The Olivet Discourse: Matthew 24-25
Stanley Bruce Anstey
Table of Contents
The Olivet Discourse
(Matthew 24–25)
Regina, SK – August 5, 2006
I would like to speak this afternoon on the Lord’s discourse on “the Mount of Olives” in Matthew 24-25. These two chapters, as you know, are prophetic. There has been quite a bit of talk lately of the things that are heating up again in the Middle East. Since a number of questions are being asked regarding prophetic issues, I thought it would be nice to take up something along those lines.
Not too long ago someone asked me, “So where are we now in prophecy?” I said, “Well, we are really not in prophecy—the Church actually forms no part of the subject of prophecy.” Then he said, “Oh yes, of course, I know that; it has to do with Israel—right?” Then I told him, “Actually, Israel is not the subject of prophecy either!” He was a little taken aback, and said, “Well, what then is the subject of prophecy?” I told him, “The great subject of prophecy is CHRIST Himself!” Though Christ may not be mentioned directly in every single verse in the prophetic Scriptures, yet the spirit of each prophecy pertains to what will ultimately be for the display of His glory and His honour. This is what is meant in the statement, “The testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy” (Rev. 19:10).
To say it again, the Church is not the subject of prophecy, nor are Israel and the nations; prophecy has to do with that which pertains to Christ and His glory. Every prophetic detail regarding Israel and the nations in the Scriptures is merely subservient to the great purpose of God glorifying Christ. It is His purpose to glorify His Son in two spheres—in heaven and on earth (Eph. 1:10); prophecy simply gives us various details as to how God will reach that end.
The subject in these two chapters is the Lord’s coming in relation to the three responsible sectors of the human race—Israel, Christendom, and the Gentile nations. To save time, I won’t read the whole two chapters at once, but I will pick out various parts as we go along. Let’s begin by reading verses 1-3 to get the setting, “And Jesus went out, and departed from the temple: and His disciples came to Him for to show Him the buildings of the temple. And Jesus said unto them, See ye not all these things? Verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down. And as He sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto 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 [age].”
The disciples asked the Lord Jesus three questions. Their first question had to do with when the stones of the temple would be thrown down. They naturally wanted to know more about that. The Lord was referring to its destruction by the Roman army in AD 70, which happened approximately 40 years after His death.
That very day marked the last time that the Lord would set foot in the temple (Matt. 23:38-39). He will not enter the temple in Jerusalem again until He returns at His second coming! When the Roman armies moved in and destroyed the city, orders were given not to destroy the temple. But one soldier, not knowing of the command, threw a torch into it, and it burned down. The gold that covered the walls melted and ran down between the great stones. After the fire the people salvaged the gold, digging it out from between the stones, and in doing so they removed each stone until there was not one left upon another. Thus, the prophecy of our Lord was fulfilled.
The Lord didn’t answer their first question directly, but focused on their other two questions, which had to do with “the sign” of His coming and “the end of the age.” As we know, the Lord’s coming has two phases: His coming for His saints and His coming with His saints. The Lord’s coming for us is commonly called the Rapture. That will be when the Lord descends with a shout and calls us away to heaven—the dead in Christ will arise and the living saints will be caught up together (1 Thess. 4:15-18). That’s what we’re waiting for, and what a moment it will be! Then a seven-year period of tribulation will come upon the earth. It will be the fulfillment of the seventieth week of Daniel. (See Daniel 9:24-27.) After the Great Tribulation, the Lord is going to come back again, but this time He will come with His saints in judgment, whereby He will establish His kingdom in righteousness according to the promises of the Old Testament prophets. This phase of His coming is called the Appearing of Christ. The two parts of Christ’s coming, therefore, are the Rapture and the Appearing—the seven-year tribulation coming between the two. The emphasis in this prophecy is on the second phase.
The “sign” that the disciples were asking about has to do with the Lord’s appearing and the “consummation of the age” (J. N. Darby Trans.); it has nothing to do with the Church. There are no signs for the Lord’s coming for the Church—the Rapture.
The night is far spent, and the day is at hand:
No sign to be looked for; the Star’s in the sky;
Rejoice then, ye saints, ’tis your Lord’s own command;
Rejoice, for the coming of Jesus draws nigh.
