Prologue
The stressful events of the past year that are affecting all of us no matter where we might be living in this world have impressed upon me with the urgent need to take an in-depth, biblical, godly look at the message our Savior Jesus Christ revealed to us through the Apostle John in the book of Revelation.
This final book of the Bible provides us with vital information that we need to know and understand concerning the end of this age that seems to be rapidly approaching. We will introduce this subject, however, by reviewing the words of Jesus recorded in the gospel of Matthew, chapter 24.
Jesus’ disciples had questioned Him in response to His telling them about the coming destruction of the temple. The men were on the Mount of Olives, and the glorious temple stood just a short distance to the west of them across the Kidron Valley. Jesus’ words are recorded in Matthew 24, and they will prepare us for our study of the book of Revelation, the last book of the Bible, which foretells Jesus’ final unveiling that will culminate with His promised Second Coming to this very same location on the Mount of Olives (Acts 1:6-11). It was these final things about which the disciples were inquiring of Jesus.
In Adventist theology the teaching concerning the end times generates fear because none of us who believed the words of Ellen G. White could know if we would be ready and able to stand alone without the Holy Spirit. According to the prophetess, we believed we would have to withstand what is prophesied in Revelation without the presence of an intercessor.
I remember my great peace and joy when I finally learned and understood that nothing could separate me from the love of God because I was eternally foreknown, sealed and secure in the kingdom of God. Jesus’ gift in the indwelling Holy Spirit will never be withdrawn from me or from any of the other of the saints of God. Romans 8:35–39 assures us:
Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written,
“For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.”
No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord (Rom. 8:35-39).
In addition to having the Lord assure us that nothing can separate us from His love, we have to know how we can recognize God’s words to us. Do we listen to people claiming a prophetic gift? How can we know what God Himself is saying?
There have always been false prophets, and Jesus said many false prophets would arise (Mt. 24:11). It is important, therefore, to know that in these “last days” God only speaks to us “by his Son”:
Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world (Heb. 1:1-2).
In other words, what we can know and how we must prepare for the end times comes only from the Bible.
Destruction of the temple
Matthew 24:1 gives the account of Jesus leaving the temple grounds when one of his disciples said, “Look, Teacher, what wonderful stones and what wonderful buildings!” Jesus responds by saying in verse 2, “You see all these, do you not? Truly, I say to you, there will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.”
History (Flavius Josephus, Jewish historian) tells us the Jews rebelled against Roman rule in 66AD, an uprising which led to the destruction of Jerusalem including what is known as the Second Temple in 70 AD. This rebellion was led by Titus, the son of the then-current Roman emperor. This event fulfilled Jesus’ prophetic warning about the destruction of the temple. What Jesus did not say is that the holy place of the Second Temple would be defiled when it was destroyed. He simply said; “…there will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.” We need to remember this fact when we begin our study of the book of Revelation.
However, knowing what did happen to the Second Temple should alert us to pay close attention to the rest of what Jesus has to say in the remainder of this chapter (along with chapter 25) without adding to what Scripture says.
Signs of the End of the Age
In Matthew 24:3 the disciples ask; “Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?”
1. Many will come in my name (vs. 4-5)
And Jesus answered them, “See that no one leads you astray. For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and they will lead many astray.”
This warning confronts us with Ellen G. White’s claim that she and her writings are the “spirit of prophecy”. We will see in Revelation that the spirit of prophecy is the testimony of Jesus (Rev. 19:10), and while EGW did not say she was Jesus, she claimed to be His mouthpiece. She thus falsely assumed the role that belongs to Jesus Christ alone, binding the consciences of her followers with her words and saying they were from Jesus. This false claim is equivalent to claiming the role of Christ, the very thing Jesus warns Christians not to believe.
Also, contrary to what some so-called evangelists are teaching, our Savior makes it clear that we are to understand the things that lead to the end of this age. Therefore, when we come to the book of Revelation, we are encouraged to understand Scripture well enough to avoid being led astray by the author of all lies, Satan. Yes, Revelation certainly is a challenging book to grasp and understand, but it can be done. However, without having been born-again through the shed blood of Jesus Christ who is both our Savior and Lord, and without being indwelt by his gift of the Holy Spirit, this understanding would be essentially impossible.
This is a promise Jesus first gave to the disciples. It applies to all who are truly Christians, and Jesus always keeps His promises:
When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come (John 16:13).
