8:12; Job 1:19; 15:28; 38:26; 39:6; Ps 29:8; 55:7; 63:1; Ps 65:12; 68:7; 75:6; 78:15, 19, 40, 52; Ps 95:8; 106:9, 14, 26; Ps 107:4, 33, 35; 136:16; Pr 9:12; 21:19; Song 3:6; Isa 1:7; 5:9, 17; 6:11; 13:9; 14:17, 23; 15:6; 16:1, 8; 17:9; 21:1; 24:12; 30:6; 32:15f; 34:11; 35:1f, 6; 40:3; 41:18; 42:11; 43:19f; 44:26; 48:21; 49:8, 19; 50:2; 51:3; 52:9; 54:1; 58:12; 61:4; 62:4; 63:13; 64:10; Jer 2:6, 15, 24, 31; 4:11, 26f; 9:2, 10, 12, 26; 12:10, 12; 13:24; 17:6; 22:6; 23:10; 25:24; 31:2; 33:10, 12; 34:22; 44:2; 48:6; 49:13; 50:12; Lam 4:3, 19; 5:9; Ezek 5:14; 6:14; 13:4; 14:8; 19:13; 20:10, 13, 15, 17f, 21, 23, 35f; 23:42; 25:13; 26:20; 29:9f; 30:12; 33:28f; 34:25; 35:3f, 7, 12, 14f; 36:2, 33, 35, 38; 38:8; Dan 4:25; 9:17; Hos 2:3, 14; 9:10; 13:5, 15; Joel 1:19-20; 2:22; Amos 2:10; 5:25; Zeph 2:13; Hag 1:9; Zech 14:10; Mal 1:3-4; Hendriksen - Some, with reflection on John the Baptist (Mt 3:1), may point to the wilderness as the place where the Messiah is to be found. Others, to the inner rooms, as if the Christ were only for a few initiates, the Head of a private fraternity, revealing himself to no one else. In fact, the very opposite is the truth. It will not be necessary in that day to go in search of the Christ, as if he were to be found in some arid waste or some dark corner. Behold, He is in the inner rooms - Jesus' point is that when the real Messiah returns, it will not be for just a few to see. Gundry writes that "For their own emphasis, false prophets will also use "Behold!" Jews often thought that messianic salvation would begin in the wilderness (compare Israel's exodus from Egypt into the wilderness as deliverance from slavery, and Israel's entrance into Canaan out of the wilderness as the gaining of a homeland). "Storerooms" contrasts hideouts in the city with the wilderness. False teaching in the church is seldom brazen. It's usually offered with theological justification, such as a claim to have had direct and recent contact with the Christ, so that attention supposedly needs to be paid to a new communication that outdates his traditional teaching. Jesus warns, then, against contacts said to have taken place in the isolation of the wilderness and in the secrecy of urban hideouts, where public authentication that the Christ has returned and communicated with these false prophets is lacking. But people in the church can be easily taken in by false prophets who enhance their proclamations with claims to private contacts with the Christ and new communications from him. So Jesus will now play up the publicness of his return." (Commentary on the New Testament: Verse-by-Verse Explanations with a Literal Translation) Inner rooms ("secret chambers" - KJV) (5009)(tameion = later form of tamieion = treasury and it is this latter form used in the Septuagint) can describe a storeroom or storage chamber, a secret room or an inner chamber. Tameion speaks of the interior rooms of a house reserved for privacy. Uses of the form tamieion in the Septuagint - When he saw his long lost brothers Joseph "entered his chamber and wept there." (Ge 43:30 = tamieion) Delilah had men "lying in wait in an inner room" to bind Samson (Jdg 16:12, 9 = tamieion). Tamieion was the place Amnon violated Tamar (2Sa 13:10 = "the bedroom", cp 1Ki 1:15, 2Ki 6:12) Tamieion was the place Beh-hadad hid in the city ("into an inner chamber" 1Ki 20:30). Micaiah described tamieion as "an inner room" where one could hide (1Ki 22:25). Tamieion was the place Joash (the last male heir in the Davidic line as the others were put to death) was hidden with his nurse by Jehosheba and thereby preserved the line of the Messiah (2Ki 11:2 - "But Jehosheba, the daughter of King Joram, sister of Ahaziah, took Joash the son of Ahaziah and stole him from among the king's sons who were being put to death, and placed him and his nurse in the bedroom, actually either the palace storeroom where servants kept the bedding or a room in the living quarters of the temple priests. So they hid him from Athaliah, and he was not put to death." Note 2Ki 11:3 says Joash was hidden for 6 years in the Temple)! Tamieion describes "barns" that are "filled with plenty" (Pr 3:10) Liddell-Scott-Jones on tameion = treasury; of the Roman Aerarium; the Imperial Fiscus, 2. magazine, storehouse; store-room; reservoir, 3. chamber, closet, Tameion - 4x in 4v - Matthew 6:6 "But you, when you pray, go into your inner room, close your door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you. Matthew 24:26 "So if they say to you, 'Behold, He is in the wilderness,' do not go out, or, 'Behold, He is in the inner rooms,' do not believe them. Luke 12:3 "Accordingly, whatever you have said in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have whispered in the inner rooms will be proclaimed upon the housetops. Luke 12:24 "Consider the ravens, for they neither sow nor reap; they have no storeroom nor barn, and yet God feeds them; how much more valuable you are than the birds! Tameion is not found but the earlier form, tamieion is found 34 times in the Septuagint: Ge 43:30; Exod 8:3; Deut 28:8; 32:25; Judg 3:24; 15:1; 16:9, 12; 2 Sam 13:10; 1 Kgs 1:15; 20:30; 22:25; 2 Kgs 6:12; 9:2; 11:2; 2 Chr 18:24; 22:11; Job 9:9; 37:9; Ps 105:30; 144:13; Prov 3:10; 7:27; 20:27, 30; 24:4; 26:22; Eccl 10:20; Song 1:4; 3:4; 8:2; Isa 26:20; 42:22; Ezek 28:16 ESV Study Bible - The Messiah will not come secretly to a select group and stay hidden from public view. Rather, he will appear like a flash of lightning—sudden and visible to all. ( ESV Study Bible BORROW) Tony
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Hendriksen - The sense of the comparison, then, is this, that just as a lightning flash is so brilliant that from one end of heaven to the other it is clearly visible, so Christ's coming shall be such that "every eye shall see him" (Rev. 1:7-note). Heinrich
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Hendriksen has an interesting comment on this difficult to interpret passage - Vultures swoop down upon a carcass. When morally and spiritually the world has degenerated to such an extent that it resembles carrion, in other words when the Lord judges that the world's cup of iniquity is full (cf. Ge 15:16; Rev. 14:18), then, and not until then, Christ shall come to condemn that world. Then his coming is a divine necessity. Matthew 24:29 "But immediately after the tribulation of those days THE SUN WILL BE DARKENED, AND THE MOON WILL NOT GIVE ITS LIGHT, AND THE STARS WILL FALL from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken: CLICK FOR >60 ENGLISH TRANSLATIONS OF THIS VERSE Greek: Eutheos de meta ten thlipsin ton hemeron ekeinon ho helios skotisthesetai (3SFAI) kai he selene ou dosei (3SFAI) to. pheggos autes kai hoi asteres pesountai (3PFMI) apo tou ouranou kai. ai dunameis ton ourann saleuthesontai (3PFAI): KJV Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: NET "Immediately after the suffering of those days, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of heaven will be shaken. NLT "Immediately after the anguish of those days, the sun will be darkened, the moon will give no light, the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken. CJB "But immediately following the trouble of those times, the sun will grow dark, the moon will stop shining, the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers in heaven will be shaken. CSB "Immediately after the tribulation of those days: The sun will be darkened, and the moon will not shed its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the celestial powers will be shaken. Immediately after the tribulation of those days: Mt 24:8 Da 7:11,12 Mk 13:24,25 THE SUN WILL BE DARKENED, AND THE MOON WILL NOT GIVE ITS LIGHT, AND THE STARS WILL FALL from the sky: Isa 13:10 24:23 Jer 4:23-28 Eze 32:7,8 Joe 2:10,30,31 3:15 Am 5:20 8:9 Zep 1:14,15 Lu 21:25,26 Ac 2:19,20 Rev 6:12-17 The powers of the heavens will be shaken: 2Pe 3:10 Matthew 24 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries COSMIC SIGNS SIGNAL SECOND COMING The parallel passage in Mark 13:24-27 (there is no true parallel passage in Luke 21) has "But in those days, after that tribulation, THE SUN WILL BE DARKENED, AND THE MOON WILL NOT GIVE ITS LIGHT." AND THE STARS WILL BE FALLING from heaven, and the powers that are in the heavens will be shaken. "And then they will see THE SON OF MAN COMING IN CLOUDS with great power and glory. "And then He will send forth the angels, and will gather together His elect from the four winds, from the farthest end of the earth, to the farthest end of heaven. E Donald Hiebert commenting on the Mark version of the Olivet Discourse writes "Bruce remarks that it sets a contrast between "the false Christs who are not to be believed in" and "the coming of the true Christ." The double statement, "in those days, after that tribulation," suggests a close connection with Mk 13:14-23. The implied close connection is explicitly affirmed by Matthew's "immediately" (Mt 24:29). The demonstrative pronouns, those and that, view the unparalleled tribulation just described as still remote at the time of speaking." (The Gospel of Mark- An Expositional Commentary) Allison and Davies comment that "Having, in Mt 24:28, moved the mind's eye from earth to sky, the text now directs our gaze even higher. This imaginative raising of vision leaves distress behind and prepares for envisaging the good help that comes from heaven (Mt 24:30)." (A critical and exegetical commentary on the Gospel according to Saint Matthew) Thomas Ice - One of the original questions that the disciples ask Jesus at the beginning of this discourse was "what will be the sign of your coming?" He has been answering the question since Matthew 24:23. Having spoken of His coming in Matthew 24:27, Jesus now builds upon His previous point that He will not arrive clandestinely, but His return will be a clear, public event that will take place suddenly. Just such a glorious appearing is exactly what is described in Matthew 24:29-30. (Matthew 24:29 The Sun, Moon, and Stars) David L McKenna - When the sign of His coming is given (Ed: He is referring here especially to the cosmic cataclysms), it will defy scientists and pseudoscientists, astronomers and astrologers, but there will be no way to misread its purpose." (The Communicator's Commentary) Jesus is quoting in part from Isaiah 13 (but see the numerous passages at end of this note that have similar descriptions of this time) which in context describes the coming Day of the LORD Behold, the Day of the LORD is coming, cruel, with fury and burning anger, to make the land a desolation; and He will exterminate its sinners from it. For the stars of heaven and their constellations will not flash forth their light. The sun will be dark when it rises, and the moon will not shed its light." (Isaiah 13:9-10) The great Day of the LORD, near and coming very quickly. Listen, the Day of the LORD! In it the warrior cries out bitterly. 15 A Day of wrath is that Day, A Day of trouble and distress, A Day of destruction and desolation, A Day of darkness and gloom, A Day of clouds and thick darkness, (Zep 1:14,15) But (de) - This is a term of contrast which should always prompt the question of "What is the author contrasting?" Notice that in this context most of the translations leave the Greek word "de" (but) untranslated. David Turner - This is the period of ultimate, unparalleled anguish (lit. "tribulation") described in 24:15ff (cf. Dan 12:1). (Cornerstone Biblical Commentary, Vol 11: Matthew and Mark) John
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Hendriksen comments that "The picture is very vivid. While the earth is drenched with the blood of the saints in the most terrible tribulation of all time, all at once the sun becomes darkened. Naturally the moon now also ceases to give her light. The stars deviate from their orbits and race to their doom; they "fall from heaven." The powers of the heaven are shaken. Terrifying sounds are heard. There is "the roaring of the sea and the billows," causing perplexity among men. People faint with fear and with foreboding of what is beginning to happen to the world (Luke 21:25, 26). In connection with this apocalyptic picture strict literalness must be avoided. Until this prophetic panorama becomes history we shall probably not know how much of this description must be taken literally and how much figuratively." (Baker NT Commentary) THE "FORMIDABLE, UNCOMFORTABLE" PROBLEM INTERPRETING MATTHEW 24:15ff AS FULFILLED IN 70AD IF one interprets the abomination of desolation standing in the holy place (Mt 24:15-note) as the future Antichrist standing in the Temple (cp 2Thes 2:3-4-note) and initiating the Great Tribulation, THEN Mt 24:29 makes perfect chronological sense. The Antichrist has only 42 months (3.5 years - Rev 13:5-note) to exercise world domination. Immediately (Mt 24:29) after this tribulation the Lord will return and "cut short" this horrible time (Mt 24:22-note). Those commentators who hold that Mt 24:15-20 was fulfilled in 70AD have difficulty in making Mt 24:29 fit with their interpretation. R T France explains the problem Mt 24:29 for those who like himself espouse a 70AD fulfillment for the abomination of desolation in Mt 24:15-note: It is with Mt 24:29 that the traditional interpretation (Ed: Mt 24:15 = 70AD fulfillment) becomes most uncomfortable. If it is agreed that Mt 24:15-28 relate to the siege of Jerusalem (apart from the aside about its difference from the parousia in Mt 24:27) and if it is assumed that Mt 24:29-31 describe the "parousia and the end of the age" (even though they use none of those terms), the opening phrase "But immediately after the distress of those days" constitutes a formidable problem unless one is prepared to argue that Jesus (and Matthew) really did expect the parousia to take place in the late first century AD, and that He was mistaken (Ed: Which of course would make Jesus a false prophet!). As a result many interpreters resort to imprecise talk about "prophetic perspective" which merges far distant events into a single time-frame, while others argue that either "immediately after" or "those days" do not mean what they appear to mean. (The Gospel of Matthew, NICNT, Eerdmans Publication, 2007) (Bolding and italics mine for emphasis) Comment: The most incredible statement by France is that immediately after or those days may not mean what the appear to mean! Beloved, IF we have to read the Scriptures trying to discern when words or phrases might NOT mean what they appear to mean, we would encounter tremendous problems in reaching a consensus on ANY PASSAGE! The point is that Jesus said it plainly and that plainly settles it! He spoke in easily understandable words which can be taken at "face value" and which can therefore be accurately interpreted! If the plain sense of Jesus' words in context makes good sense, then the reader is wise not to try to come up with an unnatural ("imprecise") sense or it may end up precisely as nonsense. Surely Jesus did not intend that only those with theological doctorates would be able to understand His words. After all He was addressing "uneducated and untrained men!" (Acts 4:13) So let us seek the plain literal sense and make sure we do so in context (see Carson's example of taking a text out of its context below). Here is Craig Keener's interpretation of "immediately" in Mt 24:29: "Immediately" ties the tribulation of "those days" to the unidentified final tribulation, a tribulation that may follow it by only a few years (as some of Matthew's audience could still have held) or, on a more modern reading, can only be identified as the final one by the fact that the parousia concludes it. (The Gospel of Matthew: A Socio-Rhetorical Commentary) Comment: Keener who interprets Mt 24:15 as fulfilled in 70AD is to be commended for keeping the door open to the possibility that Mt 24:29 could be referring to a future event. Grant Osborne summarizes the interpretations of "immediately after the tribulation of those days"... (1) Some (France) believe this is a reference entirely to the destruction of Jerusalem, so that the return of Christ here is not His Second Coming but His vindication in the events of AD 66-70. (2) Others (Carson, Blomberg, Morris) believe this goes back to the "tribulation" of Mt 24:9, 22 and not the "abomination" of Mt 24:15-21 (i.e., the destruction of Jerusalem) (Ed comment: Note the inconsistency of this view -- Mt 24:21 is the nearest previous mention of "tribulation!" and yet these writers basically ignore it or "skip over it" because a literal rendering in context would mean Christ returns immediately after the Great Tribulation, which is "cut short" [Mt 24:22] by His parousia!), and "immediately after" means that the parousia follows the period of "tribulation" during the church age. (Ed comment: To equate the church age with the "great tribulation" is patently absurd! If that were what Jesus meant, why did He use five verses [Mt 24:16-20] to give an urgent call to Jews [not the church - cf use of Jewish words "Judea," "Sabbath"!] to flee?) (3) Still others (Hagner) believe this is stated from Matthew's perspective as "immediately" following the destruction, but with "immediately" meaning "it is to be expected after" rather than "very soon after" because of the constant aspect of delay in chs. 24-25. (Ed comment: Notice how one is forced to read into the plain sense of the word "immediately" some other meaning in order to justify a "preteristic" interpretation of Matthew 24. The word immediately means just that - immediately! cp the next use by Matthew - Mt 26:49. If Jesus had mean "it is to be expected after" He could have said "after that" or "then" but instead He used "immediately!") (4) However, to link this just with the destruction of AD 66-70 or with the suffering of the entire church age is to miss the whole context of vv. 4-28. The best understanding is to take "the tribulation of those days" as recapitulating "those days" of Mt 24:19, 22 and thus refers both to "those days" of the destruction of Jerusalem and of the final conflagration of the "great tribulation" (Mt 24:21; Rev 7:14) period. Here with eutheos (retaining its force as "immediately," unlike Mark) it especially refers to the final events of history, those "immediately" preceding the return of Christ (so McNeile, Grundmann, Hill, Gundry, Bruner, Wilkins, Witherington, Turner). (Ed comment: If one ) (Zondervan Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament) THE IMPORTANCE OF CONTEXT IN INTERPRETATION OF "THOSE DAYS" D A Carson says that Matthew 24:29 begins the new stage with "Immediately after the distress [thlipsis] of those days," a clear reference back to the thlipsis of Mt 24:9, 22, not to the "great distress" of Mt 24:15-21. Thus the celestial signs and the coming of the Son of Man do not immediately follow "the abomination that causes desolation" but "the distress of those days"—i.e., of the entire interadvent period of thlipsis." (BORROW Expositor's Bible Commentary) Comment: Notice that Carson basically ignores the plain meaning of the word immediately and does not interpret "immediately after the tribulation (thlipsis)" as referring to immediately after "the great tribulation (thlipsis)" which Jesus had just mentioned in context. Instead Carson skips the near reference to tribulation in Mt 24:21 and goes back to tribulation (thlipsis) in Mt 24:9 in an attempt to buttress his interpretation! Why does he avoid the critically important hermeneutical rule of interpreting the text in its context? I cannot read his mind, but one thing is clear. If Jesus' words in Mt 24:29 are interpreted as a description of the cosmic signs which immediately follow the "great tribulation (thlipsis)", then Carson's interpretation of "the abomination that causes desolation" would be incorrect because these cosmic signs of Mt 24:29 clearly did not occur after the Roman Army destroyed and desolated Jerusalem in 70 AD! Clearly a literal, contextually sensitive reading of Mt 24:29 creates a significant problem for the popular "preteristic" interpretation of Mt 24:15ff as fulfilled in 70AD! So without explanation, Carson somewhat dogmatically draws the conclusion that Jesus' statement about tribulation is "a clear reference back to the thlipsis of Mt 24:9,22, not to the great distress of Mt 24:15-21." (Emphasis mine) Notice that he references Mt 24:22, which begs the question "What is the context of Mt 24:22?" Note that in the original Greek text Mt 24:22 is linked with Mt 24:21 by use of the copulative conjunction (joins words and sentences) kai ("and"), which is the first word in the Mt 24:22. It is therefore very clear that Jesus intends for Mt 24:21 and Mt 24:22ESV to be understood as related to or "coupled with" one another. It also logically follows that "those days" in Mt 24:22 is clearly linked to the period of the great tribulation Jesus had just described in Mt 24:15-21 (See Jesus' three uses of "those days" below)! In sum, the phrase "immediately after the tribulation of those days" in Mt 24:29 clearly refers to the days Jesus had just designated as the great tribulation. To make "those days" refer all the way back to Mt 24:9 is tantamount to "yanking" Jesus' words out of context! Allison and Davies rightly recognize that "The attempt of Carson, pp. 504-5, to refer Mt 24:29a to Mt 24:9 and Mt 24:22 but not Mt 24:15-21, does not persuade, in part because he must unnaturally separate Mt 24:22 (with its use of 'those days') from Mt 24:21. (Ed: In other words Allison and Davies agree that Dr Carson's handling of the context is a bit strained or hermeneutically awkward.) (Ibid) Beloved, it is critically important to emphasize that context is "King" if one seeks to interpret the Scripture accurately. So let's look again at the context of the important time phrase "those days" which is found only 3 times in Mt 24:1-34. Read the following passages and see if it is not very clear as to what time period Jesus is referring when He uses "those days." You will notice that the two previous uses of those days both refer to the time period Jesus called the great tribulation. And so to reiterate, it clearly follows that the phrase immediately after the tribulation of those days means exactly that -- immediately after the time of the horrific great tribulation all the world will see unmistakable cosmic signs pointing to the immediate return of the Messiah! Mt 24:19 "But woe to those who are with child and to those who nurse babes in those days! What days? Clearly this refers to the days of the great tribulation which begins when the abomination of desolation stands in the holy place (Mt 24:15-note). Mt 24:22 "And unless those days had been cut short, no life would have been saved; but for the sake of the elect those days shall be cut short. To what days does Jesus refer? If one allows context to rule in the interpretation, it is clear that those days refers to those days of the great tribulation He had just described. Mt 24:29 "But immediately after the tribulation of those days THE SUN WILL BE DARKENED, AND THE MOON WILL NOT GIVE ITS LIGHT, AND THE STARS WILL FALL from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken To what days does Jesus refer? He has just mentioned "those days" twice and both of those uses are in the context of the great tribulation. As stated earlier, if one allows context to rule in interpretation, those days of Mt 24:29 refer to those days of the great tribulation. Regardless of how one interprets Mt 24:15, any other interpretation would require one to take the text out of its normal, plain context! Craig Blomberg in Matthew - New American Commentary (BORROW) associates those days of Mt 24:29 with the Great Tribulation. However in order to explain the phrase "immediately after the tribulation of those days" he says that the Great Tribulation lasts from Jesus' first advent to His second advent. This interpretation of the entire church age as a period of unprecedented tribulation simply does not make good sense! Blomberg's interpretation of the "great tribulation" as lasting almost 2000 years ignores the fact that Jesus was describing a unique, unprecedented, never to be repeated specific time of testing which in fact would be "cut short"! (Mt 24:22-note) Does Jesus' description of a time that would be cut short sound like an unprecedented "Great Tribulation" that has lasted for almost 2000 years? Furthermore, Jeremiah and Daniel both had similar descriptions of a time of unparalleled distress that would come upon Israel in the last days. In Jeremiah 30:7-note the distress that will come upon the nation of Israel future is described as "there is none like it." The time of distress in Daniel 12:1-note clearly does not extend from Jesus' first to second coming but in the context of Da 11:36-45-note will be the time when the Antichrist wages war with the Jews for 3.5 years (cp Da 7:25-note, Rev 13:5-8-note). Notice how Daniel like Jesus specifies a time of unparalleled tribulation describing this as "a time of distress such as never occurred since there was a nation until that time". Furthermore, in the context which follows Daniel's description of the time of distress the prophet records that this horrible time of Israel's purging, purifying and refining (Da 12:10-note) will last not for thousands of years but for "time, times and half a time" (3.5 years) (Da 12:7-note). Given the clear similarity of the descriptions of the times of distress by Jesus (Mt 24:21-note) and Daniel (Da 12:1-note), it follows that the length of time of the Great Tribulation is also 3.5 years and not an extended period of 2000 years as posited by Blomberg (and others who hold to a 70AD position)! In sum, Blomberg is forced to interpret the Great Tribulation as occurring over an extended period of time in order to make his 70AD interpretation of Mt 24:15-22-note compatible with the Mt 24:29 description "immediately after the tribulation," a time which clearly precedes the future second coming (Mt 24:30-note). Leon Morris in the top rated Pillar NT Commentary on Matthew does not even attempt to explain the phrase "immediately after the tribulation of those days" writing that "Jesus has spoken of troubled times that will precede the end of all things, and he now goes on to speak of what will follow the distress he has earlier mentioned (Mt 24:9 and Mt 24:21). He speaks of significant celestial phenomena in language reminiscent of Old Testament passages but without specifically quoting them (e.g., Ezek. 32:7; Joel 2:10)." (The Gospel according to Matthew) Randolph Yeager has a comment on the "preteristic" commentaries (of which the preceding are just a sampling) - The attempt to show that Jesus' prophecy had its fulfillment between A.D. 33 and A.D. 70, disregards Matthew 24:29-31. None of these events took place ("immediately after") the troublous times connected with Titus' invasion and sack of Jerusalem in A.D. 70.