SUMMARY OF MATTHEW 24:1-14
After pronouncing the Seven Woes on the Pharisees, Jesus exits the temple and tells his disciples that the temple will be destroyed. When Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples asked him when will the temple be destroyed, what will be the sign of his coming, and what will be the sign of the end of the age. Jesus warns them to watch out for those who come in his name but are not him. Wars will happen, and nations will be pitted against nations. There will be famines and earthquakes.
They will be handed over, persecuted, and put to death because of him. They will be hated. Many will turn away from Christ and many false prophets will appear. Those who stand firm in the face of wickedness will be saved. The Gospel will be preached to the whole world and then the end will come.
BSF Study Questions Matthew Lesson 24, Day 2: Matthew 24:1-14
3a) “Not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down.”
b) The disciples asked Jesus when will the temple be destroyed, what will be the sign of his coming, and what will be the sign of the end of the age.
4a) “Watch out that no one deceives you.” God sent Jesus, but the false prophets are from the devil. He is a liar.
b) Jesus warns them to watch out for those who come in his name but are not him. Wars will happen, and nations will be pitted against nations and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes. They (the disciples) will be handed over, persecuted, and put to death because of him. They will be hated. Many will turn away from Christ and many false prophets will appear.
c) All of them: wars, nations against each other, famines, earthquakes, death, false prophets, and those turning from Christ.
5) Christ is coming, and it could be any time, so we need to be ready by preparing our hearts.
Conclusions BSF Study Questions Matthew Lesson 24, Day 2: Matthew 24:1-14
I like how Jesus doesn’t hold anything back, nor does he sugarcoat what is about to happen to him and to them. Honesty is always the best policy.
End Notes BSF Study Questions Matthew Lesson 24, Day 2: Matthew 24:1-14
Jesus never again returns to the temple, nor will he ever debate the Pharisees and leaders again. He is departing in finality.
The temple was the center of life for every Jew in Jerusalem. It was begun by Zerubbabel and Ezra (Ezra 6:15) and expanded by Herod. People swore by it (Matthew 23:16), and speaking against is was considered blasphemy. (Acts 6:13). Incredibly, the temple was expanded and finished in 63 AD — a mere 7 years before it would be destroyed forever.
The temple was burned in 70 AD, melting all of the precious gold. The Romans wanted the gold, so they dismantled the entire temple to retrieve it.
The Olivet Discourse
Jesus has made his way to the Mount of Olives now. The disciples want to know more about Jesus’s prediction. They most likely thought the End Times would be when the temple fell. They were wrong.
Bible scholars debate why Jesus was not clear here and just told the disciples (and us) when the End Times would come. Some speculate it’s to confound the devil; others say it’s so we will always be ready for Jesus’s return. All we know is that he will return.
Biblical prophecy often contains a near-term event coupled with one that is further away.
Satan is the father of lies, and he will be very active at the End Times. False prophets will appear, too.
Jesus mentions things that will occur (wars, famines, earthquakes, etc), but they are not THE sign of the End Times, but they are a sign of the End Times coming.
Jesus now talks about the period after he ascends to heaven but before he comes again. Here:
- The disciples will be persecuted
- There will be many false prophets who will deceive many
- Wickedness will continue to increase in the world
- Natural disasters, famines, and earthquakes (signs of God’s judgment) will intensify
- The Gospel will be preached to the entire world. Nothing will prevent the Word of God from being known before the End Times
Jesus’s disciples don’t even fully understand Jesus’s first coming, so they must be insanely confused here.
Fun Fact: The Olivet Discourse is Jesus’s last major teaching recorded before his death.
Learn more about the Olivet Discourse HERE