It cannot be stressed enough that it is through the indwelling Holy Spirit that we mature and gain an understanding of what Jesus unveils in the book of Revelation.
2. The beginning of birth pains (vs. 6-8)
There will be wars and rumors of wars along with famines and earthquakes. All these things are but the beginning of “the birth pains”. Jesus compares this time of increasing wars and natural disasters to the intense pains of a woman giving birth. Yet this metaphor assures us that the end time tribulation will culminate in a similar way to the culmination of childbirth: with eternal joy for those sealed in the kingdom of God.
3. Tribulation to the end (vs. 9-14)
- There will be tribulation that leads to death.
- Christians will be hated by all nations.
- Many will fall away and betray one another.
- False prophets will arise and lead many astray.
- Lawlessness will abound.
- The love (agape) of many will grow cold.
- Those who endure to the end will be saved.
- The gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world. (Notice that the biblical gospel of God’s kingdom does not include the Adventist health message being the “right-hand of the gospel”).
- Then the end will come.
And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come (vs. 14).
The progression of Matthew 24 leads us to ask ourselves, what is the “gospel of the kingdom”? How does a sinner enter into the kingdom of God?
We learn the answers to these questions from Jesus and His apostles. First, Jesus tells us who will see and be in the kingdom of God in John 3:1-8 as He is talking to a Pharisee named Nicodemus:
Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3).
We learn more about what being born again means in Acts 16: 27-34. The Philippian jailer who asks Paul and Silas; “What must I do to be saved” (and be in the kingdom of God)? He is told:
And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household” (Acts 16:31).
The Apostle Paul tells us exactly what “belief” includes in 1 Corinthians 15:1-6. In this passage he outlines the gospel that we must believe in order to be saved: that Christ died for our sins according to Scripture, that He was buried, and that He was raised from the dead three days later according to Scripture. Even more, in Galatians 1:1-9 Paul teaches that there is only one gospel and places a curse upon anyone who preaches any other gospel because there is none other.
In other words, those who are in the kingdom of God have their sins eternally covered by the blood Jesus shed at Calvary. There is no other way to be saved; there is no other gospel but this.
The salvation of sinners is totally a work of Jesus Christ. It does not include any work of our own. Our response to the gospel message is simply “to believe”. The result is that Jesus becomes our Lord and Savior:
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God (John 3:16-18).
4. When the abomination of desolation stands in the holy place (vs. 15-28)
“So when you see the abomination of desolation spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand), then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains” (vs. 15-16).
It is important to understand what Jesus is saying concerning when the abomination of desolation will be standing in the holy place, because when this event happens, it is time for those living in Judea to flee to the mountains.
Though the prophecy recorded by Daniel (Dan. 8:9-14) had a limited fulfillment when the Second Temple was defiled much earlier by Antiochus Epiphanes, leading to the Maccabean Revolt and the cleansing of the temple, in Matthew Jesus is proclaiming a future fulfillment that is part of what he reveals to us in the book of Revelation.
I acknowledge that there are differences in the ways that committed Christians understand this prophecy. Yet the actual words in Daniel and Matthew and Revelation do connect with each other, and I will explain my understanding here.
At the end of Daniel’s book, the prophet has another vision where he again mentions the defilement of the temple. In Daniel 11:31 he again hears about the sanctuary being desecrated, and in 12:5-12 he hears the angels giving him a time frame for the events he has seen. Daniel is told:
I heard, but I did not understand. Then I said, “O my lord, what shall be the outcome of these things?” He said, “Go your way, Daniel, for the words are shut up and sealed until the time of the end” (Dan. 12:8-9).
Contrary to what some believe, including Ellen G. White, the coming defilement mentioned by Jesus is not about the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 AD. The Jewish historian Josephus was an eye witness to the destruction of the city of Jerusalem, including the existing temple. Josephus makes no mention of the holy place having been defiled, yet he provides details that perfectly confirm Jesus’ prophecy in Matthew 24 of the temple’s destruction. It should also be understood that when the Jews revolted in 66 AD, their reason for doing so had nothing to do with the holy place having been defiled as had been the case with the revolt of the Maccabees.
Significantly, on page 26.1 of The Great Controversy (1888 ed.), Ellen G. White claims that the abomination of desolation defiled the temple when it was destroyed in 70 AD by the Romans. Clearly she ignored—or simply did not know the real history of its destruction. A true prophet of God would not say something that is not true.