…These drastic disturbances in the heavens will highlight the second coming of Christ.…How frantic the efforts of many commentators in dealing with this passage because they are prejudiced against a futurist view. ( The Renaissance New Testament, 18 vols. (Bowling Green, KY: Renaissance Press, 1978, vol. 3. p. 312) (Bolding added for emphasis) UNMISTAKABLE COSMIC SIGNS HERALD HIS COMING AND THE CONSUMMATION OF THE AGE The moon...the stars...powers of the heavens - To what or whom does this refer? There is some debate as to whether Jesus' words are to be interpreted literally or figuratively. It is surprising that "The terminology has generally been regarded as figurative, simply denoting political and international upheavals. But modern scientific developments have shown that the possibility the language may be a sober description of grim reality cannot be ruled out." (Hiebert) However in light of the description in Mt 24:7 of "famines and earthquakes" the effects of the moon and stars could be interpreted literally. As one writer says "When the sign of His coming is given, it will defy scientists and pseudoscientists, astronomers and astrologers, but there will be no way to misread its purpose." The powers of the heavens could be literal (meteor shower, etc) or figurative as some "suggestively hold that here, in contrast to the preceding three statements dealing with inanimate objects, the reference is to personal powers or hosts in the heavens. Then the most likely reference is to the mighty shaking effect that these events will have on the kingdom of Satan and his hosts." (Hiebert) Thomas Ice - Matthew 24:29 is not a new revelation by our Lord. Old Testament passages like Isaiah 13:9-10 and Joel 2:31; 3:15 also reference this "black out" and light show that will occur "immediately after the tribulation," in preparation for Christ's second coming as noted in Matthew 24:30. These Old Testament passages refer to the same future events that Christ describes in Matthew 24:29. In conjunction with the return of Jesus, Israel will be rescued from her tribulation by the Lord Himself (Matthew 24:31). We see the theme of rescue associated with the Lord's return reinforced from the contexts of these Old Testament passages, especially Joel 2; and Joel 3, especially Joel 2:31 and Joel 3:1-2. It is clear that our Lord has quoted part of His declaration about the sun and moon in Matthew 24:29, "But immediately after the tribulation of those days THE SUN WILL BE DARKENED, AND THE MOON WILL NOT GIVE ITS LIGHT,…" from Joel 2:31. Both are speaking of the same time and events—the time immediately following the tribulation and in conjunction with Christ's return. Thus, it is interesting to take note of Joel 3:1-2, which provides a "time text" saying that the "black out" (Joel 2:31) will occur "in those day and at that time" (Joel 3:1). In conjunction with this is described a time when the Lord will "restore the fortunes of Judah and Jerusalem" (Joel 3:1). Not judgment, but deliverance, as in Matthew 24. This event is said to be a time when the Lord "will gather all the nations" (Joel 3:1) in the valley of Jehoshaphat just north of Jerusalem. Further, it will be a time in which Israel will have been regathered from among the nations (Joel 3:2). This will be the time in which the sun and moon will be darkened. (Matthew 24:29 The Sun, Moon, and Stars) In his study notes Dr
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Hendriksen notes that "when the soul becomes entirely wrapped up in them, so that matters such as these become ends in themselves, and spiritual tasks are neglected, they are no longer a blessing but have become a curse. They have become evidences of gross materialism, false security, and often cold selfishness. The men of Noah's day did not in time recover their senses. They failed to realize their perilous situation until it was too late. Suddenly the cataclysm—the word used in the original—came. For them it was indeed a "washing down," which is the basic meaning of the word. The flood carried or swept them all away. Similarly sudden and disastrous for the wicked shall be the "coming" (see on verse 27) of the Son of man. For the latter concept see on 8:20, pp. 403-407. The nature of the punishment that awaits the unprepared on that day is described in 25:46." (BORROW Exposition of the Gospel According to Matthew) Eating (5176)(trogo) is not the common word for eating (phago the alternative form of esthio) but a word that speaks of eating things like fruits and nuts which require crunching with the teeth. So the idea is to gnaw, to bite, to crunch, to chew (as one would raw vegetables or fruits.) This verb which primarily signifies chewing, "lays stress upon the process of eating. It is more intensive than phago" (Vine) The imperfect tense here pictures their chewing as an ongoing activity (chewing and chewing, more interested in their temporal food than their eternal fate)! Mt 24:38 is the only use in Matthew and all other uses are by John. Four are figurative uses in the context of Jesus' description of Himself as the "Bread of life" in which He says men must "eat" His flesh (Jn 6:54, 56, 57, 58). One use describes Judas "who eats" His bread and then lifted up his heal against Jesus (Jn 13:18). Trogo is not found in the Septuagint. Liddell-Scott-Jones on trogo - gnaw, nibble, munch, esp. of herbivorous animals, as mules, rarely of dogs; of human beings in disease, of men, eat vegetables or fruit, of dessert, eat fruits, as figs, almonds, etc., of small fish as hors-d'oeuvres, later, simply eat, Henry Morris on giving in marriage. "Giving in marriage" could also be understood as "getting out of marriage." In any case, the unconcern of the world just before it was to be destroyed by the Flood will be characteristic of the world just before the coming of the Son of Man. Many other characteristics of Noah's day (immorality, demon possession, widespread corruption and violence, universal rebellion against God and His will) are being repeated in our day. UNTIL THAT DAY: THE DAY NOAH ENTERED THE ARK Until the day that Noah entered the ark - Until (expression of time) marks the point in time when the flood came and eating and marriage ceased. It marked the "point of no return" for it was at that time God's judgment fell suddenly and swiftly on the sinful world and they were all destroyed. As noted earlier in Luke's version of the Olivet Discourse he did not mention the days of Noah, but in an earlier discourse on the Kingdom of God (Luke 17:26-37+) Jesus did describe the days preceding His return as similar to the days of Noah. However in this earlier discourse Jesus also added a comparison to the days of Lot (a description not found in Matthew 24 or Mark 13. This additional description is highlighted in bold). This is a description of all who are unprepared to meet the King of kings when He returns and inaugurates His Millennial Kingdom. 26 "And just as it happened in the days of Noah, so it will be also in the days of the Son of Man (Jesus is responding to the Pharisees query "as to when the Kingdom of God was coming" Lk 17:20): 27 they were eating, they were drinking, they were marrying, they were being given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed (apollumi = not annihilation but eternal ruin - a key word of this section!) them all. 28 "It was the same as happened in the days of Lot: they were eating, they were drinking, they were buying, they were selling, they were planting, they were building; 29 but on the day that Lot went out from Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed (apollumi) them all. 30 "It will be just the same on the day that the Son of Man is revealed (apokalupto). 31 "On that day, the one who is on the housetop and whose goods are in the house must not go down to take them out; and likewise the one who is in the field must not turn back. 32 "Remember (present imperative) Lot's wife. ("Lot's wife was destroyed on the very threshold of deliverance. Her attachment to Sodom was so powerful that she delayed and looked back; she was overwhelmed by oncoming judgment, just before reaching the place of safety - Ge 19:26." - MacArthur Study Bible) 33 "Whoever seeks to keep his life will lose (apollumi) it, and whoever loses (apollumi) his life will preserve it. (A paradoxical principle repeatedly emphasized by Jesus = Mt 10:39, 16:25, Mk 8:35, Lk 9:24, 17:33, Jn 12:25) 34 "I tell you, on that night there will be two in one bed; one will be taken and the other will be left. 35 "There will be two women grinding at the same place; one will be taken and the other will be left. 36 "Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other will be left." 37 And answering they said to Him, "Where, Lord?" And He said to them, "Where the body is, there also the vultures will be gathered." (Luke 17:26-37+) John MacArthur assigns this description to the days of Daniel's Seventieth Week writing that "During the time of tribulation (Mt 24:21, 29; Rev. 7:14) immediately preceding His return, life will be much like it was immediately before two significant Old Testament judgments. The days of Noah and the days of Lot were marked first of all by indifference. The days of Noah and Lot were also two of the most wretched, vile, evil periods in human history. Wickedness was rampant. In Noah's day "the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and… every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually" (Ge 6:5). It was a time of widespread demonic activity, as demon-possessed men ravaged women Ge 6:2). Sodom in Lot's day was also marked by sexual perversion, so much so that the city's name came to refer to homosexual sin. So vile were its inhabitants that they attempted to rape the two angels sent to rescue Lot and his family from Sodom's imminent judgment (Ge 19:4-11). The days of the Tribulation under divine judgment leading up to the Lord's return will also be a time of unprecedented wickedness. Satan's puppet, the Antichrist, will rule the world. Some of the most wicked, vile, and perverted demons, who had been incarcerated in the abyss (the bottomless pit), will be released to run amuck over the earth (Rev. 9:1-11). Most significantly the Holy Spirit, who heretofore had restrained evil, will no longer do so, allowing wickedness to reach its maximum level (2Th 2:6-7). As will be the case on the day that the Son of Man is revealed, devastating judgment came suddenly and inescapably in the days of Noah and Lot. (MacArthur New Testament Commentary) Ark (2787)(kibotos) means box, a wooden box, a coffer, a chest, a sea-faring vessel or boat like the ark (Latin - arca) of Noah (Moffatt says something like a barge) (Mt 24:38; Lk 17:27; Heb 11:7; 1 Pt 3:20, 4Macc 15:31). The ark of the covenant in the Holy of Holies (Heb 9:4; Rev 11:19). Kibotos - 6v - ark (6) - Matt. 24:38; Lk. 17:27; Heb. 9:4; Heb. 11:7; 1 Pet. 3:20; Rev. 11:19 Kibotos in the Septuagint - Gen. 6:14; Gen. 6:15; Gen. 6:16; Gen. 6:18; Gen. 6:19; Gen. 7:1; Gen. 7:7; Gen. 7:9; Gen. 7:13; Gen. 7:15; Gen. 7:16; Gen. 7:17; Gen. 7:18; Gen. 7:23; Gen. 8:1; Gen. 8:4; Gen. 8:6; Gen. 8:9; Gen. 8:10; Gen. 8:13; Gen. 8:16; Gen. 8:19; Gen. 9:10; Gen. 9:18; Exod. 25:10; Exod. 25:14; Exod. 25:15; Exod. 25:16; Exod. 25:21; Exod. 25:22; Exod. 26:33; Exod. 26:34; Exod. 30:6; Exod. 30:26; Exod. 31:7; Exod. 35:12; Exod. 37:1; Exod. 37:6; Exod. 37:15; Exod. 39:35; Exod. 40:3; Exod. 40:5; Exod. 40:20; Exod. 40:21; Lev. 16:2; Num. 3:31; Num. 4:5; Num. 7:89; Num. 10:33; Num. 10:35; Num. 14:44; Deut. 10:1; Deut. 10:2; Deut. 10:3; Deut. 10:5; Deut. 10:8; Deut. 31:9; Deut. 31:25; Deut. 31:26; Jos. 3:3; Jos. 3:6; Jos. 3:8; Jos. 3:11; Jos. 3:13; Jos. 3:14; Jos. 3:15; Jos. 3:17; Jos. 4:7; Jos. 4:9; Jos. 4:10; Jos. 4:11; Jos. 4:16; Jos. 4:18; Jos. 6:8; Jos. 6:9; Jos. 6:11; Jos. 6:12; Jos. 6:13; Jos. 8:30; Jos. 24:33; Jdg. 20:27; 1 Sam. 3:3; 1 Sam. 4:3; 1 Sam. 4:4; 1 Sam. 4:5; 1 Sam. 4:6; 1 Sam. 4:11; 1 Sam. 4:13; 1 Sam. 4:17; 1 Sam. 4:18; 1 Sam. 4:19; 1 Sam. 4:21; 1 Sam. 4:22; 1 Sam. 5:1; 1 Sam. 5:2; 1 Sam. 5:3; 1 Sam. 5:4; 1 Sam. 5:7; 1 Sam. 5:8; 1 Sam. 5:10; 1 Sam. 5:11; 1 Sam. 6:1; 1 Sam. 6:2; 1 Sam. 6:3; 1 Sam. 6:8; 1 Sam. 6:11; 1 Sam. 6:13; 1 Sam. 6:15; 1 Sam. 6:18; 1 Sam. 6:19; 1 Sam. 6:20; 1 Sam. 6:21; 1 Sam. 7:1; 1 Sam. 7:2; 2 Sam. 6:2; 2 Sam. 6:3; 2 Sam. 6:4; 2 Sam. 6:6; 2 Sam. 6:7; 2 Sam. 6:9; 2 Sam. 6:10; 2 Sam. 6:11; 2 Sam. 6:12; 2 Sam. 6:13; 2 Sam. 6:15; 2 Sam. 6:16; 2 Sam. 6:17; 2 Sam. 7:2; 2 Sam. 11:11; 2 Sam. 15:24; 2 Sam. 15:25; 2 Sam. 15:29; 1 Ki. 2:26; 1 Ki. 3:15; 1 Ki. 6:19; 1 Ki. 8:1; 1 Ki. 8:3; 1 Ki. 8:5; 1 Ki. 8:6; 1 Ki. 8:7; 1 Ki. 8:9; 1 Ki. 8:21; 2 Ki. 12:9; 2 Ki. 12:10; 1 Chr. 6:31; 1 Chr. 13:3; 1 Chr. 13:5; 1 Chr. 13:6; 1 Chr. 13:7; 1 Chr. 13:9; 1 Chr. 13:10; 1 Chr. 13:12; 1 Chr. 13:13; 1 Chr. 13:14; 1 Chr. 15:1; 1 Chr. 15:2; 1 Chr. 15:3; 1 Chr. 15:12; 1 Chr. 15:14; 1 Chr. 15:15; 1 Chr. 15:23; 1 Chr. 15:24; 1 Chr. 15:25; 1 Chr. 15:26; 1 Chr. 15:27; 1 Chr. 15:28; 1 Chr. 15:29; 1 Chr. 16:1; 1 Chr. 16:4; 1 Chr. 16:6; 1 Chr. 16:37; 1 Chr. 17:1; 1 Chr. 22:19; 1 Chr. 28:2; 1 Chr. 28:18; 2 Chr. 1:4; 2 Chr. 5:2; 2 Chr. 5:4; 2 Chr. 5:5; 2 Chr. 5:6; 2 Chr. 5:7; 2 Chr. 5:8; 2 Chr. 5:10; 2 Chr. 6:11; 2 Chr. 6:41; 2 Chr. 8:11; 2 Chr. 35:3; Ps. 132:8; Jer. 3:16 Vance Havner - "And Knew Not" Jesus tells us that before the Flood people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, selling, planting, building, "and knew not until the flood came" (Matt. 24:38-39). We are told that so shall it be when Jesus returns. Despite modern sophistication the primary characteristics of that generation will be ignorance—"they knew not." Of the activities mentioned here not one is evil in itself, but when practiced without God all are worldly. This generation is utterly oblivious to the Word and will of God. Most people don't know that Jesus may come at any time and many probably wouldn't care if they did know. Preachers used to preach about selected sins and call them worldly, but those sins were only marks of the lifestyle of the times. Worse than certain popular sins is the awful ignorance of a generation that knows not the thing most worth knowing. Break into a conversation today and ask people if they are expecting Jesus to come back. That will bring a look that takes you for a nut! Indeed, most church members grow strangely silent and change the subject. We have split the atom and have walked on the moon, and we quail at the possibility of nuclear disaster, but something greater still is not deemed worthy of discussion. After listing all the technical achievements of this generation will it be written at the end of their chapter, "They knew not"? (Don't Miss Your Miracle) An Ordinary Day - Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming. —Matthew 24:42 - While exploring a museum exhibit titled "A Day in Pompeii," I was struck by the repeated theme that August 24, ad 79 began as an ordinary day. People were going about their daily business in homes, markets, and at the port of this prosperous Roman town of 20,000 people. At 8 a.m., a series of small emissions were seen coming from nearby Mount Vesuvius, followed by a violent eruption in the afternoon. In less than 24 hours, Pompeii and many of its people lay buried under a thick layer of volcanic ash. Unexpected. Jesus told His followers that He would return on a day when people were going about their business, sharing meals, and having weddings, with no idea of what was about to happen. "As the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be" (Matt. 24:37). The Lord's purpose was to urge the disciples to be watchful and prepared: "Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect" (Mt 24:44). What surprising joy it would be to welcome our Savior on this ordinary day! Perhaps today! Matthew 24:39 and they did not understand until the flood came and took them all away; so will the coming of the Son of Man be: kai ouk egnosan (3PAAI) eos elthen (3SAAI) o kataklusmos kai eren (3SAAI) apantas houtos estai (3SFMI) kai e parousia tou huiou tou anthropou CLICK FOR >60 ENGLISH TRANSLATIONS OF THIS VERSE Mt 13:13-15 Jdg 20:34 Pr 23:35 24:12 29:7 Isa 42:25 44:18,19 Lu 19:44 Joh 3:20 Ac 13:41 Ro 1:28 2Pe 3:5 Matthew 24 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries JUST LIKE THE COMING OF THE SON OF MAN They did not understand - They will understand but only after the cataclysm (kataklusmos) has occurred… too late! Like the people of Noah's day, the generation of the Tribulation will be warned and warned and warned again. (Rev 14:6+ could not be a clearer warning). Some of them will have been warned many times before the Tribulation, while the church is still on earth proclaiming the Gospel, but during the Tribulation those who have not received the love of the truth so as to be saved shall be sent a deluding influence so that they might believe what is false (the lie) (2Th 2:10,11,12+). THOUGHT - Dear seeker who is not yet saved, this truth (2Th 2:10,11,12+) should frighten you. There is a day when the curtain falls on God's grace and one can no longer believe in Jesus and will be destined for eternal separation (2Th 1:9+) in a place of outer darkness and solitary confinement forever and ever. Do not procrastinate in saying "Yes" to Jesus. Receive Him as Lord and Savior today, while you still have today! The antediluvian generation had 120 years but continually reject God's gracious offer of salvation. Not - The negative particle "ou" signifies absolute negation. The antediluvian world did not have a clue the flood was coming, despite the fact that Noah had been building an ark which should have given them a visual clue! Not only should every sound of Noah's hammer hitting the nail have garnered their attention, but his clear proclamation of the way of salvation (2Pe 2:5+) should have convicted them of sin, righteous and the judgment to come (soon)! Understand (1097)(ginosko) means to acquire information through some modality, as through sense perception. Ginosko involves experiential knowledge, not merely the accumulation of known facts. The lost world would have had "experiential" knowledge if they had heeded Noah's "proclamation" for Noah was a preacher of righteousness (2Pe 2:5-note) for 120 years! (Ge 6:3) The godless earth dwellers refused to take to heart what he was doing and saying. Phil Newton on they did not understand - They did not know that they were in a flood until they were in the flood! But that is how cataclysmic events happen. They just take place, most often without warning, and strike with sudden destruction. The tsunami of December 26th in the Indian Ocean region found people going about life as normal: eating, drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, talking and sleeping, laughing and crying, walking and running. The point Jesus makes is His return will come in a time when people are focused on temporal issues. They think of the mundane things of life while ignoring the warnings of God as well as His promises through the Gospel (cp 2Pe 3). While there may be persecution of Christians and opposition to the gospel, most of humanity will be going about business as usual when Christ comes on the clouds with power and great glory (Mt 24:30+). (Mt 24:36-44 When Will Christ Return?) Peter describes the last days apathy regarding the return of the Son Know this first of all, that in the last days mockers will come with their mocking, following after their own lusts, and saying, "Where is the promise of His coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all continues just as it was from the beginning of creation." For when they maintain this, it escapes their notice that by the word of God the heavens existed long ago and the earth was formed out of water and by water, through which the world at that time was destroyed, being flooded with water. (2 Peter 3:3-6+) Until the flood came - Until is always an important time phrase to note and ask what happens up to the time "until" is fulfilled? What happens after? In this case the "after" was the flood, for as they were drowning, then they understood, but then it was too little, too late. Took them all away (142)(airo) literally refers to lifting or carrying something up or away (in this case the entire race except for Noah and his family - 8 souls left to multiply and repopulate planet earth). Luke 17:27+ helps us understand "took them all away" for Jesus declared that "the flood came and destroyed (apollumi) them all." This description does not fit with the Rapture, for those who are caught up at this time will not be saved but lost forever!.