John Brereton had an illustration that explained how the Church has no signs to look for as it waits for the Lord to come. He said that when you journeyed to Gordon Hayhoe’s cottage, which was about seven miles short of Parry Sound, you could calculate how near you were to Gordon’s place by subtracting 7 miles from the distance the road signs said it was to Parry Sound. For instance, when you went past a sign that said it was 40 miles to Parry Sound, you would know that you were 33 miles from Gordon’s cottage. The signs were for a place to which you were not going, but by them you could figure out how near you were to your destination. Similarly, the signs that prophecy speaks of have nothing to do with the Church, but with Israel and the nations. We are called away to heaven seven years before those signs (which have to do with the Lord’s Appearing and the setting up of His kingdom) are fulfilled. While they don’t directly apply to the Church, when we see such things on the horizon, we know just how close we must be to His coming for us!
Three Parts to the Discourse
First, I want to give an overview of the discourse as a whole. The Lord takes up His coming in relation to each of the responsible parts of the earth, speaking of each one separately, so that the disciples wouldn’t be confused. Hence there are three parts to the discourse:
His coming in relation to Israel (Matt. 24:4-44).
His coming in relation to the Christian world—Christendom (Matt. 24:45–25:30).
His coming in relation to the Gentile nations (Matt. 25:31-46).
PART I
The Lord's Coming in Relation to Israel
(Matthew 24:4-44)
The Lord takes up His coming in relation to Israel first, because Matthew’s gospel is written particularly to the Jew. His coming in relation to Israel has to do with His Appearing after the Great Tribulation, and not the Rapture. He addresses His disciples as though they were the remnant of Jews that will be on earth in that coming day. They, therefore, morally occupy the place of the disciples of that time. Isaiah 8:15-16 says, “Many among them shall stumble, and fall, and be broken, and be snared, and be taken. Bind up the testimony, seal the law among My disciples.” The mass of the Jews in that day will be snared by the deceptions of the Antichrist and will believe his lie, but a remnant (“My disciples”) will bow to the law and will bear witness for Him in that day.
The Appearing of the Lord will be for the deliverance of the Jewish remnant from their persecutors and for the restoration of the nation. There are, however, certain issues between the Lord and His earthly people that must be resolved first; namely, the Jew’s guilt of rejecting and crucifying Him 2000 years ago. The tribulation period that will precede the Appearing of Christ will be used of God to humble them and bring them to the point where they will own their national blood-guiltiness in His crucifixion, whereby they will receive Him as their Messiah. This, however, will be accomplished in a believing remnant of the nation only; the mass of the people (apostates) will be destroyed by their oppressors—namely, the King of the North (Dan. 11:40-45).
In this section, there are three groups of signs. The first group pertains to things that will take place in the first half of Daniel’s prophetic week of seven years. The second group of signs pertains to the onslaught and presence of the Great Tribulation, which is the latter half of Daniel’s prophetic week. The third group of signs has to do with what will happen immediately after the Great Tribulation, when the Lord appears.
Signs That Pertain to Things Before the Great Tribulation
(Matthew 24:4–14)
Before speaking of His Appearing in verses 27-28, the Lord gave the disciples various details that would mark the tribulation period in general.
There are not many passages of Scripture that speak of the first half of the prophetic week. The Lord calls this period “the beginning of sorrows” (vs. 8). There is the first book of the Psalms (1-41), these verses in Matthew 24, and also Revelation 6. While the Lord’s remarks in this section pertain predominately to the first half of the week, they are general enough in character to apply to the whole period of seven years.
A. C. Brown pointed out that the details given here by the Lord correlate to “the seals” in the sixth chapter of Revelation, which also has to do with the first half of the prophetic week. Verses 4-5 are, perhaps, an allusion to the 1st seal when there will be an effort by Papal Rome (the rider on the “white horse”) to deceive the masses into forming a western confederacy of ten nations—sometimes called the revival of the Roman Empire (Dan. 2:40-45; 7:7-8), or the Beast (Rev. 17:1-13).