Jesus warns in Matthew 24, however, of a coming abomination of desolation in the temple as prophesied by Daniel. Since there was no record of the Romans defiling the holy of holies in the temple in Jerusalem before utterly destroying it—and since the context is the time of the end, Jesus seems to be referring to a different temple—one that would be built after 70 AD. If so, such a building could be the temple proclaimed in the book of Ezekiel chapters 40 through 48. For now it is politically impossible to build such a temple. However, this temple will be built as prophesied, because God’s word cannot fail, but it will be built only through the will, timing, and power of God. When it is built (and then becomes defiled by the abomination of desolation) that event would signal a very important sign of the coming end of this age, if we understand Jesus’ words literally.
I admit that there are unanswered questions regarding the temple in Matthew 24 being the temple mentioned in Ezekiel, but there are also some reasons to consider these two prophecies together. Whatever the case, however, we will recognize the fulfillment of Jesus’ words when they occur; He has given us enough detail that we will know when it happens.
When the abomination of desolation occurs in the temple, the count-down to the return of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ of which Jesus Himself spoke begins:
- (v. 15-16) It is time for those in Judea to flee to the mountains.
- (v. 17-18) Flee without taking what is in your home. Simply stop what you are doing and depart in haste.
- (v. 19) Alas for women who are pregnant or nursing infants.
- (v. 20) Pray that it not be on the Sabbath.
- (v. 21) There will be a great tribulation, greater than ever before, but there will never be another.
- (v. 22) The tribulation is cut short, otherwise none would be saved.
- (v. 23-26) False Christs and false prophets attempt to lead all astray…if possible even the elect.
- (v. 27) As the lightning comes from the east to the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.
- (v. 28) Wherever there is a corpse the vultures will gather.
- (v. 29) The sun will darkened, the moon has no light, the stars fall, and the heavens will be shaken.
Importantly, in verse 29 Jesus gives us signs that will only happen at the end of the tribulation. Therefore, these signs are not and have nothing to do with what failed to happen on October 22, 1844. Both William Miller and Ellen G. White preached something false. Jesus declared what would immediately follow those signs:
Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other (vs. 30-31).
Three Assurances
Jesus now gives us three assurances that these coming events leading up to his return are true.
“From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts out its leaves, you know that summer is near. So also, when you see all these things, you know that he is near, at the very gates. Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away…” (vs. 32-35).
- The budding of the fig tree is assurance that summer is near
Jesus refers to his listener’s understanding of agriculture to make His point about events and timing. He reminds them in verse 32 that when the figs trees begin to grow new leaves, they know summer is near. In that same way, He tells them, the events He lists in this discourse reveal that His coming is at the door.
Many people also believe that Jesus’ reference to the barren fig tree putting out leaves was a prophecy of when Israel must again became a nation. What appeared to be non-existent suddenly sprang into existence in 1948. Not until then did it seem possible that many of the Old Testament prophecies about Israel might still be fulfilled. The establishment of Israel makes it possible for the rebuilding of the temple to occur one day, as well as for the abomination of desolation to eventually defile it.
Jesus also says that when these things happen, people are to know that “He is near, at the very gates.” The Greek word underlying “gates” is thyrais and means literally “the doors”. The root of this word is the same as the word translated “door” in James 5:9 where the writer counsels believers not to grumble against one another because “the Judge is standing at the door.” It also has the same root as the word translated “door” in Revelation 3:20 where Jesus says if anyone hears His voice and opens the door, He will come in and eat with Him. In other words, Jesus is indicating that when these signs occur, His coming is imminent; it is as close as just outside one’s door.
In the context of Jesus’ words in Matthew 24, it is possible also to understand Him to be saying that when all these things occur, those in Jerusalem should know the Lord is even at the entrance gates to their city.
2. This generation will not pass away
There is some debate concerning the meaning of “generation” in the phrase, “this generation will not pass away until all these things take place.” According to Strong’s Concordance (Greek #1074) the word can mean: “age, nation, generation or time”. Jesus also used this same word, “generation”, in Matthew 23:36, so we will turn there for a broader understanding:
…Therefore I send you prophets and wise men and scribes, some of whom you will kill and crucify, and some you will flog in your synagogues and persecute from town to town, so that on you may come all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah the son of Barachiah, whom you murdered between the sanctuary and the altar. Truly, I say to you, all these things will come upon this generation… (Matt. 23:34-36)
Obviously the scribes, Pharisees, and hypocrites weren’t personally guilty of the blood of the righteous all the way back to Abel. Instead, it is possible that Jesus was referring to the nation of Israel when he said “this generation”. In fact, this understanding of “generation” is consistent with Matthew 23:34–36 and also with the parallel passages in Mark 13:30 and Luke 21:32.