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Hendriksen - It is clear that once this final day arrives, every opportunity still to be saved is gone forever. The door is shut… (Hendriksen's note on Mt 25:10 =) Certain passages of Scripture are filled with pathos, with a deep feeling of tragedy. Think, for example, of 2Sa 18:33, "O my son Absalom, my son, my son, Absalom.…" So also the "never agains" at the close of the six lines of Rev 18:21-23a. And so here also: when the bridegroom comes, those who are ready enter. The others never get in, for when they arrive they discover that the door is shut. (Ed: Just like it was in Noah's day - and who shut the door? God shut the door! Woe!) Cf. Luke 13:25. (BORROW Exposition of the Gospel According to Matthew) Blomberg on taken - "taken" in Mt 24:40-41 (though a different verb in the Greek) parallels "took" of v. 39 and suggests that those taken away are taken for eternal judgment (not "raptured"), while those left behind remain with Christ. (BORROW Matthew - New American Commentary) Related Resource - Table comparing Rapture vs Second Coming Will be taken (3880) (paralambano from para = beside + lambano = appropriate, receive) means to receive alongside or to take to oneself (into close association). There are two basic ideas - to take or to receive. In this context clearly the meaning is to take with one in order to carry away. Some uses of paralambano are in a positive context (see note on Jn 14:3 below) whereas others are in a negative context (Mt 4:5, 8; Jn 19:16). Jesus uses this verb in His description of the Rapture in John 14:3 promising the disciples that "if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive (paralambano) you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also." Notice the taking conveys a sense of close fellowship and agreement associated with the receiving to Himself. Although NAS translates it as "will be taken" it is actually in the present tense (see Mt 24:41 note below by Gundry) so pictures them as in the process of being taken, a vivid description! The passive voice underlines this "taking" will not be of their strength nor of the choice but is from an external source (i.e., God's angels - Mt 13:39, 40, 41, 49).
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Hendriksen says be on the alert means "To be (constantly) on the alert or watchful a Greek word… which… means to live a sanctified life, in the consciousness of the coming judgment day. Spiritual and moral circumspection and forethought are required; preparedness is necessary. The watchful person has his loins girded and his lamps burning (Luke 12:35). It is in that condition that he looks forward to the coming of the Bridegroom… Note that Jesus refers to himself as "your Lord." So glorious, powerful, and clothed with authority and majesty is He; also, so condescending, so closely united with those whom He is pleased to call His own, and who are loyal to Him. Cf. Isa. 57:15. Let them therefore persevere in being vigilant. (BORROW Exposition of the Gospel According to Matthew)
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Hendriksen - A hypocrite he was indeed, for he had accepted and then betrayed the confidence which his master had placed in him. When he was appointed, he had done nothing to disabuse his superior of the idea, "This man will be a faithful and sensible household manager." Yet he had proved to be the very opposite. (Ibid) John MacArthur makes an interesting observation regarding this section noting "The fact that such persons will be assigned along with the hypocrites suggests that they were not hypocrites. Just as today, many people in the end time will be open and honest about their unbelief, even wearing such honesty as a badge of intellectual and moral integrity. But honest unbelievers are just as lost as hypocrites who pretend to have faith. They will go to the same place as the religious phonies they feel superior to and despise." (Ibid) TOMORROW, TOMORROW I'LL LOVE YA TOMORROW YOU'RE ONLY A DAY AWAY! --from the musical Annie William Barclay tells a story illustrating the danger of spiritual procrastination, neglecting the truth that Jesus might be only a day away! There is a fable which tells of three apprentice devils who were coming to this earth to finish their apprenticeship. They were talking to Satan, the chief of the devils, about their plans to tempt and ruin men. The first said, "I will tell them there is no God." Satan said, "That will not delude many, for they know that there is a God." The second said, "I will tell men there is no hell." Satan answered, "You will deceive no one that way; men know even now that there is a hell for sin." The third said, "I will tell men there is no hurry." "Go," said Satan, "and you will ruin them by the thousand." The most dangerous of all delusions is that there is plenty of time. The most dangerous day in a man's life is when he learns that there is such a word as tomorrow. There are things which must not be put off, for no man knows if for him tomorrow will ever come. (Matthew 24 Commentary - Daily Study Bible) (Read also 2Cor 6:1-2) Comment: "And working together with Him, we also urge you not to receive the grace of God in vain- for He says, "AT THE ACCEPTABLE TIME I LISTENED TO YOU, AND ON THE DAY OF SALVATION I HELPED YOU"; behold, now is "THE ACCEPTABLE TIME," behold, now is "THE DAY OF SALVATION" (2Cor 6:1-2) Don't put off today what you cannot do tomorrow! Tomorrow may be one day too late! Hypocrites (5273) ( hupokrites from hupó = under, indicating secrecy + krino = to judge) describes one who acts pretentiously, a counterfeit, a man who assumes and speaks or acts under a feigned character. The primary meaning of this word in ancient Greek was "one who answers" and then, "a stage-actor"; it was a custom for Greek and Roman actors to speak in large masks with mechanical devices for augmenting the force of the voice; hence the word became used metaphorically of "a dissembler, a hypocrite." It is found only in the Synoptists, and always used by the Lord, fifteen times in Matthew. A hypocrite, one who acts pretentiously, a counterfeit, a man who assumes and speaks or acts under a feigned character. David Turner - Banishment with the hypocrites alludes to the most heinous sin in Matthew (cf. Matt. 6:2, 5, 16; 7:5; 15:7; 22:18; 23:13, 23, 25, 27, 29). (Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament) Will Durant - The actor - who is always a male - is not disdained as in Rome, but is much honored; he is exempt from military service, and is allowed safe passage through the lines in time of war. He is called hypocrites, but this word means answerer - i.e., to the chorus; only later will the actor's role as an impersonator lead to the use of the word as meaning hypocrite. (The Story of Civilization II, The Life of Greece, by Will Durant, page 380) In that place - What place? In context this refers to hell. Christopher
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Hendriksen - The very word "then" indicates the connection with the immediately preceding; as if to say, "such readiness implies faithfulness."… When, along with many other interpreters, I call this story-illustration a parable, I do so with the qualification that again and again reality as it were rises to the surface, so that it is not always easy to see exactly where figurative language makes way for plain statement of fact. So masterfully and inextricably are the two interwoven. (Ibid) This question "who then" is based on the previous admonition to watch and be ready in Mt 24:42-44. Lk 24:45-51 teaches lessons of faithfulness in service to the Lord in light of His imminent return. In short, the Lord commends faithfulness and availability. Paul echoes this principle declaring "In this case, moreover, it is required of stewards that one be found trustworthy." (1Cor 4:2) Beloved, is this not a question every servant of Jesus should daily ponder = Would He find me a faithful and sensible slave if He were to return today? Phil Newton introduces his sermon on Mt 24:45-51 asking "But what do we do as we wait for Jesus Christ's return? Some believers, according to various Christian scholars, donned white robes, sold all that they owned, and waited on the mountaintop to be the first to wing their way to the returning Christ. Rather than engage the world with the gospel or exercise themselves in spiritual disciplines, they passively waited, having given up on life. As Ben Witherington III notes about Thessalonica, "Eschatological fervency had led to lethargy on the part of some" [New Testament History, 273]. Like students that start packing their books up an hour before the closing bell rings, these mistaken Christians fervently believed in the imminence of Christ's return, so much so that they folded the tent, packed their bags, and waited on the curb for the chariots of fire to swing low and take them up! Their fervency certainly was admirable but their lethargy, not! Waiting in the vocabulary of our Lord had nothing to do with passivity or lethargy or laziness or non-involvement. Waiting calls for devotion and service. The next several paragraphs in our Lord's discourse on last things focuses on the appropriate disposition and action while waiting for Christ's return. He tells us to be alert since we don't know the time of His return; to be ready for the suddenness of His coming so that we're not caught unprepared; and to be faithful in serving as a devoted slave would serve his master. It's this last action-faithful service-that we find pictured in our text. What is so clear about all of this is that being a Christian is not merely a state of being or a passive claim. Many in our day tend to think that as long as they claim to be Christians then all is well. But what Jesus shows us is much different from such a claim. Genuine Christian faith is always evidenced by faithfulness in the things Christ has entrusted to us. Faithful service must occupy us until Jesus comes again. What will Jesus find you doing when He returns? That question begs our consideration as we investigate our text." (Alert, Ready, and Faithful) (Emphasis added) A parallel passage in Mark reads (actually Mark's passage is a better parallel with Mt 25:15ff, cp Luke 12:36-38): It is like a man (a figure of Jesus) away on a journey, who upon leaving his house and putting his slaves in charge, assigning to each one his task, also commanded the doorkeeper to stay on the alert (gregoreuo). "Therefore, be on the alert (gregoreuo in the present imperative which calls for a daily lifestyle of alertness, only possibly as we daily surrender to the enabling power of the Spirit!)—for you do not know when the master of the house is coming, whether in the evening, at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or in the morning—36 in case he should come suddenly and find you asleep. "What I say to you I say to all, 'Be on the alert! (gregoreuo in the present imperative)' (Mk 13:34-37) Comment: Jesus repeats gregoreuo three times! I wonder why He does so! Do you think it is because our hearts are prone to wander, to leave the God we love (cp Rev 2:4-5)? Clearly Jesus is emphasizing our great, continual need for WATCHFULNESS! It is also interesting that Jesus refers to the doorkeeper in light of the fact that He has just stated "He is near, [right] at the door!" (Mt 24:33) Gundry says gregoreuo speaks of "readiness (which) requires staying awake, a figure of speech for alertful recognition of the events that will indicate the nearness of the Son of Man's coming, the events that will begin with the abomination of desolation (Mk 13:14, Mt 24:15)." Faithful (trustworthy)(4103)(pistos from peitho = to persuade - induce one by words to believe, have confidence) describes someone who is worthy of faith or keeps promises and is applied to God, humans, His Word, etc In this present passage the sense is that of one who i s trustworthy or dependable. The English dictionary defines trustworthy as able to be relied on as honest or truthful or able to be relied on to do or provide what is needed or right. Faithful describes someone who is, dependable, reliable and consistent. Faithful describes one who adheres firmly and devotedly to another. Faithful implies long-continued and steadfast fidelity to Whomever one is bound (in this case we are bound to Jesus - we are His slave or doulos). Do those definitions of faithful describe my walk with my Lord Jesus Christ? Alexander Maclaren said that "Faithfulness in a narrower sphere leads to a wider… the most slenderly endowed Christian has some crumb of the bread of life intrusted [sic] to him to dispense" [Expositions of Holy Scripture, vol. 7, 172, 170]. Derek Prince - Faithfulness in this life leads to promotion in the next life. This is a solemn thought. The way we conduct ourselves in this world will determine what we will be for eternity. There is no substitute for faithfulness. (Prophetic guide to the end times: facing the future without fear) Chrysostom said "Faithfulness in little things is a big thing." Oswald Chambers - The only way to wait for the Second Coming is to watch that you do what you should do, so that when he comes is a matter of indifference. It is the attitude of a child, certain that God knows what he is about. When the Lord does come, it will be as natural as breathing. God never does anything hysterical, and He never produces hysterics. As someone has well said "God has no larger field for the man who is not faithfully doing his work where he is." Vance Havner once said "Christians do not have to live; they have only to be faithful to Jesus Christ, not only until death but unto death if necessary." J I Packer - Faithfulness is our business; fruitfulness is an issue that we must be content to leave with God. Alan Redpath rightly said that "Reverent fear of God is the key to faithfulness in any situation." And I would add nothing stimulates a "reverent fear" like an attitude of expectancy of His return! (cp 1Jn 3:2, 3). The prince of preachers C H Spurgeon once said "I know of nothing which I would choose to have as the subject of my ambition for life than to be kept faithful to my God till death." And William Still wisely reminds us "It is impossible to be faithful to Jesus Christ and not incur the opposition of the world." Ivor Powell - Every wise and appreciative Master found joy in rewarding deserving servants. Thus did Jesus teach that no man can outgive God. What is conscientiously done for Him, not only supplies immediate pleasure; it also guarantees that when God assesses the value of Christian service, His rewards will be dispensed among faithful servants (see 1 Corinthians 3:11-15) (Matthew Commentary) Sensible (wise, prudent) (5429)(phronimos from phroneo = think, have a mindset related to phren = diaphragm, regarded by ancients as seat of mental and spiritual activity, came to mean mind or understanding) is an adjective which describes one who is thoughtful, sagacious or discreet. It describes the quality of one's thinking which is the result of insight and stands in opposition to moros which means foolish. The idea is that there is understanding combined with wisdom and insight. Notice that 5 of the 14 NT uses of phronimos are found in Jesus' Olivet Discourse (Mt 10:16; 24:45; 25:2, 4, 8,9). The two uses in Luke are parallel passages that refer to stewards (Lk. 12:42, 16:8). So here Jesus uses phronimos in a positive sense to refer to a servant who is skillful in managing his master's household. The English dictionary defines sensible as having, using, or showing good sense or sound judgment. A sensible person is prudent, wise in practical affairs and conducting oneself with care and thought for the future. As Spurgeon said "Now is the watchword of the wise!" Henry Alford - Prudence (sensible) in a servant can be only the consequence of faithfulness to his master. (Greek Testament Critical Exegetical Commentary) J R Miller speaks about the relationship between watching and doing - Doing how? Doing his work with fidelity. The watching that Christ wants—is not sitting at the window and looking out to see Him approach—but diligence in all duty. If a man went away, leaving a servant in charge of a certain work, fixing no time for his return—what should the servant do? Stand in the door, gazing down the road, watching to get the first glimpse of the master's return? No, that is not the kind of watching that would please his master. The way to be ready for Christ's coming, is not to sit down in idleness to wait and watch for His appearance—but to keep at one's work with unceasing diligence, so that when He comes—He may not find us in the midst of unfinished tasks, away behind with our work. There can be no better rule in life—than to make every day of life complete, to finish everything each night before retiring, so that if we should never come back to our work again, nothing would suffer. A Christian woman was told by her physician that she could not live a great while, and that she might die any hour. She did not, however, drop her work and shut herself away to prepare for death. She went on with all her usual duties, only with more earnestness and greater diligence, knowing now that the time must be short. Some people would suppose that in a case like this, one should give up all active work and spend the short and uncertain time in praying and reading the Bible; but this Christian woman's way was the better way. Long before she had made her peace with God, and all her life had lived in readiness for eternity. When the warning came that the time was growing short, she was not flustered. Thus far she had done her duty as well as she could—and all she had to do now was the work of the few remaining days and hours. This she did with love and faith, and with diligence, and when the Master came—she quietly went away home with Him. (Devotional Hours with the Bible) John Riddle - Notice the expressions, 'his lord (master)', Mt 24:45-46, 'my lord (master)', Mt 24:48, and 'the lord (master) of that servant', Mt 24:50. But there is an important difference; only the 'faithful and wise servant' recognized his lordship in practice. We too must beware: 'And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?', Luke 6:46. (Day by Day: Moments with the Master) Master (Mt 24:45, 46, 48, 50) (2962)(kurios is from kuros = authority) refers to one having legal power, one who controls his own property (owner, lord, master - Mk 12:9), one who has authority over other persons (Lk 12:43) and of course most importantly a personal title of Jesus Christ (Jn 20:18). In this parabolic illustration the "Master" is Jesus Christ. Kurios is used 19 times in 16 verses in the Olivet Discourse in Matthew (Mt 24:42, 45, 46, 48, 50; 25:11, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 26, 37, 44) Mt 24:42, Mt 25:37, 44 refer specifically to Jesus as Kurios or Lord. Newton - Jesus Christ is the master in this story. He has already set forth His kingship throughout the teaching in Matthew's Gospel, so it is not difficult at all to see Him as the Master or Lord of all. Some would consider the master's house to be the church, comprised with both faithful and evil servants. While from an external or visible sense, that certainly is the case, it seems better to consider the master's house as the world. The return of Jesus Christ-one subject of His discourse, insists on the universal knowledge of His return. The powers of the heavens are shaken, every eye sees Him, and the angels gather the elect from across the earth (24:29-31). All of the earth is affected by the return of Jesus Christ because He is the Master/Lord of all. ((Alert, Ready, and Faithful) Hendriksen on slave - Some (Lenski) are of the opinion that Jesus was thinking especially of his disciples, considered as office-bearers, and so, by extension, of all ministers and pastors of the churches to be organized during the entire new dispensation. But we cannot be certain about this. After all, the duty of faithfulness