Verses 6-7 refer to the 2nd seal of Revelation 6, which speaks of the time when peace will be taken from the earth, and when there will be “wars and rumours of wars.” Verse 7b correlates with the 3rd seal of Revelation 6 when there will be widespread “famines” in the earth. Verse 7c correlates with the 4th seal when there will be devastating “pestilences” (diseases) whereby many will die.
Verses 9-14 answer to the 5th seal in Revelation 6 when martyrdom will abound. The Lord says here, “Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for My name’s sake.” Among the Jews in the land of Israel in that coming day, a remnant will distinguish itself from the mass by having real faith in God. They will fear God and tremble at His Word (Isa. 66:2). The remnant will preach the Gospel of the Kingdom, first in the land of Israel, and then throughout the world. It will be a message announcing the Jewish Messiah who is coming to set the world right and to establish His kingdom. They will preach it to their fellow Jews (Psa. 95) and to the Gentiles (Psa. 96). The corrupt religious system of Rome that will control the newly formed western confederacy of nations will be incensed at this effort. They will see these Jewish evangelists as revolutionists who are trying to undermine their control of the empire by propagating doctrines of another power that is going to come and overthrow them. Persecution will result as the empire attempts to purge itself of these evangelists.
Having said this, I should mention that the godly Jewish remnant of that day will consist of two parts: the preserved portion, and the martyred portion. Many of these Jews will be miraculously preserved during the great persecution and will “endure unto the end” of the age—which will be the end of the Great Tribulation (vs. 13). Then they will enter the millennial kingdom of Christ on earth. The other portion of the remnant will be martyred for their testimony (Rev. 6:9-11). They will be raised at the end of the Great Tribulation (Rev. 14:13) to receive a better portion with the glorified saints in the heavens (Rev. 20:4).
Signs That Pertain to the Onslaught and Presence of the Great Tribulation
(Matthew 24:15–28)
As the middle of the prophetic week nears there are going to be signs that indicate the onslaught of the Great Tribulation—the latter half of Daniel’s prophetic week. The Lord speaks of this group of signs next.
We learn from Revelation 12 that the first war in prophecy will be a “war in heaven.” Michael and his angels will overthrow Satan and cast him and his emissaries out onto the earth (Rev. 12:7-9). Knowing that his time is short and that the sphere of his operation is restricted, Satan will energize two men in particular, who will carry out his purposes on earth. They are the “Beast” (the same name as the empire) or “the little horn” (Rev. 13:4-7; Dan. 7:8, 19-25), and the “Antichrist” or “the false prophet” – Rev. 13:11-18; 1 John 2:18; Rev. 19:20). The first beast will be involved in the political affairs of the empire, and the second will be involved with religious affairs.
They will cause an upheaval in the western government (Rev. 6:12-17 – the 6th seal), and the corrupt Roman Church that will have ruled over the empire during the first 3½ years will be overthrown (Rev. 17:16-18). The Beast or Little Horn will take over as a dictator. To unify the empire under his hand, he, with the help of the Antichrist, will cause a cessation of all worship in Judaism—which will be a breech of the terms of the covenant that the empire will have made with the Jews (Dan. 9:27). The practise of Christianity (corrupted by the false church) will also be prohibited (Rev. 17:16). This will make way for a new religion—the worship of the Beast and its image (Rev. 13:4, 15). The Antichrist will set up an image in the temple at Jerusalem called “the abomination that maketh desolate” (Dan. 12:11). The Lord speaks of this in the 15th verse of our chapter, calling it “the abomination of desolation.” Everyone in the empire will be forced to worship the Beast and its image!
The apostate mass of the Jews will comply with the new regulations, for they will have little interest in the tedious procedures of Jewish ceremony and worship anyway. They will see the Antichrist as their long looked-for Messiah, and he will reign over them as their “king” (John 5:43; Dan. 11:36-38). At this time God will send a “strong delusion” through the propaganda of the Antichrist to deceive the western world that has rejected “the love of the truth”—the gospel of the grace of God (2 Thess. 2:8-12; Rev. 9:1-12). The apostates, both in the Christian world and in the land of Israel, will believe the lie and be damned.
