“As Jesus sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of Thy coming, and of the end of the world?”

Matthew 24:3

My last blogpost looked at Jesus’ teaching on the current and future character of His kingdom on Earth. Jesus was answering His disciples’ questions in Mat 24:3.

The disciples possibly thought that they had asked one question. Modern commentators and preachers recognise that Jesus answered two questions – but how many notice that Jesus treats it as three questions?

The disciples had unwittingly asked “three questions in one”. Jesus answered their more obvious questions in Mat 24 with plain speech, but He continues to develop His answer using parables, which begin at Mat 24:45 and continue into Mat 25.

Jesus answered the first question about the destruction of the Jerusalem temple Mat 24:2-3, which took place in 70AD.

Why do New Testament scholars and television documentaries keep repeating their erroneous and unsubstantiated view that the early disciples believed that Christ might return “at any moment” when He had plainly told them that this would not be so? and so did the apostle Paul 2Th 2:1-4. This erroneous opinion is likely to be an example of copying each other through their fear of breaking with the “academic” consensus.

Another lesson to notice from Jesus’ answers to the multiple questions here is that the fulfilment in 70AD of His earlier prophecy sustantiates the fulfilment of the following, longer timescale prophecies.

The next two questions are often rolled into one by preachers and commentators.  Jesus does not. He treats them separately.

Question 2

In Mat 24:25-44 Jesus answers the second question, about the sign of His coming.

Six times in this chapter, Jesus speaks about “the coming of the Son of man” Mat 24:13,27,30,37,39,44. 

The “Son of man” is a title relating to Jesus’  Messianic work as Saviour rather than as Judge.

This is not His coming at the end of the world but His Millennial Advent in fulfilment of the prayer He taught His church: “Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on Earth, as it is in heaven” Mat 6:10 and Lk 11:2.

Jesus’ full answer explains His spiritual coming using the parables in Mat 25:1-13 and Mat 25:14-30 when He shall effect a radical change in earthly affairs from His throne in heaven Ps 110:1.

Question 3

The third question is clearly about the end of the world Mat 24:3, to which Jesus refers in Mat 25:31-46

It is a mistake to roll these latter two questions into one, or the first two into one, and to fail to notice the spiritual nature of Jesus’ Millennial Advent.

These distinctions are seen throughout Scripture.  The concluding chapters of the book of Daniel and Daniel 12:13 in particular show it.  John Owen‘s notable sermon on this text, at the funeral of Oliver Cromwell’s son-in-law, interprets the two “ends” in this text as the biblical Millennium and the end of the world.  Owen does not use the word Millennium here but he describes the biblical Millennium as “the accomplishment of the great visions which [Daniel] had received, in breaking the kingdoms of the world, and setting up the kingdom of the Holy One of God”.

The Old Testament prophecies consistently point to the biblical Millennium, and Jesus and the New Testament develop it more fully for us, but it is misunderstand and even denied by many.

Mat 24 is a very significant chapter that has led to many different views about the future of the Christian church.  These differences arise from a failure to consider adequately these questions. Answers should begin by considering the question(s)!