applies not only to leaders but also to followers. Doing the will of the Master and caring for those in need, whether this need be material, spiritual, or both, is certainly the task assigned to all. (Ibid) Slave (1401)(doulos from deo = to bind) was an individual bound to another in servitude and conveys the idea of the slave's close, binding ties with his master, belonging to him, obligated to and desiring to do his will and in a permanent relation of servitude. In sum, the will of the doulos is consumed in the will of the master. Recall that over one third of the Roman Empire was considered enslaved and thus Jesus' choice of this imagery makes good sense (and certainly was not offensive as it might be to modern ears!) Ivor Powell on slave - A bond slave was one who by his own volition chose to remain in the service of his master, even when at the year of liberation, he might have become a free man. To be a bond slave meant devotion both to the master and the work. The man was not working to obtain money; he worked because he loved his lord. He found happiness in his work and in the pleasure seen on the master's face. This was the type of service Jesus expected from His disciples. They were not to remain ordinary laborers; they were to be bond slaves, utterly trustworthy, and unceasingly active. (Matthew Commentary) Newton - We are slaves of Jesus Christ. If that language offends you, then consider the greatness and majesty of Jesus Christ the Lord. Those who realize that He is the eternal God, infinite in holiness, righteousness, and justice, purer than the driven snow, omnipotent in His rule, omniscient in His decrees, with no beginning and no end of days, the Creator and Ruler of the universe-those who realize this gladly own the title of slaves of Jesus Christ! As master, He is ever just in dealing with His slaves. We realize that we do not deserve to be slaves to such a worthy and good Master. We've known the reach of His mercy, the tenderness of His love, the embrace of His grace, and the satisfaction of His promises through the gospel… The "faithful and sensible slave" serves the master regardless of the delay in returning. He's not like the lazy workers that keep an eye out for the boss so that they can feign work but slough off the rest of the time. He is "faithful" to his master. His love and devotion to Jesus Christ motivate him to service. He is "sensible" as one that thinks about his master and the privileges that belong to him as a servant of the King of kings and Lord of lords. Being "sensible," he serves conscientiously, realizing that everything he does reflects devotion to Christ. Head and heart lean toward Christ in the faithful servant. Is that the disposition of your heart and the direction of your life? There's no place for laziness and lethargy among Christians. Jesus Christ has called each of us to serve. He pictures it for us in this little parable. (Alert, Ready, and Faithful) Put in charge (2525)(kathistemi from katá = down + hístēmi = to set or stand) means literally "to stand or set down". Most of the NT uses of kathistemi are figurative as in the present passage and refer to "setting someone down in office" or appointing or assigning a person to a position of authority. To put in charge or to appoint one to administer an office. To set in an elevated position. Jesus places emphasis on doing one's task at the proper time. In context (Mt 24:42-44) recall that He is admonishing the reader to keep Christ's imminent return in mind so that we might be judged faithful and wise when He does return. Newton - Christ parcels out particular areas of service for each believer. In this case, the master put his slave in charge of his household. (1) Every Christian has similar, general areas of service that all are to embrace. We are called to be lights shining in the darkness and to be ambassadors for Christ in this dark world (Matt. 5:14-16; Phil. 2:15-16; 2 Cor. 5:18-20). That is the call of Christian witness. It's something that all of us share. We may do it in different ways and through different means; but it is part-and-parcel of our Christian faith. We are also called to be people of prayer. We told to pray instead of worry, and to even pray without ceasing. We are called upon to pray for the furtherance of the gospel in the world and to pray for God's provisions in the varied needs that we face (Phil. 4:6-7; Col. 4:2-4; 1 Thess. 5:17; Eph. 6:18-20). That is the call of Christian prayer. We are also called to give with generosity and holy hilarity in order to meet pressing needs and to support the ongoing work of the gospel in the world (Luke 6:38; 2 Cor. 8-9; Phil. 4:15-20). That is the call of Christian giving. We are also called to join in fellowship with one another as Christians. We are to serve one another, bear one another's burdens, forgive each other, encourage one another, and accept one another for Christ's sake (Rom. 12:9-13; Gal. 6:1-2; Eph. 4:27; Heb. 10:28; Rom. 15:7). That is the call to Christian fellowship. Everyone can be involved and must be involved in each of these areas of Christian service. We're not going to be "cookie-cutters" at this point. We're going to approach these areas of service in different ways. But the important thing is that we engage regularly in witness, prayer, giving, and fellowship. (2) Every Christian is given particular, special areas of responsibility to serve Jesus Christ. We cannot add to Christ's worth or wealth or stature by our service. We serve because of love for Him and the desire to be a "faithful and sensible slave." The master put his slave "in charge of his household to give them their food at the proper time." That was special, particular service that would have differed from others. Someone else the master would have put in charge of the fields or the looms or the children. But this slave he singled out for feeding his household. What has Jesus Christ given you to do in His name? It may be to teach and care for children or to organize acts of mercy or to care for the poor or to go to a foreign mission field or to plant churches or to show hospitality for others or to help with worship by using musical gifts or to take care of little details that allows the church to function smoothly. Areas of service generally run along the lines of the spiritual gifts imparted graciously by the Holy Spirit. His gifts are not for self-consumption but for generous, selfless service toward others in the name of Christ. (Alert, Ready, and Faithful) Proper time (2540)(kairos) means a point of time, frequently with the implication of being especially fit for something and without emphasis on precise chronology. It means a moment which is especially appropriate or proper. When It's All Been Said and Done When It's All Been Said and Done There is just one thing that matters. Did I do my best to live for Truth? Did I live my life for You? When It's All Been Said and Done All my treasures will mean nothing. Only what I've done for love's reward, Will stand the test of time. Look for Christ's return, and you'll live for Christ's glory. Related Resources: Redeem the Time Redeem the Time (blog) Ephesians 5:16 Commentary Matthew 24:46 "Blessed is that slave whom his master finds so doing when he comes.: makarios o doulos ekeinos on elthon (AAPMSN) o kurios autou euresei (3SFAI) houtos poiounta (PAPMSA): CLICK FOR >60 ENGLISH TRANSLATIONS OF THIS VERSE Mt 25:34 Lk 12:37,43 Php 1:21-23 2Ti 4:6-8 2Pe 1:13-15 Rev 2:19 Rev 16:15 Matthew 24 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries FAITHFUL SLAVES BLESSED AT MASTER'S RETURN Blessed (3107)(makarios from root makar, but others say from mak = large or lengthy) means to be happy, but not in the usual sense of happiness based on positive circumstances. From the Biblical perspective makarios describes the person who is free from daily cares and worries because his every breath and circumstance is in the hands of His Maker Who gives him such an assurance (such a "blessing"). One who is blessed is spiritually satisfied independent of the circumstances, not because of self-sufficiency but because of God's provision of sovereign grace. Jesus describes a most incredible blessing He will bestow on His faithful slaves - "Blessed are those slaves whom the master shall find on the alert when he comes; truly I say to you, that he will gird himself to serve, and have them recline at the table, and will come up and wait on them." (Lk 12:37) Do you understand what Jesus is saying? This remarkable statement pictures Christ, at His return, ministering as a servant to believers! Unthinkable! Amazing grace indeed! J C
Mateus 24
Hendriksen says so doing " so doing" shows that the proper attitude on the part of the one who awaits the master's return is active service in the interest of those whom the master has entrusted to him. When the figure is interpreted, this means that the proper spirit in which believers should eagerly await as Savior the Lord Jesus Christ (Phil 3:20) is not the feverish nervousness of certain Thessalonians (2Th. 2:1, 2; 3:6-12), nor the nauseating lukewarmness of the Laodiceans (Rev 3:14-22), but the active faithfulness of the Smyrniots (Rev 2:8-11). (Ibid) Doing (performing) (4160)(poieo) refers here to the idea of to carrying out, bringing about or accomplishing something. "Making the most of today is the best way to be ready for tomorrow." When he comes (erchomai) - Here of course a picture of Jesus' parousia. Paul's calendar had only two days—'today' and 'that day'. God says 'today'; the devil says 'tomorrow'. (Basil) Today is God's time. Tonight your soul may be required. Set your watch with heaven and not the faulty timepieces of earth. (Vance Havner) Alfred Plummer reminds us that "It is wise to cherish the hope (Ed: Not a "hope so" but a "hope sure.") that, in spite of past delay, He will now come soon (Rev 22:20-note). If that hope is allowed to perish, it will soon be supplanted by the hope that He will not come soon, or even by the wish that He may not come at all." (Ibid) Are You Ready? - Two unusual things happened as I was sitting in a restaurant having my usual breakfast of a bagel and coffee. First I read an article on the front page of the newspaper. It quoted a certain Christian author who theorized that Christ would call millions of Christians to heaven before sundown that particular day. A few minutes later, a friend walked up, sat down, and began to tell me that his life had been dramatically changed. He said that for the first time in his life he was ready to meet the Lord. This was good news, since we had often discussed his unwillingness to live in a manner consistent with his claim to be a Christian. He said he had decided that it was all or nothing. He had an amazing peace, and now he was also concerned about others. When I asked him what had happened, he told me he had read the book I had been reading about in the newspaper. He said he finally realized that whether Christ came on that day or another day, he would have to stand before the Lord eventually. To claim that Christ will come today may result in a false alarm. But to believe that Christ may come today and that we will have to answer to Him will motivate us to live for Him. By: Mart DeHaan Are you ready? When we live with expectancy, Awaiting Christ's return, Our diligent obedience Becomes our main concern. —Sper Plan as if Christ's return is many years away; live as if He will come today! Good News Or Bad? - Blessed are those servants whom the master, when he comes, will find watching. —Luke 12:37 - A teacher tells her young students, "Class, I'm going down the hall to the school office for a few minutes. I don't expect to be away long. I'm sure there won't be any trouble. I'm trusting you to work on your assignments while I'm gone." Fifteen minutes pass, then 20, then 40. Suddenly the teacher returns. Dennis has just thrown an eraser at Carol, who is doing her math. Steven is standing on the teacher's desk making faces. The students carrying out the teacher's instructions are delighted at the teacher's return, but Dennis and Steven wish she hadn't come back at all. Jesus is coming back! That stands as both a warning and a promise throughout the New Testament, as in today's reading from Luke 12. It's good news or bad, depending on who hears it. In church we sing songs like "Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus." When we partake of the Lord's Supper, we "proclaim the Lord's death till He comes" (1Corinthians 11:26). On Sunday morning, the second coming of Christ sounds like great news. But during the rest of the week, are we as ready for His return? Jesus is coming back! It may be soon. It will be sudden. Is that good news or bad? It's up to you. By: Haddon W. Robinson When Jesus comes to reward His servants, Whether it be noon or night, Faithful to Him will He find us watching, With our lamps all trimmed and bright? —Crosby Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming. —Matthew 24:42 Matthew 24:47 "Truly I say to you that he will put him in charge of all his possessions.: amen lego (1SPAI) humin hoti epi pasin tois huparchousin (PAPNPD) autou katastesei (3SFAI) auton: CLICK FOR >60 ENGLISH TRANSLATIONS OF THIS VERSE That: Mt 25:21,23 Da 12:3 Lu 12:37,44, Lk 19:17 Lk 22:29,30 Jn 12:26 2Ti 2:12 1Pe 5:4 Rev 3:21 21:7 Matthew 24 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries FAITHFUL SLAVES REWARDED WITH GREATER RESPONSIBILITY While everything Jesus says is noteworthy, whenever Jesus begins a sentence with "truly" or "amen" we should be especially alert to what He is going to say. In this context He is alluding to rewards. It is amazing enough grace that He saves us, but that He also rewards us is "crazy grace!" Present faithfulness will bring future promotion.
Mateus 24
Hendriksen - Jesus Himself at His glorious coming shall bestow upon all Gis faithful ones a high degree of glory and honor. Cf. Mt 25:21, 23, 34-40; Luke 19:17, 19. Does not Christ's promise also imply the assignment of certain specific tasks in the life hereafter, each task a matter of pure delight and satisfaction, and each in harmony with the individuality of the person for whom it is marked out? (Ibid) The principle Jesus teaches is that the reward of faithfulness to one's responsibility is to be entrusted with greater responsibility: Matthew 25:21, 23 "His master said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful slave; you were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things, enter into the joy of your master.'… 23 "His master said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful slave; you were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.' Luke 16:10 "He who is faithful in a very little thing is faithful also in much; and he who is unrighteous in a very little thing is unrighteous also in much. 1Tim 3:13 For those who have served well as deacons obtain for themselves a high standing and great confidence in the faith that is in Christ Jesus. Rev 2:26 'And he who overcomes, and he who keeps My deeds until the end, TO HIM I WILL GIVE AUTHORITY OVER THE NATIONS; Rev 3:21 'He who overcomes, I will grant to him to sit down with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne. Scofield on rewards - God, in the NT Scriptures, offers to the lost, salvation; and for the faithful service of the saved, He offers rewards. The passages are easily distinguished by remembering that salvation is invariably spoken of as a free gift (e.g. Jn 4:10; Ro 6:23; Eph 2:8-9), whereas rewards are earned by works (Mt 10:42; Luke 19:17; 1Cor 9:24 - 25; 2Ti 4:7-8; Rev 2:10; 22:12). A further distinction is that salvation is a present possession (Luke 7:50; Jn 3:36; 5:24; 6:47), whereas rewards are a future attainment, to be given at the rapture (2Ti 4:8; Rev 22:12). Robert Moffatt - We shall have all eternity in which to celebrate our victories, but we have only one short hour before the sunset in which to win them. Matthew 24:48 "But if that evil slave says in his heart, 'My master is not coming for a long time,': ean de eipe (3SAAS) o kakos doulos ekeinos en te kardia autou chronizei (3SPAI) mou o kurios: CLICK FOR >60 ENGLISH TRANSLATIONS OF THIS VERSE if: Mt 18:32 Mt 25:26 Lu 19:22 Says: Dt 9:4 Dt 15:9 2Ki 5:26 Isa 32:6 Mk 7:21 Lu 12:45 Jn 13:2 Ac 5:3 Ac 8:22 My: Eccl 8:11 Eze 12:22,27 2Pe 3:3-5 Matthew 24 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries DANGER OF MISINTERPRETING MASTER'S DELAY KJV - But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; But (de) is a term of contrast - the other side of the picture! In contrast to the faithful and sensible slave, Jesus now exposes the evil slave's heart! J R Miller - While there is reward for the servant who is faithful, there is punishment for the evil servant who fails in his duty. Judgment will come upon him suddenly. (Ibid) Evil (bad) (2556)(kakos) is a word which basically denotes a lack of something so that it is "bad" or "not as it ought to be." Kakos means not meeting accepted standards of behavior, and thus worthless or inferior. Kakos then speaks of lack of goodness, of a bad nature. Empty professions are shown by evil conduct!
Mateus 24
Hendriksen on weeping - As to this weeping: it is not here a shedding of tears because of true sorrow for the sins one has committed (Mt. 26:75; Mk 14:72; Lk 7:38; cf. 2Chr. 34:27), or for transgressions by means of which others have dishonored God (Ps 119:136; 2Cor 2:4; Phil. 3:18). Nor does it occur because of impending separation from dear ones (Acts 20:37, 38), or because of being the object of unjust treatment by other people (1Sa 1:7, 8). It is not a result of wounded pride because of not getting one's way (1Ki 21:5-7). The present weeping is not brought about by temporal calamity (Ge 27:38; Lam 1:16), by bereavement (Dt. 34:8; 2Sa 1:17 ff.; Mt 2:18), or by deep yearning and sympathy (Ge 21:16, 17; 43:30). As far as God's people are concerned, there will come a day when every tear will have been wiped away (Isa 65:19; Rev 7:17; 18:15, 19). The tears of which Jesus speaks… are those of inconsolable, never-ending wretchedness, and utter, everlasting hopelessness. The accompanying grinding or gnashing of teeth (cf. Mt 13:42, 50; 22:13; 24:51; 25:30; Luke 13:28-note) denotes excruciating pain and frenzied anger. This grinding of teeth, too, will never come to an end or cease (Da 12:2; Mt. 3:12; 18:8; 25:46; Mk 9:43, 48; Lk 3:17; Jude 1:6, 7; and Rev. 14:9-11). (Ibid) Thomas Brooks - Could every damned sinner weep a whole ocean, yet all those oceans together would never extinguish one spark of eternal fire. John Blanchard - It is never true to say that something 'hurts like hell'; nothing hurts like hell… When that intensity of anguish is added to a greater grief than has ever consumed any human being on earth, this single description by Jesus of what it will mean to be in hell should make any sensible person tremble at even the possibility that this might be his or her experience beyond the grave. (Whatever Happened to Hell?) Christopher Morgan on the weeping and gnashing of teeth - this suffering is conscious. If hell did not consist of conscious suffering, it would be hard to see how it could in any meaningful sense be worse than death, be worse than earthly suffering, be filled with weeping and gnashing of teeth, or be a place of misery. These images communicate that people in hell will be aware that they are suffering just punishment. (What Is Hell?) Weeping (2805) (klauthmos from klaio = to weep or bewail) is a noun which describes a strong inner emotion which is evoked in weeping, crying, lamentation (cries of grief, the act of bewailing as an expression of sorrow). Klauthmos in the Lxx describes Joseph's weeping over his brothers (Ge 45:2, 46:29) Someone made the sobering observation that "Hell is a place of conscious sorrow for the unconscious would not weep." The Psalmist writes… Psalm 112:10 The wicked will see it (Ps 112:9) and be vexed, He will gnash his teeth and melt away. The desire of the wicked will perish.