The remnant, however, will see the Antichrist as he truly is—as an impostor, and will not bow to the image, nor receive its mark in their hand or forehead. This will make existence for them very difficult, for without the mark of the Beast they will not be able to buy or sell anything (Rev. 13:16-17). The authorities will implement a law for the arrest and execution of all who will not conform to the edicts of the new regime. As a result of their reluctance to go along with the corruption, the remnant will be hunted like animals, and many will be killed as the authorities attempt to purge the empire of non-conformists. This will be a far worse persecution than what Rome will inflict during the first half of the week. The Jewish remnant in the latter 3½ years of the prophetic week will be persecuted beyond measure—greater than in the days of the Holocaust!
We see here the Lord’s tender care for the remnant of that day. He gives a sign that, if acted on, will preserve them in the time of the great purge. He says that when “the abomination of desolation” is set up in the temple, they are to “flee into the mountains” for safety (vss. 16-20). They are not to turn back, even to get their coats, but are to run for their lives! There are at least seven different directions they will go (Matt. 24:14; 24:16; Psa. 42:6; Rev. 12:14-17; Isa. 16:3-5; Matt. 10:23; Rev. 11:1-13).
Verses 16-26 indicate that the remnant will be subjected to a two-fold trial at that time. Firstly, they will face a physical trial of persecution. Their lives will literally be in jeopardy every day (vss. 16-21). Secondly, they will face a spiritual trial of seduction (vss. 22-26). Many “false Christs, and false prophets” will arise who will show “great signs and wonders.” When they see these things, they are to be a sign to them that such things are false, and not to be believed.
This two-fold trial is also mentioned in Revelation 12. “The dragon” (Satan) will let out of his mouth “a flood” in an effort to cause the believing remnant to be “carried away” by it (Rev. 12:13-15). This is a reference to the flood of apostasy that will be propagated by the Antichrist in those days—the spiritual trial of seduction. The dragon will also “make war with the remnant” (Rev. 12:17). This answers to the physical trial of persecution.
In verses 27-28 of our chapter, the Lord goes on to say that His coming at the end of the Great Tribulation (the Appearing) will be a public manifestation. It will not be some private thing done in “secret chambers” as the deceivers of that day will claim. Notice, this is “the coming of the Son of Man.” It is not the Rapture. Whenever you get the Lord’s coming spoken of as the coming of the Son of Man, it is not in connection with the Church. In fact, that title is not even used in the epistles where we have the unfolding of the Christian position and practise. “The Son of Man” is a title that the Lord takes when He is rejected by His people—Israel. It is only used in Scripture in relation to Israel and the Gentile nations of the earth and refers to His coming in judgment.
The Lord adds, “Wheresoever the carcase is, there will the eagles [vultures] be gathered.” In this, the Lord tells us where His coming in judgment will take place. It will be where the “carcase” is. A carcase, as you know, is a dead body—a body with no life in it. The Lord uses this as a figure to describe the apostate part of the nation who are but a lifeless body of persons in the land of Israel. They will have no spiritual life toward God. The “vultures” are the confederated Arab nations under the King of the North that will descend upon the land and wipe out the apostate Jews (Dan. 11:40-45; Psa. 79:1-3). It will be a ten-nation confederacy of Islamic peoples (Psa. 83:5-8). This confederacy should not to be confused with the ten-nation confederacy in the west under the Beast (Rev. 13:1-2).
So, what the Lord is saying here, is that in the very place where these nations will descend upon the apostate Jews (i.e. the land of Israel) He will come back in judgment as the Son of Man. God will use these nations as His instrument to execute judgment upon the apostate mass of Jews who have rejected Christ and received the Antichrist.
Signs Pertaining to Things Immediately After the Great Tribulation
(Matthew 24:29–31)
In verses 29–44, we have the third group of signs. These pertain to things immediately after the Great Tribulation. Verse 29 describes the condition of things that will exist in the land as a result of the work of the Antichrist. The “sun,” the “moon,” and the “stars” are figures used to describe the normal sources of spiritual light. But in that day, they will not shine into the hearts of men (Rev. 6:12-13; 9:2; 16:10; Isa. 5:30; 8:22; 13:10; Joel 2:10, 31; 3:15). Antichrist’s delusions will have left the people virtually without spiritual light—i.e. the knowledge of God. They will be enveloped in darkness (Isa. 8:21-22).
