August 19, 2024
In the first half of Matthew 24, Jesus predicted the destruction of the Jewish temple and told of the tribulation that would come upon the people of Judea when the Romans would destroy the temple and the city of Jerusalem (Matthew 24:21–22).
Jesus then proceeded to instruct His disciples about His future return, saying, “As the lightning comes from the east and shines as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man” (Matthew 24:27). This verse makes it clear that His return would not be a secret event; rather, the coming of the Son of Man will be as clear as a flash of lighting which lights up the sky, and everyone will see it.
Jesus went on to say, “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 heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken” (Matthew 24:29).
Jesus’ words in this verse are closely modeled in this (and other) Old Testament passages. “Behold, the day of the LORD comes, cruel, with wrath and fierce anger, to make the land a desolation and to destroy its sinners from it. For the stars of the heavens and their constellations will not give their light; the sun will be dark at its rising, and the moon will not shed its light” (Isaiah 13:9–10).
Jesus proceeds to say, “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” (Matthew 24:30).
Matthew’s Gospel notes the effect that the Son of Man’s coming will have on the people of the earth—they will mourn. His return will not be met with joy by all. People will recognize that Jesus’ return changes everything and will put an end to life as they have known it. His return will be different from the first time He came to earth when He was born as a child. This time, He will come with power and great glory, a phrase which refers to the majestic appearance of a king.
“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” (Matthew 24:31). The appearance of the King brings about the gathering together of those who are His, those who have received Him and believed in Him. The gathering of his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other, makes the point that no believer will be left behind, none will be missing.
The sending of His angels with a loud trumpet is also mentioned by the apostle Paul: “Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed” (1 Corinthians 15:51–52).
Jesus goes on to say, “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” (Matthew 24:32–33). As the appearance of the fig tree’s new shoots is indicative of the coming of summer, in like manner, when believers see the events Jesus has spoken of make their appearance, such as those described in verse 29, they are to understand that His return is near.
“Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place” (Matthew 24:34). While a variety of interpretations have been made by Bible commentators as to who “this generation” is, it is clear that Jesus is referring here to the generation that will be alive at the time of His return.
“Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away” (Matthew 24:35). While heaven and earth have lasted through the lifetimes of generation after generation, they will eventually pass away; but, in contrast, Jesus’ words will last forever. What He has said will be fulfilled with all certainty.
Jesus went on to say, “Concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only” (Matthew 24:36). Throughout history there have been many predictions of when Jesus was going to return. None of them proved to be true, which makes perfect sense, since Jesus made it clear that the time of His return is unknown to anyone but the Father. Some may wonder how Jesus couldn’t know the day nor hour when heaven and earth will pass away when He, like the Father, is God. This is a mystery that has to do with the inner workings of the Trinity, which is beyond our knowing (Isaiah 55:8–9).
Jesus continues in Matthew 24 to say, “As were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man” (Matthew 24:37–39).
We are told here that Jesus’ return will be sudden and without warning. Those who are alive when it happens will be carrying on with the normal affairs of daily life. “Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and one left. Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one left” (Matthew 24:40–41).
These examples of people going about their daily lives and work at the time of Jesus’ return express the importance of being ready. In both examples there is a division, a separation, between the people. Those who have made the choice to believe in Christ will be with Him forever, while those who make the conscious decision to reject Him and to live without God will find that their choice will be respected, resulting in their permanent separation from Him.
“Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming” (Matthew 24:42). As it is certain that Jesus will return, He calls His followers to live in a state of constant readiness for that time, whenever it may be. “Know this, that if the master of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into” (Matthew 24:43).
This illustration is used throughout the New Testament to make it clear that Jesus will return unexpectedly and that believers—including present-day Christians—should live in a state of readiness. The Apostle Paul, for example, wrote: “You yourselves are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. … But you are not in darkness, brothers, for that day to surprise you like a thief” (1 Thessalonians 5:2–4).
Jesus continued with “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” (Matthew 24:45–47).
Jesus turns from the topic of watchfulness to tell the parable of the faithful and wise servant. In a household with numerous servants, one of them is placed in a position of responsibility by the householder to, among other things, ensure that his household is fed. This servant does his job diligently. He doesn’t know when the householder is going to return, but that doesn’t matter to him; he is focused on being faithful in his work. When the master returns, the servant will be blessed, and the master will reward him by putting him in charge of all that he owns.
The reward for faithful service is the opportunity of serving in a position of even greater responsibility, which is then contrasted to the wicked servant. “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 …” (Matthew 24:48–49).
There is another possible outcome, as Jesus pointed out by presenting a hypothetical case of that wicked servant. This servant lacks the moral strength of the first servant. With the master away, he knows that he will not have to answer to anyone for some time, and he sees it as an opportunity to be selfishly irresponsible. His true character is exposed, as he uses his temporary authority to beat his fellow servants, and eat and drink 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” (Matthew 24:50–51). “Gnashing of teeth” is a phrase found a number of times in the Gospel of Matthew; it represents the pain, distress, anguish, and suffering of those who pass on without having a saving relationship with God. The wicked servant lost sight of the fact that his master would return, and he would be called to account for his deeds.
The fact that the master was away for longer than the servant expected didn’t mean that he was never coming back. Likewise, though the Son of Man’s return may seem delayed, it doesn’t mean that He isn’t coming back. As Jesus said earlier in this chapter, “You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect” (Matthew 24:44).
Since Jesus’ ascension into heaven, believers have been waiting for His return. For two millennia, Christians have lived their lives, passed on from this world, and gone to be with the Lord. At the time of Jesus’ return, those who are alive on earth will experience His second coming, and in 1 Thessalonians we are told that those who have already passed on will return with Jesus (1 Thessalonians 4:14).
While Jesus’ return is an important part of the Christian faith, we, like all the Christians who have gone before us, may not be on this earth when it happens. Therefore, although the events leading up to His return are important, how we live our lives during the time we have on earth is even more important. We are called to love others, to share the gospel, to do our best to live the teachings of Jesus and to draw others to Him through our actions. May we all strive to follow the example of the One who gave His life for us.
Originally published March 2021. Adapted and republished August 2024. Read by Jerry Paladino.
Copyright © 2024 The Family International