Mateus 24:4-8
Hendriksen writes that "One author counted three hundred wars in Europe during the last three hundred years. And these wars are increasing in intensity. It is perfectly clear that when any particular war is singled out as a help for “date-fixers” another “mistaken sign” has been produced." (Exposition of the Gospel According to Matthew, Baker)
Mateus 24:4-8
Hendriksen - throughout the centuries there have been violent earthquakes. For example: On Nov. 1, 1755, 60,000 people perished at Lisbon, Portugal; in 1783 the great Calabrian earthquake occurred with the death of an estimated 30,000; in 1857 the Neapolitan earthquake took more than 12,000 lives. There was also the Charleston earthquake in 1886; the Assam in 1897; the one in California in 1906, which destroyed a considerable section of San Francisco; the one in Messina in 1908; in Avezzano, Italy in 1915; several in Turkey, from 1939 until very recently; the one that shook Kansu Province, China, in 1920; the one that hit Japan, in 1923, wrecking parts of Tokyo and Yokohama; those in Chile, in 1939, 1960, and even more recently; the devastating earthquake in Peru, 1970; etc. Ancient historians and philosophers—such as Thucydides, Aristotle, Strabo, Seneca, Livy, and Pliny—describe similar seismic phenomena in their days. And as early as the year 1668 Robert Hooke wrote his work bearing the title, Discourse on Earthquakes. A certain author counted no less than seven hundred disturbances of this nature, great and small, which had occurred in the nineteenth century! (Ibid) Matthew 24:8 "But all these things are merely the beginning of birth pangs.: panta de tauta arche odinon: Lev 26:18-29 Dt 28:59 Isa 9:12,17,21 10:4 1Th 5:3 1Pe 4:17,18 Amplified All this is but the beginning [the early pains] of the birth pangs [of the intolerable anguish]. KJV All these are the beginning of sorrows. ESV All these are but the beginning of the birth pains. NLT But all this is only the first of the birth pains, with more to come. YLT and all these are the beginning of sorrows; ASV But all these things are the beginning of travail. NOT SIGNS OF THE END BUT BEGINNING OF SORROWS Synoptic Parallels: Luke 21:10 Then He continued by saying to them, “Nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom, 11 and there will be great earthquakes, and in various places plagues and famines; and there will be terrors and great signs from heaven. (Words in bold only in Luke's version - See comments). Mark 13:8b “For nation will rise up against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; there will be earthquakes in various places; there will also be famines. These things are merely the beginning of birth pangs. But - This is a term of contrast. What is Jesus contrasting? It would seem to be all of the tumultuous events described in Mt 24:6 (and possibly Mt 24:5). Birth pangs is a vivid, easily understood figure of speech that indicates a birth is coming soon. In context the "birth" of greatest note is the return of the Righteous One, our Redeemer and King Who will crush the Gentile powers (Da 2:34-35, Da 2:44-45) and bring in (birth if you will) His glorious earthly kingdom. See related discussion of Birth Pangs in Luke 21 All these things - To what does all these things refer? Many coming in the Name of Jesus and misleading many (Mt 24:5), wars, rumors of wars (Mt 24:6), nations and kingdoms rising against one another, famines and earthquakes (Mt 24:7). All of these things are really "non-signs" because they are very general and have occurred throughout the centuries since Jesus uttered these words. Some suggest that as we see these things increase in number and intensity (e.g., earthquakes), this increased frequency suggests we are getting closer to the "end" of the end times. However, it seems that this is one of the things Jesus actually warns us about so that we are not misled. Weber - War, famine, and earthquakes fall into a category of events that, while not necessarily unrelated to the end, are only tiny ripples in the pool of history. They are far removed from the central event of God’s final judgment. (Holman New Testament Commentary) The beginning of birth pangs - From a comparison of the three synoptic Gospels, while the similarities are undeniable (Mt 24:4-7, Mark 13:5-8, Luke 218-11), there is a difference in that both Matthew 24:8 and Mark 13:8c picture the catastrophic events described by Jesus as merely the beginning of birth pangs, a phrase not found in Luke 21. What Jesus is saying is that these things (described in Mt 24:4-7, Mark 13:5-8 and by extension Lk 21:8-11) will intensify as the world gets closer to the "delivery date," the end of the age, the coming of Messiah, the "birth" of His Messianic Kingdom. When birth pangs begin, birth generally soon follows. Having delivered a number of babies, it has been my experience that as one gets closer to the actual delivery of the baby, the birth pangs increase in quality and quantity. It would appear that Jesus' figure of speech strongly implies that birth pangs (false messiahs, wars, earthquakes, famines, plaques, etc) will increase in number and intensity as the end draws near. Indeed, the book of the Revelation of Jesus Christ (specifically Revelation 6:1-19:21) describes an intensification of all of these things which Jesus had alluded to and which have been occurring for the past 2000 years. ESV Study Bible - Birth pains indicates that there will be a time of suffering prior to the messianic age (cf. Ro. 8:22–23). OT prophets use the metaphor to depict terrible suffering in general (cf. Isa. 13:8-note; Isa 21:3; 42:14; Jer. 30:5–7-note; Hos. 13:13) as well as suffering that Israel will endure prior to her deliverance (cf. Isa. 26:17–19; 66:7–11; Jer. 22:23; Mic. 4:9–10-note). (Comment: Note allusion to the "Messianic Age" -- this is the age which will follow the church age and which is commonly referred to as the Millennium). Birth pangs speak of hope for the pain will pass and give way to a "new birth" and in this case it will be a "new age," the Messianic Age which will follow the end of the age. The figure of birth pains was commonly used by ancient Jewish writers, especially in regard to the end times. The great modern Jewish scholar Alfred Edersheim wrote, “Jewish writings speak very frequently of the labor pains of Messiah.” David Turner on birth pangs - The use of the pains of a woman in labor as a metaphor for eschatological troubles and/or the woe of God’s judgment is found elsewhere in Jewish literature and the NT (Isa 13:8-note; Isa 26:17; 66:7–8; Jer 4:31; 6:24; 22:23; Jer 30:5–7-note; Jer 48:41; Hos 13:13; Mic 4:9-13-note; Mark 13:8; 1 Thes 5:3-note; Rev 12:2-note; cf. John 16:20–22; Gal 4:19; (Cornerstone Biblical Commentary, Vol 11: Matthew and Mark) John
Mateus 24:25-28
Hendriksen - The sense of the comparison, then, is this, that just as a lightning flash is so brilliant that from one end of heaven to the other it is clearly visible, so Christ's coming shall be such that "every eye shall see him" (Rev. 1:7-note). Heinrich
Mateus 24:25-28
Hendriksen comments - Lovingly the Master provides for his disciples. When the fiery trial (cp 1Pe 4:12) arrives they must never be able to say, "How strange and unexpected! Why did not the Lord prepare us for this? Why did He not warn us?" Having been forewarned, the disciples (Ed comment: In the first century and until the end of time) will not be unduly disturbed when the prediction is fulfilled. In fact, their faith in Jesus will even be confirmed. Told in advance (4280)(proereo from pró = before + eréo = to say, declare) means literally to say beforehand, so to speak in advance. Some uses convey a "prophetic" sense of declaring or telling before an event (foretell - Acts 1:16, Ro 9:29, 2Co 13:2). Here we see Jesus' warnings in the context of the Olivet Discourse conveys the sense a foretelling of things to come. The perfect tense speaks of the enduring effect or impact of His words (i.e., the idea is "I told you and this warning stands!") Matthew 24:26 "So if they say to you, ' Behold, He is in the wilderness,' do not go out, or,' Behold, He is in the inner rooms,' do not believe them: ean oun eiposin (3PAAS) humin Idou (AMM) en te eremo estin (3SPAI) me exelthete (2PAAS - functions as an aorist imperative) Idou (AMM) en tois tameiois me pisteusete (2PAAS - functions as an aorist imperative): desert: Mt 3:1 Isa 40:3 Lu 3:2,3 Ac 21:38 Matthew 24 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries THE COMING OF THE SON OF MAN NOT HIDDEN OR SECRETIVE So (therefore, so then) (oun) is a term of conclusion. What is Jesus concluding? He has just given them a charge to pay attention to the forewarning. Behold...Behold (2400)(idou) - see Mt 24:25. He is in the wilderness - compare Mt 11:7-9 where the people went out into the wilderness to see John the Baptist, a true prophet who pointed to the true Messiah. Wilderness (2048)(eremos) describes a solitary, lonely, desolate (Lxx of streets of Jerusalem = Jer 33:10), uninhabited, abandoned place. Literally of a desert, a deserted place, a lonely region. Of an uncultivated region fit for pasture (Lk 15:4 = open pasture). Eremos describes the place where John the Baptist lived (Lk 1:80) and heard "the word of God" (Lk 3:2) and preached (Mt 3:1), and cried out "in the wilderness" (Mt 3:3, Mk 1:3, Lk 3:4, Jn 1:23). Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil (Mt 4:1, Mk 1:12, Lk 4:1 = where He "was led about by the Spirit") Of the lonely place Jesus withdrew early in the morning (Mt 14:14, Lk 4:42, Mk 1:35 - Do you have a "lonely place" to which you retire early in the morning? If Jesus needed one, so do we! Mk 6:31 Do you have a "wilderness" in which to pray? = Lk 5:16, cp Lxx use in Ps 63:1). Jesus speaking to faithless Israel declared "Behold, your house is being left to you desolate!" (Mt 23:38) Because of popularity Jesus had to stay "out in unpopulated areas." (Mk 1:45, cp Jn 11:54) Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness (Jn 3:14), the same place Israel ate manna (Jn 6:31, 49). Jehovah appeared to Moses in wilderness on Sinai (Acts 7:30, 38, cp Lxx uses Ex 3:1, 18, 4:27) and he led Israel 40 years in the wilderness (Acts 7:36; cp Lxx Ps 68:7, 78:52, Hos 13:5, Amos 2:10) where they offered sacrifices for 40 years (Acts 7:42, cp Acts 13:18 = where God "put up with" Israel, cp Lxx of Amos 5:25) and where they first had the tabernacle of testimony (Acts 7:44) and where God laid low most of Israel because He was not pleased with them (1Cor 10:5, Heb 3:17) for they provoked Him there (Heb 3:8, cp Lxx - Ps 95:8; 106:14, Ps 78:40). The wilderness is where the woman (Israel) will flee in the future and be nourished by God, protected from the devil for 3.5 years (time, times, and half a time = 1260 days - Rev 12:6, 14, cp Da 7:21, 25, Da 12:7). In Lxx of Hag 1:9 Jehovah laments "of My house which lies desolate." God "will make Nineveh a desolation, Parched like the wilderness (Lxx - eremos)." (Zeph 2:13) God says of Judah "The whole land shall be a desolation." (Jer 4:27, cp Jer 9:12 "like a desert"; Jer 12:10 = "a desolate wilderness") God speaks of Israel's future restoration when He will purge the rebels and bring others into the bond of the covenant (Ezek 20:37,38) - "As I entered into judgment with your fathers in the wilderness of the land of Egypt, so I will enter into judgment with you," declares the Lord GOD." (Ezek 20:36) Note that Ezekiel 20:33-44 speaks of His regathering Israel to their land in the future time of Christ's Second Advent. Figuratively eremos is used of individuals who are abandoned, forsaken (Gal 4:27, Acts 1:20 = desolate, cp Lxx of Hos 2:3) God says "Have I been a wilderness to Israel" (Jer 2:31) NAS translates eremos - desert(2), deserts(1), desolate(6), open pasture(1), secluded(5), unpopulated(1), wilderness(32). Eremos - 48x in 48v - Matt 3:1, 3; 4:1; 11:7; 14:13, 15; 23:38; 24:26; Mark 1:3f, 12f, 35, 45; 6:31f, 35; Luke 1:80; 3:2, 4; 4:1, 42; 5:16; 7:24; 8:29; 9:12; 15:4; John 1:23; 3:14; 6:31, 49; 11:54; Acts 1:20; 7:30, 36, 38, 42, 44; 8:26; 13:18; 21:38; 1 Cor 10:5; Gal 4:27; Heb 3:8, 17; Rev 12:6, 14; 17:3 Liddell-Scott-Jones - I desolate, lonely, solitary, 1 of places, the desert parts. 2. of persons or animals, ( I weep in solitude) 3. of conditions, II c. gen., 1. reft of, void or destitute of, 2. of persons, bereft of, a house without heirs, Isa 7.31. 3. with no bad sense, wanting, without; free from III 1. an undefended action, in which one party does not appear, and judgement goes against him by default, Eremos - 319v in the Septuagint - Ge 12:9; 13:1, 3; 14:6; 16:7; 21:14, 20f; 24:62; 36:24; 37:22; Ex 3:1, 18; 4:27; 5:1, 3; 7:16; 8:20, 27f; 13:18, 20; 14:3, 11f; 15:22; 16:1, 3, 10, 14, 32; 17:1; 18:5; 19:1f; 23:29, 31; Lev 7:38; 16:10, 21f; 26:31, 33; Nu 1:1, 19; 3:4, 14; 9:1, 5; 10:12, 31; 12:16; 13:3, 17, 21f, 26; 14:2, 16, 22, 25, 29, 32f, 35; 15:32; 16:13; 20:1, 4; 21:1, 5, 11, 13, 20, 23; 23:28; 24:1; 26:61, 64f; 27:3, 14; 32:13, 15; 33:6, 8, 11f, 15f, 36; 34:3; Deut 1:1, 19, 31, 40; 2:1, 7f, 26; 4:43, 45; 6:4; 7:22; 8:2, 15f; 9:7, 28; 11:5, 24; 29:5; 32:10, 51; 34:3; Josh 1:4; 5:6; 12:8; 14:10; 15:1, 21; 16:1; 20:8; 21:36, 42; 24:7; Jdg 1:16; 8:7, 16; 11:16, 18, 22; 20:42, 45, 47; 1Sam 4:8; 23:14, 24f; 24:1; 25:1, 4, 7, 14, 21; 26:2f; 2 Sam 2:24; 15:18, 23, 28; 16:2; 17:16, 29; 1Kgs 2:34; 4:20; 19:4, 15; 2Kgs 2:8; 3:8; 1Chr 5:9; 6:78; 12:8; 21:29; 2Chr 1:3; 8:4; 20:16, 20, 24; 24:9; 26:10; Ezra 9:9; Neh 2:17; 9:19, 21; Esther 8:12; Job 1:19; 15:28; 38:26; 39:6; Ps 29:8; 55:7; 63:1; Ps 65:12; 68:7; 75:6; 78:15, 19, 40, 52; Ps 95:8; 106:9, 14, 26; Ps 107:4, 33, 35; 136:16; Pr 9:12; 21:19; Song 3:6; Isa 1:7; 5:9, 17; 6:11; 13:9; 14:17, 23; 15:6; 16:1, 8; 17:9; 21:1; 24:12; 30:6; 32:15f; 34:11; 35:1f, 6; 40:3; 41:18; 42:11; 43:19f; 44:26; 48:21; 49:8, 19; 50:2; 51:3; 52:9; 54:1; 58:12; 61:4; 62:4; 63:13; 64:10; Jer 2:6, 15, 24, 31; 4:11, 26f; 9:2, 10, 12, 26; 12:10, 12; 13:24; 17:6; 22:6; 23:10; 25:24; 31:2; 33:10, 12; 34:22; 44:2; 48:6; 49:13; 50:12; Lam 4:3, 19; 5:9; Ezek 5:14; 6:14; 13:4; 14:8; 19:13; 20:10, 13, 15, 17f, 21, 23, 35f; 23:42; 25:13; 26:20; 29:9f; 30:12; 33:28f; 34:25; 35:3f, 7, 12, 14f; 36:2, 33, 35, 38; 38:8; Dan 4:25; 9:17; Hos 2:3, 14; 9:10; 13:5, 15; Joel 1:19-20; 2:22; Amos 2:10; 5:25; Zeph 2:13; Hag 1:9; Zech 14:10; Mal 1:3-4; Hendriksen - Some, with reflection on John the Baptist (Mt 3:1), may point to the wilderness as the place where the Messiah is to be found. Others, to the inner rooms, as if the Christ were only for a few initiates, the Head of a private fraternity, revealing himself to no one else. In fact, the very opposite is the truth. It will not be necessary in that day to go in search of the Christ, as if he were to be found in some arid waste or some dark corner. Behold, He is in the inner rooms - Jesus' point is that when the real Messiah returns, it will not be for just a few to see. Gundry writes that "For their own emphasis, false prophets will also use "Behold!" Jews often thought that messianic salvation would begin in the wilderness (compare Israel's exodus from Egypt into the wilderness as deliverance from slavery, and Israel's entrance into Canaan out of the wilderness as the gaining of a homeland). "Storerooms" contrasts hideouts in the city with the wilderness. False teaching in the church is seldom brazen. It's usually offered with theological justification, such as a claim to have had direct and recent contact with the Christ, so that attention supposedly needs to be paid to a new communication that outdates his traditional teaching. Jesus warns, then, against contacts said to have taken place in the isolation of the wilderness and in the secrecy of urban hideouts, where public authentication that the Christ has returned and communicated with these false prophets is lacking. But people in the church can be easily taken in by false prophets who enhance their proclamations with claims to private contacts with the Christ and new communications from him. So Jesus will now play up the publicness of his return." (Commentary on the New Testament: Verse-by-Verse Explanations with a Literal Translation) Inner rooms ("secret chambers" - KJV) (5009)(tameion = later form of tamieion = treasury and it is this latter form used in the Septuagint) can describe a storeroom or storage chamber, a secret room or an inner chamber. Tameion speaks of the interior rooms of a house reserved for privacy. Uses of the form tamieion in the Septuagint - When he saw his long lost brothers Joseph "entered his chamber and wept there." (Ge 43:30 = tamieion) Delilah had men "lying in wait in an inner room" to bind Samson (Jdg 16:12, 9 = tamieion). Tamieion was the place Amnon violated Tamar (2Sa 13:10 = "the bedroom", cp 1Ki 1:15, 2Ki 6:12) Tamieion was the place Beh-hadad hid in the city ("into an inner chamber" 1Ki 20:30). Micaiah described tamieion as "an inner room" where one could hide (1Ki 22:25). Tamieion was the place Joash (the last male heir in the Davidic line as the others were put to death) was hidden with his nurse by Jehosheba and thereby preserved the line of the Messiah (2Ki 11:2 - "But Jehosheba, the daughter of King Joram, sister of Ahaziah, took Joash the son of Ahaziah and stole him from among the king's sons who were being put to death, and placed him and his nurse in the bedroom, actually either the palace storeroom where servants kept the bedding or a room in the living quarters of the temple priests. So they hid him from Athaliah, and he was not put to death." Note 2Ki 11:3 says Joash was hidden for 6 years in the Temple)! Tamieion describes "barns" that are "filled with plenty" (Pr 3:10) Liddell-Scott-Jones on tameion = treasury; of the Roman Aerarium; the Imperial Fiscus, 2. magazine, storehouse; store-room; reservoir, 3. chamber, closet, Tameion - 4x in 4v - Matthew 6:6 "But you, when you pray, go into your inner room, close your door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you. Matthew 24:26 "So if they say to you, 'Behold, He is in the wilderness,' do not go out, or, 'Behold, He is in the inner rooms,' do not believe them. Luke 12:3 "Accordingly, whatever you have said in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have whispered in the inner rooms will be proclaimed upon the housetops. Luke 12:24 "Consider the ravens, for they neither sow nor reap; they have no storeroom nor barn, and yet God feeds them; how much more valuable you are than the birds! Tameion is not found but the earlier form, tamieion is found 34 times in the Septuagint: Ge 43:30; Exod 8:3; Deut 28:8; 32:25; Judg 3:24; 15:1; 16:9, 12; 2 Sam 13:10; 1 Kgs 1:15; 20:30; 22:25; 2 Kgs 6:12; 9:2; 11:2; 2 Chr 18:24; 22:11; Job 9:9; 37:9; Ps 105:30; 144:13; Prov 3:10; 7:27; 20:27, 30; 24:4; 26:22; Eccl 10:20; Song 1:4; 3:4; 8:2; Isa 26:20; 42:22; Ezek 28:16 ESV Study Bible - The Messiah will not come secretly to a select group and stay hidden from public view. Rather, he will appear like a flash of lightning—sudden and visible to all. Tony
Mateus 24:25-28
Hendriksen has an interesting comment on this difficult to interpret passage - Vultures swoop down upon a carcass. When morally and spiritually the world has degenerated to such an extent that it resembles carrion, in other words when the Lord judges that the world's cup of iniquity is full (cf. Ge 15:16; Rev. 14:18), then, and not until then, Christ shall come to condemn that world. Then his coming is a divine necessity.