“Then shall appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven.” The Lord is going to come out of heaven in judgment as the Son of Man. The words, “in [on] the clouds of heaven,” indicate that it will be a public manifestation. His appearing at this time will be for the restoration of Israel.
Two Phases of Israel’s Restoration
Israel’s restoration will take place in two phases:
The First Phase
First, “the tribes of the earth [land]” will “mourn” in repentance. This refers to the two tribes—the remnant of the Jews. They will repent when they see the Lord and understand that He is the One whom they, as a nation, crucified (Zech. 12:10-14; Isa. 53:1-12). They will receive Him as their Messiah (Psa. 110:3). These “tribes” are not the ten tribes that are hidden in the four corners of the earth. We know this because it’s speaking of the tribes in “the land,” and the ten tribes will not be in the land when the Lord appears.
The “earth,” here, should be translated “land.” Prophecy distinguishes three spheres of God’s dealings on this planet. First, there is “the land” which is the land of Israel, not just what they presently occupy, but what was promised to Abram. (Walter Scott said that even in the time of David and Solomon the children of Israel only occupied 10% of what God gave them! They were given approximately 300,000 square miles, but they only took about 30,000.) Then, secondly, there is “the earth.” This is sometimes called the prophetic earth, and refers to a broader sphere, taking in not only the land of Israel, but also Western Europe—perhaps even America. Then thirdly, there is “the world,” which is broader yet, and includes the area beyond the prophetic earth. An interesting reference that shows the difference between these three is Isaiah 26:9-10, “When Thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness. Let favour be showed to the wicked, yet will he not learn righteousness: in the land of uprightness will he deal unjustly, and will not behold the majesty of the LORD.” (See also Isaiah 18:2-3.)
The Second Phase
The second phase of Israel’s restoration has to do with the ten tribes. They too need to be restored to the Lord—but for different reasons. The two tribes are guilty of rejecting Christ and receiving the Antichrist; the ten tribes are guilty of neither. The ten tribes were not in the land of Israel at the time of the Lord’s first coming 2000 years ago and cannot be held responsible for His rejection. Nor will they be in the land during the Great Tribulation when the Jews receive the Antichrist. The ten tribes, however, are guilty of breaking the law, and the consequences are that they have been “removed into all the kingdoms of the earth” (Deut. 28:25). (The Jews have broken the law too, and have been scattered also, but they will return to the land at the beginning of the seven-year tribulation period with the help of some sea-faring power—probably the newly revived ten-nation confederacy in the west. (See Isaiah 18.)
Verse 31 tells us that there will be “a sound of a trumpet” that will go out over the world, and the ten tribes that are now lost, or hidden, will be exercised to return to the land of Israel. It is unlikely that this will be a literal trumpet call, but that some signal will awaken the ten tribes. This will happen shortly after the Lord will have appeared. The Lord will use “His angels” to aid the ten tribes to return to their homeland. Some Gentile nations who know that Israel’s Messiah has returned in power and glory will volunteer aid for their return also (Isa. 11:12; 14:1-2; 49:9-23; 60:8-9). They will enter the land after being sifted by the Lord at the border (Ezek. 11:10; 20:34-38) and will come into the knowledge of Christ’s finished work on the cross at that time (Zech. 13:6).
The Fig Tree
(Vss. 32-35)
In verses 32-35, the Lord gives another sign having to do with the restoration of Israel in a parable of “the fig tree.” The fig tree, in Scripture, is a symbol of the nation of Israel. He says that when they see it putting forth “leaves,” then they should understand that the “summer”—the time of the bearing of fruit—is near. Through these many long years of Israel’s diaspora there has been no real fruit for God from that nation. They will bear fruit only after the Lord comes and they are restored to Him.
The Lord explains that there would first be a time of putting forth of “leaves” without fruit. In other words, the nation would make a profession of life, but there would be no fruit for God in it. This is what will go on in the early part of the tribulation period when the Jews return en masse to their homeland (Isa. 18:1-4). They will return in unbelief of the Lord Jesus Christ being their true Messiah and will build up the nation by their own means (Psa. 73:1-12). In the land today, some 4-5 million Jews have already returned; it is a precursor to the fig tree putting forth its leaves—a foreshadow, but not a fulfillment of these things
The Lord said that when “all these things” would happen (the various signs we have already looked at earlier in this chapter), they would know that the nation soon would be restored to the Lord and begin bearing fruit for Him again.