3. Heaven and earth will pass away but Jesus’ words will never pass away
Finally, in the third assurance in this passage, the elect who live through these end time events are promised that this terrible tribulation will end with His return. Heaven and earth, Jesus said, will pass away, but His words will never pass away. Jesus’ words are eternal, and what He says cannot fail to happen exactly as He said it would.
No matter how terrifying and destructive the coming tribulation will be for those who live through it, Jesus will save His elect, and His words cannot fail. This promise is the anchor that His disciples and all who believe in Him carry with them throughout their lives into eternity.
Only the Father knows the day and the hour
“…But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only… (vs. 36)
In this verse Jesus delivers the sentence that condemns the Millerite movement from its beginning. Not only was William Miller in error as he set dates for Jesus’ return, but the founding Adventists shared the guilt of date-setting. In spite of the fact that they claim the Seventh-day Adventist organization did not yet exist when Miller set his date of October 22, 1844, thus hoping to exonerate themselves from the sin of date-setting, they did accept Miller’s date as “biblical” and insisted that Miller simply had the event, not the date, wrong.
Because they accepted Miller’s convoluted explanations for establishing a date, the founding Adventists invented their heretical investigative judgment and teach it began on the day that Jesus did not return. They say He entered the Most Holy Place in heaven on October 22, 1844, and began a fictional judgment of believers on that day. This doctrine is Adventism’s central pillar on which all the rest of their theology is based.
Jesus, however, made it clear in Matthew 24:36 that no one but the Father knows the day or the hour of His return. Had Miller and the early Adventists simply read and believed the plain words of Jesus, they could have avoided nearly two centuries-worth of teaching a false gospel which has entangled millions of people in a deadly deception.
Jesus gave six insights for understanding how to be ready for His return:
- (v. 37) The return of the Lord will be as in the days of Noah.
- (v. 38) People will be eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage just as they were “the day Noah entered the ark”.
- (v. 39) They are unaware until they are swept all away.
- (s. 40-41) Two men are in the field with one left behind. Two women will be grinding at the mill with one left behind.
- (v. 42) Therefore stay awake because you do not know the day your Lord is coming.
- (v. 43-44) You must be ready because the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.
Those who are looking for the return of the Lord are to stay awake and be ready. Life will appear to be going along as usual, but just as the flood descended on unsuspecting people, Jesus’ return will also come without warning.
The faithful servant vs. the wicked servant
Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom his master has set over his household, to give them their food at the proper time? Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes. Truly, I say to you, he will set him over all his possessions (vs. 45-47).
God promises a blessing for the faithful and wise servant who has been watching over his household, doing the work the Master gave him to do, no matter what unexpected turmoil comes.
But if that wicked servant says to himself, “My master is delayed,” and begins to beat his fellow servants and eats and drinks with drunkards, the master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know and will cut him in pieces and put him with the hypocrites. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth (vs. 48-51).
The wicked servant, in contrast with the faithful servant who feeds his household for the Master, eats and drinks with drunkards and beats his fellow servants. When the Master returns (and his return will be unexpected), he will cut the wicked servant in pieces and place them with the hypocrites.
Summary
As we look at Matthew 24, we can take with us eight important points:
- The fulfillment of the destruction of the temple in 70 AD exactly as Jesus said it would be destroyed confirms Jesus’ words as our only source for truth.
- When the rebuilt temple is defiled by the coming abomination of desolation, it is time for those living in Jerusalem to flee to the mountains.
- In this age we are living in we are warned that there will be many false prophets and false Christs.
- There will be a coming tribulation as has never happened before, but it will be cut short.
- It is important for God’s elect to study Scripture under the leading of the Holy Spirit so that they are prepared for the tribulation that precedes Jesus’ promised return.
- When our Savior returns he will come in the clouds at a time where every eye will see him.
- His return will be on a day and hour none will expect.
- Therefore, the elect are to stay awake and be ready, watching over God’s household.
However when the events of the end of the age are finally realized, we have enough details from our Lord Jesus so that, as things happen, we can know that He is in control. He will keep us safe in Him. He has given us enough information to keep us stable, and we can watch world events unfold and know that the Lord is on schedule. He will return, and He will be exactly on time! †
All biblical quotes taken from the ESV.
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