Mateus 24:29
Hendriksen comments that "The picture is very vivid. While the earth is drenched with the blood of the saints in the most terrible tribulation of all time, all at once the sun becomes darkened. Naturally the moon now also ceases to give her light. The stars deviate from their orbits and race to their doom; they "fall from heaven." The powers of the heaven are shaken. Terrifying sounds are heard. There is "the roaring of the sea and the billows," causing perplexity among men. People faint with fear and with foreboding of what is beginning to happen to the world (Luke 21:25, 26). In connection with this apocalyptic picture strict literalness must be avoided. Until this prophetic panorama becomes history we shall probably not know how much of this description must be taken literally and how much figuratively." (Baker NT Commentary) THE "FORMIDABLE, UNCOMFORTABLE" PROBLEM INTERPRETING MATTHEW 24:15ff AS FULFILLED IN 70AD IF one interprets the abomination of desolation standing in the holy place (Mt 24:15-note) as the future Antichrist standing in the Temple (cp 2Thes 2:3-4-note) and initiating the Great Tribulation, THEN Mt 24:29 makes perfect chronological sense. The Antichrist has only 42 months (3.5 years - Rev 13:5-note) to exercise world domination. Immediately (Mt 24:29) after this tribulation the Lord will return and "cut short" this horrible time (Mt 24:22-note). Those commentators who hold that Mt 24:15-20 was fulfilled in 70AD have difficulty in making Mt 24:29 fit with their interpretation. R T France explains the problem Mt 24:29 for those who like himself espouse a 70AD fulfillment for the abomination of desolation in Mt 24:15-note: It is with Mt 24:29 that the traditional interpretation (Ed: Mt 24:15 = 70AD fulfillment) becomes most uncomfortable. If it is agreed that Mt 24:15-28 relate to the siege of Jerusalem (apart from the aside about its difference from the parousia in Mt 24:27) and if it is assumed that Mt 24:29-31 describe the "parousia and the end of the age" (even though they use none of those terms), the opening phrase "But immediately after the distress of those days" constitutes a formidable problem unless one is prepared to argue that Jesus (and Matthew) really did expect the parousia to take place in the late first century AD, and that He was mistaken (Ed: Which of course would make Jesus a false prophet!). As a result many interpreters resort to imprecise talk about "prophetic perspective" which merges far distant events into a single time-frame, while others argue that either "immediately after" or "those days" do not mean what they appear to mean. (The Gospel of Matthew, NICNT, Eerdmans Publication, 2007) (Bolding and italics mine for emphasis) Comment: The most incredible statement by France is that immediately after or those days may not mean what the appear to mean! Beloved, IF we have to read the Scriptures trying to discern when words or phrases might NOT mean what they appear to mean, we would encounter tremendous problems in reaching a consensus on ANY PASSAGE! The point is that Jesus said it plainly and that plainly settles it! He spoke in easily understandable words which can be taken at "face value" and which can therefore be accurately interpreted! If the plain sense of Jesus' words in context makes good sense, then the reader is wise not to try to come up with an unnatural ("imprecise") sense or it may end up precisely as nonsense. Surely Jesus did not intend that only those with theological doctorates would be able to understand His words. After all He was addressing "uneducated and untrained men!" (Acts 4:13) So let us seek the plain literal sense and make sure we do so in context (see Carson's example of taking a text out of its context below). Here is Craig Keener's interpretation of "immediately" in Mt 24:29: "Immediately" ties the tribulation of "those days" to the unidentified final tribulation, a tribulation that may follow it by only a few years (as some of Matthew's audience could still have held) or, on a more modern reading, can only be identified as the final one by the fact that the parousia concludes it. (The Gospel of Matthew: A Socio-Rhetorical Commentary) Comment: Keener who interprets Mt 24:15 as fulfilled in 70AD is to be commended for keeping the door open to the possibility that Mt 24:29 could be referring to a future event. Grant Osborne summarizes the interpretations of "immediately after the tribulation of those days"... (1) Some (France) believe this is a reference entirely to the destruction of Jerusalem, so that the return of Christ here is not His Second Coming but His vindication in the events of AD 66-70. (2) Others (Carson, Blomberg, Morris) believe this goes back to the "tribulation" of Mt 24:9, 22 and not the "abomination" of Mt 24:15-21 (i.e., the destruction of Jerusalem) (Ed comment: Note the inconsistency of this view -- Mt 24:21 is the nearest previous mention of "tribulation!" and yet these writers basically ignore it or "skip over it" because a literal rendering in context would mean Christ returns immediately after the Great Tribulation, which is "cut short" [Mt 24:22] by His parousia!), and "immediately after" means that the parousia follows the period of "tribulation" during the church age. (Ed comment: To equate the church age with the "great tribulation" is patently absurd! If that were what Jesus meant, why did He use five verses [Mt 24:16-20] to give an urgent call to Jews [not the church - cf use of Jewish words "Judea," "Sabbath"!] to flee?) (3) Still others (Hagner) believe this is stated from Matthew's perspective as "immediately" following the destruction, but with "immediately" meaning "it is to be expected after" rather than "very soon after" because of the constant aspect of delay in chs. 24-25. (Ed comment: Notice how one is forced to read into the plain sense of the word "immediately" some other meaning in order to justify a "preteristic" interpretation of Matthew 24. The word immediately means just that - immediately! cp the next use by Matthew - Mt 26:49. If Jesus had mean "it is to be expected after" He could have said "after that" or "then" but instead He used "immediately!") (4) However, to link this just with the destruction of AD 66-70 or with the suffering of the entire church age is to miss the whole context of vv. 4-28. The best understanding is to take "the tribulation of those days" as recapitulating "those days" of Mt 24:19, 22 and thus refers both to "those days" of the destruction of Jerusalem and of the final conflagration of the "great tribulation" (Mt 24:21; Rev 7:14) period. Here with eutheos (retaining its force as "immediately," unlike Mark) it especially refers to the final events of history, those "immediately" preceding the return of Christ (so McNeile, Grundmann, Hill, Gundry, Bruner, Wilkins, Witherington, Turner). (Ed comment: If one ) (Zondervan Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament) THE IMPORTANCE OF CONTEXT IN INTERPRETATION OF "THOSE DAYS" D A Carson says that Matthew 24:29 begins the new stage with "Immediately after the distress [thlipsis] of those days," a clear reference back to the thlipsis of Mt 24:9, 22, not to the "great distress" of Mt 24:15-21. Thus the celestial signs and the coming of the Son of Man do not immediately follow "the abomination that causes desolation" but "the distress of those days"—i.e., of the entire interadvent period of thlipsis." (Ref) Comment: Notice that Carson basically ignores the plain meaning of the word immediately and does not interpret "immediately after the tribulation (thlipsis)" as referring to immediately after "the great tribulation (thlipsis)" which Jesus had just mentioned in context. Instead Carson skips the near reference to tribulation in Mt 24:21 and goes back to tribulation (thlipsis) in Mt 24:9 in an attempt to buttress his interpretation! Why does he avoid the critically important hermeneutical rule of interpreting the text in its context? I cannot read his mind, but one thing is clear. If Jesus' words in Mt 24:29 are interpreted as a description of the cosmic signs which immediately follow the "great tribulation (thlipsis)", then Carson's interpretation of "the abomination that causes desolation" would be incorrect because these cosmic signs of Mt 24:29 clearly did not occur after the Roman Army destroyed and desolated Jerusalem in 70 AD! Clearly a literal, contextually sensitive reading of Mt 24:29 creates a significant problem for the popular "preteristic" interpretation of Mt 24:15ff as fulfilled in 70AD! So without explanation, Carson somewhat dogmatically draws the conclusion that Jesus' statement about tribulation is "a clear reference back to the thlipsis of Mt 24:9,22, not to the great distress of Mt 24:15-21." (Emphasis mine) Notice that he references Mt 24:22, which begs the question "What is the context of Mt 24:22?" Note that in the original Greek text Mt 24:22 is linked with Mt 24:21 by use of the copulative conjunction (joins words and sentences) kai ("and"), which is the first word in the Mt 24:22. It is therefore very clear that Jesus intends for Mt 24:21 and Mt 24:22ESV to be understood as related to or "coupled with" one another. It also logically follows that "those days" in Mt 24:22 is clearly linked to the period of the great tribulation Jesus had just described in Mt 24:15-21 (See Jesus' three uses of "those days" below)! In sum, the phrase "immediately after the tribulation of those days" in Mt 24:29 clearly refers to the days Jesus had just designated as the great tribulation. To make "those days" refer all the way back to Mt 24:9 is tantamount to "yanking" Jesus' words out of context! Allison and Davies rightly recognize that "The attempt of Carson, pp. 504-5, to refer Mt 24:29a to Mt 24:9 and Mt 24:22 but not Mt 24:15-21, does not persuade, in part because he must unnaturally separate Mt 24:22 (with its use of 'those days') from Mt 24:21. (Ed: In other words Allison and Davies agree that Dr Carson's handling of the context is a bit strained or hermeneutically awkward.) (Ibid) Beloved, it is critically important to emphasize that context is "King" if one seeks to interpret the Scripture accurately. So let's look again at the context of the important time phrase "those days" which is found only 3 times in Mt 24:1-34. Read the following passages and see if it is not very clear as to what time period Jesus is referring when He uses "those days." You will notice that the two previous uses of those days both refer to the time period Jesus called the great tribulation. And so to reiterate, it clearly follows that the phrase immediately after the tribulation of those days means exactly that -- immediately after the time of the horrific great tribulation all the world will see unmistakable cosmic signs pointing to the immediate return of the Messiah! Mt 24:19 "But woe to those who are with child and to those who nurse babes in those days! What days? Clearly this refers to the days of the great tribulation which begins when the abomination of desolation stands in the holy place (Mt 24:15-note). Mt 24:22 "And unless those days had been cut short, no life would have been saved; but for the sake of the elect those days shall be cut short. To what days does Jesus refer? If one allows context to rule in the interpretation, it is clear that those days refers to those days of the great tribulation He had just described. Mt 24:29 "But immediately after the tribulation of those days THE SUN WILL BE DARKENED, AND THE MOON WILL NOT GIVE ITS LIGHT, AND THE STARS WILL FALL from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken To what days does Jesus refer? He has just mentioned "those days" twice and both of those uses are in the context of the great tribulation. As stated earlier, if one allows context to rule in interpretation, those days of Mt 24:29 refer to those days of the great tribulation. Regardless of how one interprets Mt 24:15, any other interpretation would require one to take the text out of its normal, plain context! Craig Blomberg in the New American Commentary on Matthew associates those days of Mt 24:29 with the Great Tribulation. However in order to explain the phrase "immediately after the tribulation of those days" he says that the Great Tribulation lasts from Jesus' first advent to His second advent. This interpretation of the entire church age as a period of unprecedented tribulation simply does not make good sense! Blomberg's interpretation of the "great tribulation" as lasting almost 2000 years ignores the fact that Jesus was describing a unique, unprecedented, never to be repeated specific time of testing which in fact would be "cut short"! (Mt 24:22-note) Does Jesus' description of a time that would be cut short sound like an unprecedented "Great Tribulation" that has lasted for almost 2000 years? Furthermore, Jeremiah and Daniel both had similar descriptions of a time of unparalleled distress that would come upon Israel in the last days. In Jeremiah 30:7-note the distress that will come upon the nation of Israel future is described as "there is none like it." The time of distress in Daniel 12:1-note clearly does not extend from Jesus' first to second coming but in the context of Da 11:36-45-note will be the time when the Antichrist wages war with the Jews for 3.5 years (cp Da 7:25-note, Rev 13:5-8-note). Notice how Daniel like Jesus specifies a time of unparalleled tribulation describing this as "a time of distress such as never occurred since there was a nation until that time". Furthermore, in the context which follows Daniel's description of the time of distress the prophet records that this horrible time of Israel's purging, purifying and refining (Da 12:10-note) will last not for thousands of years but for "time, times and half a time" (3.5 years) (Da 12:7-note). Given the clear similarity of the descriptions of the times of distress by Jesus (Mt 24:21-note) and Daniel (Da 12:1-note), it follows that the length of time of the Great Tribulation is also 3.5 years and not an extended period of 2000 years as posited by Blomberg (and others who hold to a 70AD position)! In sum, Blomberg is forced to interpret the Great Tribulation as occurring over an extended period of time in order to make his 70AD interpretation of Mt 24:15-22-note compatible with the Mt 24:29 description "immediately after the tribulation," a time which clearly precedes the future second coming (Mt 24:30-note). Leon Morris in the top rated Pillar NT Commentary on Matthew does not even attempt to explain the phrase "immediately after the tribulation of those days" writing that "Jesus has spoken of troubled times that will precede the end of all things, and he now goes on to speak of what will follow the distress he has earlier mentioned (Mt 24:9 and Mt 24:21). He speaks of significant celestial phenomena in language reminiscent of Old Testament passages but without specifically quoting them (e.g., Ezek. 32:7; Joel 2:10)." (The Gospel according to Matthew) Randolph Yeager has a comment on the "preteristic" commentaries (of which the preceding are just a sampling) - The attempt to show that Jesus' prophecy had its fulfillment between A.D. 33 and A.D. 70, disregards Matthew 24:29-31. None of these events took place ("immediately after") the troublous times connected with Titus' invasion and sack of Jerusalem in A.D. 70.…These drastic disturbances in the heavens will highlight the second coming of Christ.…How frantic the efforts of many commentators in dealing with this passage because they are prejudiced against a futurist view. ( The Renaissance New Testament, 18 vols. (Bowling Green, KY: Renaissance Press, 1978, vol. 3. p. 312) (Bolding added for emphasis) UNMISTAKABLE COSMIC SIGNS HERALD HIS COMING AND THE CONSUMMATION OF THE AGE The moon...the stars...powers of the heavens - To what or whom does this refer? There is some debate as to whether Jesus' words are to be interpreted literally or figuratively. It is surprising that "The terminology has generally been regarded as figurative, simply denoting political and international upheavals. But modern scientific developments have shown that the possibility the language may be a sober description of grim reality cannot be ruled out." (Hiebert) However in light of the description in Mt 24:7 of "famines and earthquakes" the effects of the moon and stars could be interpreted literally. As one writer says "When the sign of His coming is given, it will defy scientists and pseudoscientists, astronomers and astrologers, but there will be no way to misread its purpose." The powers of the heavens could be literal (meteor shower, etc) or figurative as some "suggestively hold that here, in contrast to the preceding three statements dealing with inanimate objects, the reference is to personal powers or hosts in the heavens. Then the most likely reference is to the mighty shaking effect that these events will have on the kingdom of Satan and his hosts." (Hiebert) Thomas Ice - Matthew 24:29 is not a new revelation by our Lord. Old Testament passages like Isaiah 13:9-10 and Joel 2:31; 3:15 also reference this "black out" and light show that will occur "immediately after the tribulation," in preparation for Christ's second coming as noted in Matthew 24:30. These Old Testament passages refer to the same future events that Christ describes in Matthew 24:29. In conjunction with the return of Jesus, Israel will be rescued from her tribulation by the Lord Himself (Matthew 24:31). We see the theme of rescue associated with the Lord's return reinforced from the contexts of these Old Testament passages, especially Joel 2; and Joel 3, especially Joel 2:31 and Joel 3:1-2. It is clear that our Lord has quoted part of His declaration about the sun and moon in Matthew 24:29, "But immediately after the tribulation of those days THE SUN WILL BE DARKENED, AND THE MOON WILL NOT GIVE ITS LIGHT,…" from Joel 2:31. Both are speaking of the same time and events—the time immediately following the tribulation and in conjunction with Christ's return. Thus, it is interesting to take note of Joel 3:1-2, which provides a "time text" saying that the "black out" (Joel 2:31) will occur "in those day and at that time" (Joel 3:1). In conjunction with this is described a time when the Lord will "restore the fortunes of Judah and Jerusalem" (Joel 3:1). Not judgment, but deliverance, as in Matthew 24. This event is said to be a time when the Lord "will gather all the nations" (Joel 3:1) in the valley of Jehoshaphat just north of Jerusalem. Further, it will be a time in which Israel will have been regathered from among the nations (Joel 3:2). This will be the time in which the sun and moon will be darkened. (Matthew 24:29 The Sun, Moon, and Stars) In his study notes Dr
Mateus 24:37-42
Hendriksen notes that "when the soul becomes entirely wrapped up in them, so that matters such as these become ends in themselves, and spiritual tasks are neglected, they are no longer a blessing but have become a curse. They have become evidences of gross materialism, false security, and often cold selfishness. The men of Noah's day did not in time recover their senses. They failed to realize their perilous situation until it was too late. Suddenly the cataclysm—the word used in the original—came. For them it was indeed a "washing down," which is the basic meaning of the word. The flood carried or swept them all away. Similarly sudden and disastrous for the wicked shall be the "coming" (see on verse 27) of the Son of man. For the latter concept see on 8:20, pp. 403-407. The nature of the punishment that awaits the unprepared on that day is described in 25:46." (BORROW Exposition of the Gospel According to Matthew) Eating (5176)(trogo) is not the common word for eating (phago the alternative form of esthio) but a word that speaks of eating things like fruits and nuts which require crunching with the teeth. So the idea is to gnaw, to bite, to crunch, to chew (as one would raw vegetables or fruits.) This verb which primarily signifies chewing, "lays stress upon the process of eating. It is more intensive than phago" (Vine) The imperfect tense here pictures their chewing as an ongoing activity (chewing and chewing, more interested in their temporal food than their eternal fate)! Mt 24:38 is the only use in Matthew and all other uses are by John. Four are figurative uses in the context of Jesus' description of Himself as the "Bread of life" in which He says men must "eat" His flesh (Jn 6:54, 56, 57, 58). One use describes Judas "who eats" His bread and then lifted up his heal against Jesus (Jn 13:18). Trogo is not found in the Septuagint. Liddell-Scott-Jones on trogo - gnaw, nibble, munch, esp. of herbivorous animals, as mules, rarely of dogs; of human beings in disease, of men, eat vegetables or fruit, of dessert, eat fruits, as figs, almonds, etc., of small fish as hors-d'oeuvres, later, simply eat, Henry Morris on giving in marriage. "Giving in marriage" could also be understood as "getting out of marriage." In any case, the unconcern of the world just before it was to be destroyed by the Flood will be characteristic of the world just before the coming of the Son of Man. Many other characteristics of Noah's day (immorality, demon possession, widespread corruption and violence, universal rebellion against God and His will) are being repeated in our day. UNTIL THAT DAY: THE DAY NOAH ENTERED THE ARK Until the day that Noah entered the ark - Until (expression of time) marks the point in time when the flood came and eating and marriage ceased. It marked the "point of no return" for it was at that time God's judgment fell suddenly and swiftly on the sinful world and they were all destroyed. As noted earlier in Luke's version of the Olivet Discourse he did not mention the days of Noah, but in an earlier discourse on the Kingdom of God (Luke 17:26-37+) Jesus did describe the days preceding His return as similar to the days of Noah. However in this earlier discourse Jesus also added a comparison to the days of Lot (a description not found in Matthew 24 or Mark 13. This additional description is highlighted in bold). This is a description of all who are unprepared to meet the King of kings when He returns and inaugurates His Millennial Kingdom. 26 "And just as it happened in the days of Noah, so it will be also in the days of the Son of Man (Jesus is responding to the Pharisees query "as to when the Kingdom of God was coming" Lk 17:20): 27 they were eating, they were drinking, they were marrying, they were being given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed (apollumi = not annihilation but eternal ruin - a key word of this section!) them all. 28 "It was the same as happened in the days of Lot: they were eating, they were drinking, they were buying, they were selling, they were planting, they were building; 29 but on the day that Lot went out from Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed (apollumi) them all. 30 "It will be just the same on the day that the Son of Man is revealed (apokalupto). 