(Vss. 36-44)
Verses 36-44 fill out further details having to do with the Lord’s Appearing as the Son of Man. He says, “That day and hour knoweth no man.” This has often been mistakenly applied to the Rapture, but the Lord was referring to His Appearing—“the coming of the Son of Man.” The judgment in Noah’s day is brought in to illustrate this point. It was the wicked in that day who were taken away from the earth in judgment by the flood, while the righteous (i.e. Noah) lived on. This is what will happen when the Lord appears in judgment. The angels will go out over the prophetic earth and “sever the wicked from among the just” (Matt. 13:38-43, 49-50). The Lord said, “Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left.” Those who are “taken” are taken out of the earth in judgment. The others are left behind to enter the kingdom. At the Rapture it will be quite the opposite; the believers will be taken away from the earth to heaven, and the unbelievers will be left behind on earth.
His Angels in a Two-Fold Work
When the Lord appears, He will dispatch His angels in a two-fold work; one will be for blessing, and the other for judgment. Some of the angels will go out over the world and gather the ten tribes back into the land of Israel to be blessed with the two tribes—the Jews (Matt. 24:31) Other angels will go out over the prophetic earth and execute this judgment of which we speak.
Those who will be “taken” out in judgment will be cast directly into the lake of fire alive (Matt. 13:42, 50-51). They will not die and go into the separate (disembodied) state and wait to be raised at the Great White Throne to be judged. At the Appearing of Christ, they will come face to face with the Judge Himself and will not need a further judgment date. The first ones to be cast into the lake of fire at this time are the Beast and the false prophet—the Antichrist (Rev. 19:20). But those in the prophetic earth who have rejected the gospel of the grace of God and received the mark of the Beast will also be cast in there! They wanted the personal Beast and the Antichrist, thinking that they were saviours (1 Thess. 5:2-3), and in the end, God orders it that they share in their judgment.
Three Classes of People Leave Earth Without Dying
Scripture indicates that there will actually be three classes of persons that will leave this world without dying! First, there are those of the Church who are “alive and remain” at the time of the Lord’s coming—the Rapture (1 Thess. 4:17). Then there are those who will be cast directly into the lake of fire at the Appearing of Christ (Matt. 13:42, 50-51). And lastly, after the Millennium has run its course, there will be those who will be transferred to the “new heavens and new earth” without seeing death (1 Cor. 15:26; 2 Peter 3:13).
In verses 42-44 of Matthew 24, the disciples are told to “watch” and be “ready.” The exhortation to watch is given 18 times in the New Testament. The Jewish remnant will need to watch. You say, “Watch for what?” They are to watch for the signs that will precede the coming of “the Son of Man” and thus, to know that His coming is near. It is likened to the breaking in of a “thief” because it will be a time of judgment. Five times in the New Testament the Lord’s coming is spoken of as the coming of a thief; it always refers to His Appearing and never the Rapture (Matt. 24:43; 1 Thess. 5:2; 2 Peter 3:10; Rev. 3:3; 16:15).
The Lord's Coming in Relation to Christendom
(Matthew 24:45-25:30)
Entering this section, we see a marked change in the Lord’s remarks regarding His coming. These changes indicate that He is not speaking of the same people as in the previous section. Mr. Darby said that this part of the discourse is actually a parenthesis. I suppose, in one sense, you could go from chapter 24:44 over to chapter 25:31, where the subject of the coming of the Son of Man is continued.
Some of the differences in this section are:
The Lord’s coming is not called the coming of the Son of Man.
The Lord’s coming (the Rapture) is mentioned three times.
No Old Testament prophecy is quoted.
No earthly signs are given.
Jerusalem and the temple are not mentioned.
The Sabbath is not mentioned.
Christ as the Messiah is not mentioned (Christ means “Messiah” – John 1:41).