31 "On that day, the one who is on the housetop and whose goods are in the house must not go down to take them out; and likewise the one who is in the field must not turn back. 32 "Remember (present imperative) Lot's wife. ("Lot's wife was destroyed on the very threshold of deliverance. Her attachment to Sodom was so powerful that she delayed and looked back; she was overwhelmed by oncoming judgment, just before reaching the place of safety - Ge 19:26." - MacArthur Study Bible) 33 "Whoever seeks to keep his life will lose (apollumi) it, and whoever loses (apollumi) his life will preserve it. (A paradoxical principle repeatedly emphasized by Jesus = Mt 10:39, 16:25, Mk 8:35, Lk 9:24, 17:33, Jn 12:25) 34 "I tell you, on that night there will be two in one bed; one will be taken and the other will be left. 35 "There will be two women grinding at the same place; one will be taken and the other will be left. 36 "Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other will be left." 37 And answering they said to Him, "Where, Lord?" And He said to them, "Where the body is, there also the vultures will be gathered." (Luke 17:26-37+) John MacArthur assigns this description to the days of Daniel's Seventieth Week writing that "During the time of tribulation (Mt 24:21, 29; Rev. 7:14) immediately preceding His return, life will be much like it was immediately before two significant Old Testament judgments. The days of Noah and the days of Lot were marked first of all by indifference. The days of Noah and Lot were also two of the most wretched, vile, evil periods in human history. Wickedness was rampant. In Noah's day "the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and… every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually" (Ge 6:5). It was a time of widespread demonic activity, as demon-possessed men ravaged women Ge 6:2). Sodom in Lot's day was also marked by sexual perversion, so much so that the city's name came to refer to homosexual sin. So vile were its inhabitants that they attempted to rape the two angels sent to rescue Lot and his family from Sodom's imminent judgment (Ge 19:4-11). The days of the Tribulation under divine judgment leading up to the Lord's return will also be a time of unprecedented wickedness. Satan's puppet, the Antichrist, will rule the world. Some of the most wicked, vile, and perverted demons, who had been incarcerated in the abyss (the bottomless pit), will be released to run amuck over the earth (Rev. 9:1-11). Most significantly the Holy Spirit, who heretofore had restrained evil, will no longer do so, allowing wickedness to reach its maximum level (2Th 2:6-7). As will be the case on the day that the Son of Man is revealed, devastating judgment came suddenly and inescapably in the days of Noah and Lot. (MacArthur New Testament Commentary) Vance Havner - "And Knew Not" Jesus tells us that before the Flood people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, selling, planting, building, "and knew not until the flood came" (Matt. 24:38-39). We are told that so shall it be when Jesus returns. Despite modern sophistication the primary characteristics of that generation will be ignorance—"they knew not." Of the activities mentioned here not one is evil in itself, but when practiced without God all are worldly. This generation is utterly oblivious to the Word and will of God. Most people don't know that Jesus may come at any time and many probably wouldn't care if they did know. Preachers used to preach about selected sins and call them worldly, but those sins were only marks of the lifestyle of the times. Worse than certain popular sins is the awful ignorance of a generation that knows not the thing most worth knowing. Break into a conversation today and ask people if they are expecting Jesus to come back. That will bring a look that takes you for a nut! Indeed, most church members grow strangely silent and change the subject. We have split the atom and have walked on the moon, and we quail at the possibility of nuclear disaster, but something greater still is not deemed worthy of discussion. After listing all the technical achievements of this generation will it be written at the end of their chapter, "They knew not"? (Don't Miss Your Miracle) An Ordinary Day - Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming. —Matthew 24:42 - While exploring a museum exhibit titled "A Day in Pompeii," I was struck by the repeated theme that August 24, ad 79 began as an ordinary day. People were going about their daily business in homes, markets, and at the port of this prosperous Roman town of 20,000 people. At 8 a.m., a series of small emissions were seen coming from nearby Mount Vesuvius, followed by a violent eruption in the afternoon. In less than 24 hours, Pompeii and many of its people lay buried under a thick layer of volcanic ash. Unexpected. Jesus told His followers that He would return on a day when people were going about their business, sharing meals, and having weddings, with no idea of what was about to happen. "As the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be" (Matt. 24:37). The Lord's purpose was to urge the disciples to be watchful and prepared: "Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect" (Mt 24:44). What surprising joy it would be to welcome our Savior on this ordinary day! Perhaps today! Matthew 24:39 and they did not understand until the flood came and took them all away; so will the coming of the Son of Man be: kai ouk egnosan (3PAAI) eos elthen (3SAAI) o kataklusmos kai eren (3SAAI) apantas houtos estai (3SFMI) kai e parousia tou huiou tou anthropou Mt 13:13-15 Jdg 20:34 Pr 23:35 24:12 29:7 Isa 42:25 44:18,19 Lu 19:44 Joh 3:20 Ac 13:41 Ro 1:28 2Pe 3:5) JUST LIKE THE COMING OF THE SON OF MAN They did not understand - They will understand but only after the cataclysm (kataklusmos) has occurred… too late! Like the people of Noah's day, the generation of the Tribulation will be warned and warned and warned again. (Rev 14:6 could not be a clearer warning). Some of them will have been warned many times before the Tribulation, while the church is still on earth proclaiming the Gospel, but during the Tribulation those who have not received the love of the truth so as to be saved shall be sent a deluding influence so that they might believe what is false (the lie) (2Th 2:10,11,12). Not - The negative particle "ou" signifies absolute negation. The antediluvian world did not have a clue the flood was coming, despite the fact that Noah had been building an ark which should have given them a visual clue! Understand (1097)(ginosko) means to acquire information through some modality, as through sense perception. Ginosko involves experiential knowledge, not merely the accumulation of known facts. The lost world would have had "experiential" knowledge if they had heeded Noah's "proclamation" for Noah was a preacher of righteousness (2Pe 2:5-note) for 120 years! (Ge 6:3) The godless earth dwellers refused to take to heart what he was doing and saying. Phil Newton on they did not understand - They did not know that they were in a flood until they were in the flood! But that is how cataclysmic events happen. They just take place, most often without warning, and strike with sudden destruction. The tsunami of December 26th in the Indian Ocean region found people going about life as normal: eating, drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, talking and sleeping, laughing and crying, walking and running. The point Jesus makes is His return will come in a time when people are focused on temporal issues. They think of the mundane things of life while ignoring the warnings of God as well as His promises through the Gospel (cp 2Pe 3). While there may be persecution of Christians and opposition to the gospel, most of humanity will be going about business as usual when Christ comes on the clouds with power and great glory (Mt 24:30). (Mt 24:36-44 When Will Christ Return?) Peter describes the last days apathy regarding the return of the Son Know this first of all, that in the last days mockers will come with their mocking, following after their own lusts, and saying, "Where is the promise of His coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all continues just as it was from the beginning of creation." For when they maintain this, it escapes their notice that by the word of God the heavens existed long ago and the earth was formed out of water and by water, through which the world at that time was destroyed, being flooded with water. (2Peter 3:3-6) Until the flood came - Then they understood, but then it was too little, too late. Took them all away (142)(airo) literally refers to lifting or carrying something up or away (in this case the entire race except for Noah and his family). Luke 17:27 helps us understand "took them all away" for Jesus declared that "the flood came and destroyed (apollumi) them all." This description does not fit with the Rapture, for those who are lifted up will not be destroyed but safe forever!.
Mateus 24:37-42
Hendriksen - It is clear that once this final day arrives, every opportunity still to be saved is gone forever. The door is shut… (Hendriksen's note on Mt 25:10 =) Certain passages of Scripture are filled with pathos, with a deep feeling of tragedy. Think, for example, of 2Sa 18:33, "O my son Absalom, my son, my son, Absalom.…" So also the "never agains" at the close of the six lines of Rev 18:21-23a. And so here also: when the bridegroom comes, those who are ready enter. The others never get in, for when they arrive they discover that the door is shut. (Ed: Just like it was in Noah's day - and who shut the door? God shut the door! Woe!) Cf. Luke 13:25. (BORROW Exposition of the Gospel According to Matthew) Blomberg on taken - "taken" in Mt 24:40-41 (though a different verb in the Greek) parallels "took" of v. 39 and suggests that those taken away are taken for eternal judgment (not "raptured"), while those left behind remain with Christ. (The New American Commentary) Related Resource - Table comparing Rapture vs Second Coming Will be taken (3880) (paralambano from para = beside + lambano = appropriate, receive) means to receive alongside or to take to oneself (into close association). There are two basic ideas - to take or to receive. In this context clearly the meaning is to take with one in order to carry away. Some uses of paralambano are in a positive context (see note on Jn 14:3 below) whereas others are in a negative context (Mt 4:5, 8; Jn 19:16). Jesus uses this verb in His description of the Rapture in John 14:3 promising the disciples that "if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive (paralambano) you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also." Notice the taking conveys a sense of close fellowship and agreement associated with the receiving to Himself. Although NAS translates it as "will be taken" it is actually in the present tense (see Mt 24:41 note below by Gundry) so pictures them as in the process of being taken, a vivid description! The passive voice underlines this "taking" will not be of their strength nor of the choice but is from an external source (i.e., God's angels - Mt 13:39, 40, 41, 49).
Mateus 24:37-42
Hendriksen says be on the alert means "To be (constantly) on the alert or watchful a Greek word… which… means to live a sanctified life, in the consciousness of the coming judgment day. Spiritual and moral circumspection and forethought are required; preparedness is necessary. The watchful person has his loins girded and his lamps burning (Luke 12:35). It is in that condition that he looks forward to the coming of the Bridegroom… Note that Jesus refers to himself as "your Lord." So glorious, powerful, and clothed with authority and majesty is He; also, so condescending, so closely united with those whom He is pleased to call His own, and who are loyal to Him. Cf. Isa. 57:15. Let them therefore persevere in being vigilant. (BORROW Exposition of the Gospel According to Matthew)
Mateus 24:43-51
Hendriksen - The very word "then" indicates the connection with the immediately preceding; as if to say, "such readiness implies faithfulness."… When, along with many other interpreters, I call this story-illustration a parable, I do so with the qualification that again and again reality as it were rises to the surface, so that it is not always easy to see exactly where figurative language makes way for plain statement of fact. So masterfully and inextricably are the two interwoven. (Ibid) This question "who then" is based on the previous admonition to watch and be ready in Mt 24:42-44. Lk 24:45-51 teaches lessons of faithfulness in service to the Lord in light of His imminent return. In short, the Lord commends faithfulness and availability. Paul echoes this principle declaring "In this case, moreover, it is required of stewards that one be found trustworthy." (1Cor 4:2) Beloved, is this not a question every servant of Jesus should daily ponder = Would He find me a faithful and sensible slave if He were to return today? Phil Newton introduces his sermon on Mt 24:45-51 asking "But what do we do as we wait for Jesus Christ's return? Some believers, according to various Christian scholars, donned white robes, sold all that they owned, and waited on the mountaintop to be the first to wing their way to the returning Christ. Rather than engage the world with the gospel or exercise themselves in spiritual disciplines, they passively waited, having given up on life. As Ben Witherington III notes about Thessalonica, "Eschatological fervency had led to lethargy on the part of some" [New Testament History, 273]. Like students that start packing their books up an hour before the closing bell rings, these mistaken Christians fervently believed in the imminence of Christ's return, so much so that they folded the tent, packed their bags, and waited on the curb for the chariots of fire to swing low and take them up! Their fervency certainly was admirable but their lethargy, not! Waiting in the vocabulary of our Lord had nothing to do with passivity or lethargy or laziness or non-involvement. Waiting calls for devotion and service. The next several paragraphs in our Lord's discourse on last things focuses on the appropriate disposition and action while waiting for Christ's return. He tells us to be alert since we don't know the time of His return; to be ready for the suddenness of His coming so that we're not caught unprepared; and to be faithful in serving as a devoted slave would serve his master. It's this last action-faithful service-that we find pictured in our text. What is so clear about all of this is that being a Christian is not merely a state of being or a passive claim. Many in our day tend to think that as long as they claim to be Christians then all is well. But what Jesus shows us is much different from such a claim. Genuine Christian faith is always evidenced by faithfulness in the things Christ has entrusted to us. Faithful service must occupy us until Jesus comes again. What will Jesus find you doing when He returns? That question begs our consideration as we investigate our text." (Alert, Ready, and Faithful) (Emphasis added) A parallel passage in Mark reads (actually Mark's passage is a better parallel with Mt 25:15ff, cp Luke 12:36-38): It is like a man (a figure of Jesus) away on a journey, who upon leaving his house and putting his slaves in charge, assigning to each one his task, also commanded the doorkeeper to stay on the alert (gregoreuo). "Therefore, be on the alert (gregoreuo in the present imperative which calls for a daily lifestyle of alertness, only possibly as we daily surrender to the enabling power of the Spirit!)—for you do not know when the master of the house is coming, whether in the evening, at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or in the morning—36 in case he should come suddenly and find you asleep. "What I say to you I say to all, 'Be on the alert! (gregoreuo in the present imperative)' (Mk 13:34-37) Comment: Jesus repeats gregoreuo three times! I wonder why He does so! Do you think it is because our hearts are prone to wander, to leave the God we love (cp Rev 2:4-5)? Clearly Jesus is emphasizing our great, continual need for WATCHFULNESS! It is also interesting that Jesus refers to the doorkeeper in light of the fact that He has just stated "He is near, [right] at the door!" (Mt 24:33) Gundry says gregoreuo speaks of "readiness (which) requires staying awake, a figure of speech for alertful recognition of the events that will indicate the nearness of the Son of Man's coming, the events that will begin with the abomination of desolation (Mk 13:14, Mt 24:15)." Faithful (trustworthy)(4103)(pistos from peitho = to persuade - induce one by words to believe, have confidence) describes someone who is worthy of faith or keeps promises and is applied to God, humans, His Word, etc In this present passage the sense is that of one who i s trustworthy or dependable. The English dictionary defines trustworthy as able to be relied on as honest or truthful or able to be relied on to do or provide what is needed or right. Faithful describes someone who is, dependable, reliable and consistent. Faithful describes one who adheres firmly and devotedly to another. Faithful implies long-continued and steadfast fidelity to Whomever one is bound (in this case we are bound to Jesus - we are His slave or doulos). Do those definitions of faithful describe my walk with my Lord Jesus Christ? Alexander Maclaren said that "Faithfulness in a narrower sphere leads to a wider… the most slenderly endowed Christian has some crumb of the bread of life intrusted [sic] to him to dispense" [Expositions of Holy Scripture, vol. 7, 172, 170]. Derek Prince - Faithfulness in this life leads to promotion in the next life. This is a solemn thought. The way we conduct ourselves in this world will determine what we will be for eternity. There is no substitute for faithfulness. (Prophetic guide to the end times: facing the future without fear) Chrysostom said "Faithfulness in little things is a big thing." Oswald Chambers - The only way to wait for the Second Coming is to watch that you do what you should do, so that when he comes is a matter of indifference. It is the attitude of a child, certain that God knows what he is about. When the Lord does come, it will be as natural as breathing. God never does anything hysterical, and He never produces hysterics. As someone has well said "God has no larger field for the man who is not faithfully doing his work where he is." Vance Havner once said "Christians do not have to live; they have only to be faithful to Jesus Christ, not only until death but unto death if necessary." J I Packer - Faithfulness is our business; fruitfulness is an issue that we must be content to leave with God. Alan Redpath rightly said that "Reverent fear of God is the key to faithfulness in any situation." And I would add nothing stimulates a "reverent fear" like an attitude of expectancy of His return! (cp 1Jn 3:2, 3). The prince of preachers C H Spurgeon once said "I know of nothing which I would choose to have as the subject of my ambition for life than to be kept faithful to my God till death." And William Still wisely reminds us "It is impossible to be faithful to Jesus Christ and not incur the opposition of the world." Ivor Powell - Every wise and appreciative Master found joy in rewarding deserving servants. Thus did Jesus teach that no man can outgive God. What is conscientiously done for Him, not only supplies immediate pleasure; it also guarantees that when God assesses the value of Christian service, His rewards will be dispensed among faithful servants (see 1 Corinthians 3:11-15) (Matthew Commentary) Sensible (wise, prudent) (5429)(phronimos from phroneo = think, have a mindset related to phren = diaphragm, regarded by ancients as seat of mental and spiritual activity, came to mean mind or understanding) is an adjective which describes one who is thoughtful, sagacious or discreet. It describes the quality of one's thinking which is the result of insight and stands in opposition to moros which means foolish. The idea is that there is understanding combined with wisdom and insight. Notice that 5 of the 14 NT uses of phronimos are found in Jesus' Olivet Discourse (Mt 10:16; 24:45; 25:2, 4, 8,9). The two uses in Luke are parallel passages that refer to stewards (Lk. 12:42, 16:8). So here Jesus uses phronimos in a positive sense to refer to a servant who is skillful in managing his master's household. The English dictionary defines sensible as having, using, or showing good sense or sound judgment. A sensible person is prudent, wise in practical affairs and conducting oneself with care and thought for the future. As Spurgeon said "Now is the watchword of the wise!" Henry Alford - Prudence (sensible) in a servant can be only the consequence of faithfulness to his master. (Greek Testament Critical Exegetical Commentary) J R Miller speaks about the relationship between watching and doing - Doing how? Doing his work with fidelity. The watching that Christ wants—is not sitting at the window and looking out to see Him approach—but diligence in all duty. If a man went away, leaving a servant in charge of a certain work, fixing no time for his return—what should the servant do? Stand in the door, gazing down the road, watching to get the first glimpse of the master's return? No, that is not the kind of watching that would please his master. The way to be ready for Christ's coming, is not to sit down in idleness to wait and watch for His appearance—but to keep at one's work with unceasing diligence, so that when He comes—He may not find us in the midst of unfinished tasks, away behind with our work. There can be no better rule in life—than to make every day of life complete, to finish everything each night before retiring, so that if we should never come back to our work again, nothing would suffer. A Christian woman was told by her physician that she could not live a great while, and that she might die any hour. She did not, however, drop her work and shut herself away to prepare for death. She went on with all her usual duties, only with more earnestness and greater diligence, knowing now that the time must be short. Some people would suppose that in a case like this, one should give up all active work and spend the short and uncertain time in praying and reading the Bible; but this Christian woman's way was the better way. Long before she had made her peace with God, and all her life had lived in readiness for eternity. When the warning came that the time was growing short, she was not flustered. Thus far she had done her duty as well as she could—and all she had to do now was the work of the few remaining days and hours. This she did with love and faith, and with diligence, and when the Master came—she quietly went away home with Him. (Devotional Hours with the Bible) John Riddle - Notice the expressions, 'his lord (master)', Mt 24:45-46, 'my lord (master)', Mt 24:48, and 'the lord (master) of that servant', Mt 24:50. But there is an important difference; only the 'faithful and wise servant' recognized his lordship in practice. We too must beware: 'And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?', Luke 6:46. (Day by Day: Moments with the Master) Master (Mt 24:45, 46, 48, 50) (2962)(kurios is from kuros = authority) refers to one having legal power, one who controls his own property (owner, lord, master - Mk 12:9), one who has authority over other persons (Lk 12:43) and of course most importantly a personal title of Jesus Christ (Jn 20:18). In this parabolic illustration the "Master" is Jesus Christ. Kurios is used 19 times in 16 verses in the Olivet Discourse in Matthew (Mt 24:42, 45, 46, 48, 50; 25:11, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 26, 37, 44) Mt 24:42, Mt 25:37, 44 refer specifically to Jesus as Kurios or Lord. Newton - Jesus Christ is the master in this story. He has already set forth His kingship throughout the teaching in Matthew's Gospel, so it is not difficult at all to see Him as the Master or Lord of all. Some would consider the master's house to be the church, comprised with both faithful and evil servants. While from an external or visible sense, that certainly is the case, it seems better to consider the master's house as the world. The return of Jesus Christ-one subject of His discourse, insists on the universal knowledge of His return. The powers of the heavens are shaken, every eye sees Him, and the angels gather the elect from across the earth (24:29-31). All of the earth is affected by the return of Jesus Christ because He is the Master/Lord of all. ((Alert, Ready, and Faithful) Hendriksen on slave - Some (Lenski) are of the opinion that Jesus was thinking especially of his