These things show that the subject before us now does not have to do with the Jews, but rather, with a different group of people. A closer look will show that the Lord is speaking of His coming in relation to the part of the earth that has had the light of the gospel of the grace of God that is being preached today—the Christianized part of the earth, sometimes called Christendom. It therefore deals with Christian responsibility during this present time when Israel would be set aside in the ways of God and the Lord would be absent.
Three Parables
This section consists of three parables; the first is in Matthew 24:45-51, and the emphasis is on faithfulness in the time of the Lord’s absence. The second is in Matthew 25:1-13, and the emphasis is on watchfulness in the time of the Lord’s absence. The last one is in Matthew 25:14-30, and it emphasizes usefulness in service in the time of the Lord’s absence. We could summarize the three parables as faithfulness, watchfulness, and usefulness.
It is significant that the Lord’s coming for His saints (the Rapture) is mentioned in all three of the parables (Matt. 24:46; 25:10; 25:19), whereas it has been conspicuously absent in Part One. The Appearing of Christ is also mentioned in this section (Matt. 24:50; 25:26-30), but it’s never called the coming of the Son of Man.
PARABLE I—Faithfulness in the Time of Christ’s Absence
(Matthew 24:45–51)
Now let’s focus on a few details in the first parable. It’s a scene where the lord of the house is absent, and the servants are tested as to their fidelity. The parable indicates that there are two kinds of servants in the house existing at the same time—a “faithful and wise servant” and an “evil servant.” In the time of the Lord’s absence the house of God will be marked by this kind of a mixture—those who are real and those who are false.
What we have in the faithful “servant” is what should characterize every true believer in the house of God today (vss. 45-47). The faithful servant looks for his lord to return at any moment, and that gives him motivation to be found “doing” his lord’s service faithfully. This would speak of having the imminence of the Lord’s coming (the Rapture) before our hearts. If it is bright before our souls, we will be motivated to live faithfully for Him in the time of His absence.
The faithful servant rises up and gives “meat in due season” to those in the house. This would speak of being busy in the ministry of the Word of God. Dear fellow Christian, this is what God wants us to be doing in the time of the Lord’s absence. But we won’t be able to give people spiritual food (the truth) if we haven’t first gathered it ourselves! This means that we need to be spending time in the Word gathering food for our souls so that we will be able to give it to others.
Notice also, it says that he gave food to his lord’s household “in due season.” This speaks of being in communion with the Lord to know when to give out what we have gathered. It’s one thing to have meat, and another thing to have the wisdom to know when and how to give it out. The Lord adds that there would be a reward for such faithfulness. There are going to be places of rule given in the kingdom to those who have served in this way (Luke 19:16-19). This will happen at the Lord’s Appearing.
Then the Lord Jesus speaks of the “evil servant” in the time of his lord’s absence. We can see from the last verse of the chapter (vs. 51) that such a person is a mere professor and is not saved at all. He is in the house taking the place of a servant but is not a real believer. There are many like this in Christendom today who have made a profession in some way of being a Christian, but they’ve never been saved.
Three things characterize the evil servant. First, he says, “My lord delayeth His coming” (vs. 48). Notice, he doesn’t deny the fact of his lord’s coming, but rather, the nearness of it. He doesn’t say, “My lord is not coming.” He says, “It’s a long time away!” This depicts those who hold the truth of the Lord’s coming as a doctrine, but their lives show that they’ve given up the imminence of it. Today many evil servants have gone farther than this and have given up the doctrine of the Lord’s coming (the Rapture). They will tell you plainly that the Lord is not coming—that it’s a mistake to think that He is!
Secondly, the evil servant begins to “smite his fellowservants” (vs. 49). This depicts a judgmental spirit that would attack the Lord’s servants, perhaps being critical of them in their work. He becomes the proverbial “arm-chair critic.” This kind of a person is full of criticisms of his brethren but does little or nothing himself.
Thirdly, he would “eat and drink with the drunken” (vs. 49). This speaks of the breakdown of separation. He goes on “with” worldly people who are “drunken” with this world’s pleasures.