disciples, considered as office-bearers, and so, by extension, of all ministers and pastors of the churches to be organized during the entire new dispensation. But we cannot be certain about this. After all, the duty of faithfulness applies not only to leaders but also to followers. Doing the will of the Master and caring for those in need, whether this need be material, spiritual, or both, is certainly the task assigned to all. (Ibid) Slave (1401)(doulos from deo = to bind) was an individual bound to another in servitude and conveys the idea of the slave's close, binding ties with his master, belonging to him, obligated to and desiring to do his will and in a permanent relation of servitude. In sum, the will of the doulos is consumed in the will of the master. Recall that over one third of the Roman Empire was considered enslaved and thus Jesus' choice of this imagery makes good sense (and certainly was not offensive as it might be to modern ears!) Ivor Powell on slave - A bond slave was one who by his own volition chose to remain in the service of his master, even when at the year of liberation, he might have become a free man. To be a bond slave meant devotion both to the master and the work. The man was not working to obtain money; he worked because he loved his lord. He found happiness in his work and in the pleasure seen on the master's face. This was the type of service Jesus expected from His disciples. They were not to remain ordinary laborers; they were to be bond slaves, utterly trustworthy, and unceasingly active. (Matthew Commentary) Newton - We are slaves of Jesus Christ. If that language offends you, then consider the greatness and majesty of Jesus Christ the Lord. Those who realize that He is the eternal God, infinite in holiness, righteousness, and justice, purer than the driven snow, omnipotent in His rule, omniscient in His decrees, with no beginning and no end of days, the Creator and Ruler of the universe-those who realize this gladly own the title of slaves of Jesus Christ! As master, He is ever just in dealing with His slaves. We realize that we do not deserve to be slaves to such a worthy and good Master. We've known the reach of His mercy, the tenderness of His love, the embrace of His grace, and the satisfaction of His promises through the gospel… The "faithful and sensible slave" serves the master regardless of the delay in returning. He's not like the lazy workers that keep an eye out for the boss so that they can feign work but slough off the rest of the time. He is "faithful" to his master. His love and devotion to Jesus Christ motivate him to service. He is "sensible" as one that thinks about his master and the privileges that belong to him as a servant of the King of kings and Lord of lords. Being "sensible," he serves conscientiously, realizing that everything he does reflects devotion to Christ. Head and heart lean toward Christ in the faithful servant. Is that the disposition of your heart and the direction of your life? There's no place for laziness and lethargy among Christians. Jesus Christ has called each of us to serve. He pictures it for us in this little parable. (Alert, Ready, and Faithful) Put in charge (2525)(kathistemi from katá = down + hístēmi = to set or stand) means literally "to stand or set down". Most of the NT uses of kathistemi are figurative as in the present passage and refer to "setting someone down in office" or appointing or assigning a person to a position of authority. To put in charge or to appoint one to administer an office. To set in an elevated position. Jesus places emphasis on doing one's task at the proper time. In context (Mt 24:42-44) recall that He is admonishing the reader to keep Christ's imminent return in mind so that we might be judged faithful and wise when He does return. Newton - Christ parcels out particular areas of service for each believer. In this case, the master put his slave in charge of his household. (1) Every Christian has similar, general areas of service that all are to embrace. We are called to be lights shining in the darkness and to be ambassadors for Christ in this dark world (Matt. 5:14-16; Phil. 2:15-16; 2 Cor. 5:18-20). That is the call of Christian witness. It's something that all of us share. We may do it in different ways and through different means; but it is part-and-parcel of our Christian faith. We are also called to be people of prayer. We told to pray instead of worry, and to even pray without ceasing. We are called upon to pray for the furtherance of the gospel in the world and to pray for God's provisions in the varied needs that we face (Phil. 4:6-7; Col. 4:2-4; 1 Thess. 5:17; Eph. 6:18-20). That is the call of Christian prayer. We are also called to give with generosity and holy hilarity in order to meet pressing needs and to support the ongoing work of the gospel in the world (Luke 6:38; 2 Cor. 8-9; Phil. 4:15-20). That is the call of Christian giving. We are also called to join in fellowship with one another as Christians. We are to serve one another, bear one another's burdens, forgive each other, encourage one another, and accept one another for Christ's sake (Rom. 12:9-13; Gal. 6:1-2; Eph. 4:27; Heb. 10:28; Rom. 15:7). That is the call to Christian fellowship. Everyone can be involved and must be involved in each of these areas of Christian service. We're not going to be "cookie-cutters" at this point. We're going to approach these areas of service in different ways. But the important thing is that we engage regularly in witness, prayer, giving, and fellowship. (2) Every Christian is given particular, special areas of responsibility to serve Jesus Christ. We cannot add to Christ's worth or wealth or stature by our service. We serve because of love for Him and the desire to be a "faithful and sensible slave." The master put his slave "in charge of his household to give them their food at the proper time." That was special, particular service that would have differed from others. Someone else the master would have put in charge of the fields or the looms or the children. But this slave he singled out for feeding his household. What has Jesus Christ given you to do in His name? It may be to teach and care for children or to organize acts of mercy or to care for the poor or to go to a foreign mission field or to plant churches or to show hospitality for others or to help with worship by using musical gifts or to take care of little details that allows the church to function smoothly. Areas of service generally run along the lines of the spiritual gifts imparted graciously by the Holy Spirit. His gifts are not for self-consumption but for generous, selfless service toward others in the name of Christ. (Alert, Ready, and Faithful) Proper time (2540)(kairos) means a point of time, frequently with the implication of being especially fit for something and without emphasis on precise chronology. It means a moment which is especially appropriate or proper. When It's All Been Said and Done When It's All Been Said and Done There is just one thing that matters. Did I do my best to live for Truth? Did I live my life for You? When It's All Been Said and Done All my treasures will mean nothing. Only what I've done for love's reward, Will stand the test of time. Look for Christ's return, and you'll live for Christ's glory. Related Resources: Redeem the Time Redeem the Time (blog) Ephesians 5:16 Commentary Matthew 24:46 "Blessed is that slave whom his master finds so doing when he comes.: makarios o doulos ekeinos on elthon (AAPMSN) o kurios autou euresei (3SFAI) houtos poiounta (PAPMSA): Mt 25:34 Lk 12:37,43 Php 1:21-23 2Ti 4:6-8 2Pe 1:13-15 Rev 2:19 Rev 16:15 FAITHFUL SLAVES BLESSED AT MASTER'S RETURN Blessed (3107)(makarios from root makar, but others say from mak = large or lengthy) means to be happy, but not in the usual sense of happiness based on positive circumstances. From the Biblical perspective makarios describes the person who is free from daily cares and worries because his every breath and circumstance is in the hands of His Maker Who gives him such an assurance (such a "blessing"). One who is blessed is spiritually satisfied independent of the circumstances, not because of self-sufficiency but because of God's provision of sovereign grace. Jesus describes a most incredible blessing He will bestow on His faithful slaves - "Blessed are those slaves whom the master shall find on the alert when he comes; truly I say to you, that he will gird himself to serve, and have them recline at the table, and will come up and wait on them." (Lk 12:37) Do you understand what Jesus is saying? This remarkable statement pictures Christ, at His return, ministering as a servant to believers! Unthinkable! Amazing grace indeed! J C
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Hendriksen says so doing " so doing" shows that the proper attitude on the part of the one who awaits the master's return is active service in the interest of those whom the master has entrusted to him. When the figure is interpreted, this means that the proper spirit in which believers should eagerly await as Savior the Lord Jesus Christ (Phil 3:20) is not the feverish nervousness of certain Thessalonians (2Th. 2:1, 2; 3:6-12), nor the nauseating lukewarmness of the Laodiceans (Rev 3:14-22), but the active faithfulness of the Smyrniots (Rev 2:8-11). (Ibid) Doing (performing) (4160)(poieo) refers here to the idea of to carrying out, bringing about or accomplishing something. "Making the most of today is the best way to be ready for tomorrow." When he comes (erchomai) - Here of course a picture of Jesus' parousia. Paul's calendar had only two days—'today' and 'that day'. God says 'today'; the devil says 'tomorrow'. (Basil) Today is God's time. Tonight your soul may be required. Set your watch with heaven and not the faulty timepieces of earth. (Vance Havner) Alfred Plummer reminds us that "It is wise to cherish the hope (Ed: Not a "hope so" but a "hope sure.") that, in spite of past delay, He will now come soon (Rev 22:20-note). If that hope is allowed to perish, it will soon be supplanted by the hope that He will not come soon, or even by the wish that He may not come at all." (Ibid) Are You Ready? - Two unusual things happened as I was sitting in a restaurant having my usual breakfast of a bagel and coffee. First I read an article on the front page of the newspaper. It quoted a certain Christian author who theorized that Christ would call millions of Christians to heaven before sundown that particular day. A few minutes later, a friend walked up, sat down, and began to tell me that his life had been dramatically changed. He said that for the first time in his life he was ready to meet the Lord. This was good news, since we had often discussed his unwillingness to live in a manner consistent with his claim to be a Christian. He said he had decided that it was all or nothing. He had an amazing peace, and now he was also concerned about others. When I asked him what had happened, he told me he had read the book I had been reading about in the newspaper. He said he finally realized that whether Christ came on that day or another day, he would have to stand before the Lord eventually. To claim that Christ will come today may result in a false alarm. But to believe that Christ may come today and that we will have to answer to Him will motivate us to live for Him. By: Mart DeHaan Are you ready? When we live with expectancy, Awaiting Christ's return, Our diligent obedience Becomes our main concern. —Sper Plan as if Christ's return is many years away; live as if He will come today! Good News Or Bad? - Blessed are those servants whom the master, when he comes, will find watching. —Luke 12:37 - A teacher tells her young students, "Class, I'm going down the hall to the school office for a few minutes. I don't expect to be away long. I'm sure there won't be any trouble. I'm trusting you to work on your assignments while I'm gone." Fifteen minutes pass, then 20, then 40. Suddenly the teacher returns. Dennis has just thrown an eraser at Carol, who is doing her math. Steven is standing on the teacher's desk making faces. The students carrying out the teacher's instructions are delighted at the teacher's return, but Dennis and Steven wish she hadn't come back at all. Jesus is coming back! That stands as both a warning and a promise throughout the New Testament, as in today's reading from Luke 12. It's good news or bad, depending on who hears it. In church we sing songs like "Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus." When we partake of the Lord's Supper, we "proclaim the Lord's death till He comes" (1Corinthians 11:26). On Sunday morning, the second coming of Christ sounds like great news. But during the rest of the week, are we as ready for His return? Jesus is coming back! It may be soon. It will be sudden. Is that good news or bad? It's up to you. By: Haddon W. Robinson When Jesus comes to reward His servants, Whether it be noon or night, Faithful to Him will He find us watching, With our lamps all trimmed and bright? —Crosby Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming. —Matthew 24:42 Matthew 24:47 "Truly I say to you that he will put him in charge of all his possessions.: amen lego (1SPAI) humin hoti epi pasin tois huparchousin (PAPNPD) autou katastesei (3SFAI) auton: That: Mt 25:21,23 Da 12:3 Lu 12:37,44, Lk 19:17 Lk22:29,30 Jn 12:26 2Ti 2:12 1Pe 5:4 Rev 3:21 21:7) FAITHFUL SLAVES REWARDED WITH GREATER RESPONSIBILITY While everything Jesus says is noteworthy, whenever Jesus begins a sentence with "truly" or "amen" we should be especially alert to what He is going to say. In this context He is alluding to rewards. It is amazing enough grace that He saves us, but that He also rewards us is "crazy grace!" Present faithfulness will bring future promotion.
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Hendriksen - Jesus Himself at His glorious coming shall bestow upon all Gis faithful ones a high degree of glory and honor. Cf. Mt 25:21, 23, 34-40; Luke 19:17, 19. Does not Christ's promise also imply the assignment of certain specific tasks in the life hereafter, each task a matter of pure delight and satisfaction, and each in harmony with the individuality of the person for whom it is marked out? (Ibid) The principle Jesus teaches is that the reward of faithfulness to one's responsibility is to be entrusted with greater responsibility: Matthew 25:21, 23 "His master said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful slave; you were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things, enter into the joy of your master.'… 23 "His master said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful slave; you were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.' Luke 16:10 "He who is faithful in a very little thing is faithful also in much; and he who is unrighteous in a very little thing is unrighteous also in much. 1Tim 3:13 For those who have served well as deacons obtain for themselves a high standing and great confidence in the faith that is in Christ Jesus. Rev 2:26 'And he who overcomes, and he who keeps My deeds until the end, TO HIM I WILL GIVE AUTHORITY OVER THE NATIONS; Rev 3:21 'He who overcomes, I will grant to him to sit down with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne. Scofield on rewards - God, in the NT Scriptures, offers to the lost, salvation; and for the faithful service of the saved, He offers rewards. The passages are easily distinguished by remembering that salvation is invariably spoken of as a free gift (e.g. Jn 4:10; Ro 6:23; Eph 2:8-9), whereas rewards are earned by works (Mt 10:42; Luke 19:17; 1Cor 9:24 - 25; 2Ti 4:7-8; Rev 2:10; 22:12). A further distinction is that salvation is a present possession (Luke 7:50; Jn 3:36; 5:24; 6:47), whereas rewards are a future attainment, to be given at the rapture (2Ti 4:8; Rev 22:12). Robert Moffatt - We shall have all eternity in which to celebrate our victories, but we have only one short hour before the sunset in which to win them. Matthew 24:48 "But if that evil slave says in his heart, 'My master is not coming for a long time,': ean de eipe (3SAAS) o kakos doulos ekeinos en te kardia autou chronizei (3SPAI) mou o kurios: if: Mt 18:32 Mt 25:26 Lu 19:22 Says: Dt 9:4 Dt 15:9 2Ki 5:26 Isa 32:6 Mk 7:21 Lu 12:45 Jn 13:2 Ac 5:3 Ac 8:22 My: Eccl 8:11 Eze 12:22,27 2Pe 3:3-5) DANGER OF MISINTERPRETING MASTER'S DELAY KJV - But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; But (de) is a term of contrast - the other side of the picture! In contrast to the faithful and sensible slave, Jesus now exposes the evil slave's heart! J R Miller - While there is reward for the servant who is faithful, there is punishment for the evil servant who fails in his duty. Judgment will come upon him suddenly. (Ibid) Evil (bad) (2556)(kakos) is a word which basically denotes a lack of something so that it is "bad" or "not as it ought to be." Kakos means not meeting accepted standards of behavior, and thus worthless or inferior. Kakos then speaks of lack of goodness, of a bad nature. Empty professions are shown by evil conduct!
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Hendriksen - A hypocrite he was indeed, for he had accepted and then betrayed the confidence which his master had placed in him. When he was appointed, he had done nothing to disabuse his superior of the idea, "This man will be a faithful and sensible household manager." Yet he had proved to be the very opposite. (Ibid) John MacArthur makes an interesting observation regarding this section noting "The fact that such persons will be assigned along with the hypocrites suggests that they were not hypocrites. Just as today, many people in the end time will be open and honest about their unbelief, even wearing such honesty as a badge of intellectual and moral integrity. But honest unbelievers are just as lost as hypocrites who pretend to have faith. They will go to the same place as the religious phonies they feel superior to and despise." (Ibid) TOMORROW, TOMORROW I'LL LOVE YA TOMORROW YOU'RE ONLY A DAY AWAY! --from the musical Annie William Barclay tells a story illustrating the danger of spiritual procrastination, neglecting the truth that Jesus might be only a day away! There is a fable which tells of three apprentice devils who were coming to this earth to finish their apprenticeship. They were talking to Satan, the chief of the devils, about their plans to tempt and ruin men. The first said, "I will tell them there is no God." Satan said, "That will not delude many, for they know that there is a God." The second said, "I will tell men there is no hell." Satan answered, "You will deceive no one that way; men know even now that there is a hell for sin." The third said, "I will tell men there is no hurry." "Go," said Satan, "and you will ruin them by the thousand." The most dangerous of all delusions is that there is plenty of time. The most dangerous day in a man's life is when he learns that there is such a word as tomorrow. There are things which must not be put off, for no man knows if for him tomorrow will ever come. (Matthew 24 Commentary - Daily Study Bible) (Read also 2Cor 6:1-2) Comment: "And working together with Him, we also urge you not to receive the grace of God in vain- for He says, "AT THE ACCEPTABLE TIME I LISTENED TO YOU, AND ON THE DAY OF SALVATION I HELPED YOU"; behold, now is "THE ACCEPTABLE TIME," behold, now is "THE DAY OF SALVATION" (2Cor 6:1-2) Don't put off today what you cannot do tomorrow! Tomorrow may be one day too late! Hypocrites (5273) ( hupokrites from hupó = under, indicating secrecy + krino = to judge) describes one who acts pretentiously, a counterfeit, a man who assumes and speaks or acts under a feigned character. The primary meaning of this word in ancient Greek was "one who answers" and then, "a stage-actor"; it was a custom for Greek and Roman actors to speak in large masks with mechanical devices for augmenting the force of the voice; hence the word became used metaphorically of "a dissembler, a hypocrite." It is found only in the Synoptists, and always used by the Lord, fifteen times in Matthew. A hypocrite, one who acts pretentiously, a counterfeit, a man who assumes and speaks or acts under a feigned character. David Turner - Banishment with the hypocrites alludes to the most heinous sin in Matthew (cf. Matt. 6:2, 5, 16; 7:5; 15:7; 22:18; 23:13, 23, 25, 27, 29). (Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament) Will Durant - The actor - who is always a male - is not disdained as in Rome, but is much honored; he is exempt from military service, and is allowed safe passage through the lines in time of war. He is called hypocrites, but this word means answerer - i.e., to the chorus; only later will the actor's role as an impersonator lead to the use of the word as meaning hypocrite. (The Story of Civilization II, The Life of Greece, by Will Durant, page 380) In that place - What place? In context this refers to hell. Christopher
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Hendriksen on weeping - As to this weeping: it is not here a shedding of tears because of true sorrow for the sins one has committed (Mt. 26:75; Mk 14:72; Lk 7:38; cf. 2Chr. 34:27), or for transgressions by means of which others have dishonored God (Ps 119:136; 2Cor 2:4; Phil. 3:18). Nor does it occur because of impending separation from dear ones (Acts 20:37, 38), or because of being the object of unjust treatment by other people (1Sa 1:7, 8). It is not a result of wounded pride because of not getting one's way (1Ki 21:5-7). The present weeping is not brought about by temporal calamity (Ge 27:38; Lam 1:16), by bereavement (Dt. 34:8; 2Sa 1:17 ff.; Mt 2:18), or by deep yearning and sympathy (Ge 21:16, 17; 43:30). As far as God's people are concerned, there will come a day when every tear will have been wiped away (Isa 65:19; Rev 7:17; 18:15, 19). The tears of which Jesus speaks… are those of inconsolable, never-ending wretchedness, and utter, everlasting hopelessness. The accompanying grinding or gnashing of teeth (cf. Mt 13:42, 50; 22:13; 24:51; 25:30; Luke 13:28-note) denotes excruciating pain and frenzied anger. This grinding of teeth, too, will never come to an end or cease (Da 12:2; Mt. 3:12; 18:8; 25:46; Mk 9:43, 48; Lk 3:17; Jude 1:6, 7; and Rev. 14:9-11). (Ibid) Thomas Brooks - Could every damned sinner weep a whole ocean, yet all those oceans together would never extinguish one spark of eternal fire. John Blanchard - It is never true to say that something 'hurts like hell'; nothing hurts like hell… When that intensity of anguish is added to a greater grief than has ever consumed any human being on earth, this single description by Jesus of what it will mean to be in hell should make any sensible person tremble at even the possibility that this might be his or her experience beyond the grave. (Whatever Happened to Hell?) Christopher Morgan on the weeping and gnashing of teeth - this suffering is conscious. If hell did not consist of conscious suffering, it would be hard to see how it could in any meaningful sense be worse than death, be worse than earthly suffering, be filled with weeping and gnashing of teeth, or be a place of misery. These images communicate that people in hell will be aware that they are suffering just punishment. (What Is Hell?) Weeping (2805) (klauthmos from klaio = to weep or bewail) is a noun which describes a strong inner emotion which is evoked in weeping, crying, lamentation (cries of grief, the act of bewailing as an expression of sorrow). Klauthmos in the Lxx describes Joseph's weeping over his brothers (Ge 45:2, 46:29) Someone made the sobering observation that "Hell is a place of conscious sorrow for the unconscious would not weep." The Psalmist writes… Psalm 112:10 The wicked will see it (Ps 112:9) and be vexed, He will gnash his teeth and melt away. The desire of the wicked will perish.