These three things characterize the false profession in Christianity today. It is sad, but many dear Christians are marked by these same things, even though they are true believers. This shows that we can be affected by the great apostasy. Christians can never apostatise—which is to abandon the profession of Christianity altogether—but they can be affected by the current of apostasy and let go of certain doctrines and practises. For instance, many real Christians have swallowed the teaching that the Rapture is a false idea. The New Covenant theologians, for example, teach this—and most of them are true believers.
PARABLE II—Watchfulness in the Time of Christ’s Absence
(Matthew 25:1–13)
In this second parable, which has to do with the “ten virgins,” the Lord speaks of His coming as a “Bridegroom.” It emphasizes the need for watchfulness during the time of His absence. Notice again, it does not mention His coming as the Son of Man. It’s in verse 13 in the KJV, but the last six words of that verse are really not in the original MSS, as most other translations show. The aspect of the Lord’s coming here, is again, the Rapture.
In this parable, the Lord mentions four distinct periods that would mark the time of His absence in this present day. These four periods span the whole period of the Church’s history on earth:
They “went forth” (vs. 1). This refers to the apostles’ day when the saints first went forth outside the camp of Judaism (Heb. 13:13) and from their worldly associations (1 Thess. 1:9).
“They all slumbered and slept” (vs. 5). This would mark another period in the Church’s history when the whole Christian profession fell asleep as to the Lord’s coming. This happened shortly after the apostles’ day and carried on right through the centuries into the dark ages.
“At midnight there was a cry” (vs. 6). This refers to a revival that took place in the 1800’s when there was an awakening in the Christian world to the fact that the Lord Jesus was coming again.
“The Bridegroom came” (vs. 10). This is the moment that I hope we are all looking for—the Rapture! It will close the Church’s history in this world, and we’ll be taken home to heaven.
Let’s look at the first couple of verses. There are three things here that characterized the early Church. First of all, it says that they “took their lamps.” A lamp speaks of profession. It refers to the bright testimony that they had before the world in that day. There was a manifestation of their faith. Then it says that they “went forth.” This speaks of separation. They went outside the camp of Judaism and out from their worldly associations (Heb. 13:13; 1 Thess. 1:9). Lastly, it says, “to meet the Bridegroom.” This speaks of expectation. They had the hope of the Lord’s coming before their souls. There was manifestation, separation, and expectation. That’s what marked the early church.
There were ten virgins, but “five of them were wise and five were foolish” (Matt. 25:2). The wise had “oil” in their lamps, but the others didn’t. This means that some were saved and sealed with the Spirit, and others were not. Again, this depicts the mixture that exists in the Christian profession today.
That happy state didn’t last long; they all “slumbered and slept” (vs. 5). The Church got tired of looking for the Lord to come and became affected by the world, and this caused it to lose sight of His coming. Note, there was first slumbering and then sleeping. This shows that it was a state that came over the Church gradually.
Then, in the 1800s, a sovereign work of God took place whereby there was a revival of the truth of the Lord’s coming and many related truths. “At midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the Bridegroom cometh.” People awoke to the fact that the Lord was coming! There was quite a stir among Christians, and many began to look into prophecy. As they looked into the subject of future events in the Word of God, they learned that the Church formed no part of prophecy. They learned that the Church didn’t belong to the earth but that it had a heavenly calling and destiny. They then realized that the Lord could come at any moment and take the Church to heaven, as there was nothing in prophecy that first had to be fulfilled.
The word, “cometh” is not in the earliest MSS. It has been put into the text by the KJV translators, but really, it has no business being there. It makes His coming more of an event. The thought, rather, is that a PERSON is coming—the Lord Jesus Christ! It should simply read, “Behold, the Bridegroom!” This portrays the spirit of things at that time more accurately. People were not just looking for an event to happen; they were looking for the Lord to come! The call also exhorted them, “Go ye out to meet Him.” This means that there was an exercise to revert to their original position—outside the camp and the world. They left every ecclesiastical and secular association that they had been connected with and waited for the coming of the Lord.
In the next few verses we see what happened at that time in the Christian profession at large. There was quite a stir to get ready to meet the Bridegroom. Many were discovered to have “no oil” in their lamps. The exhortation of “the wise” to “the foolish” was to go and “buy” it from “them that sell.” This refers to the great gospel effort that marked that day. The gospel was preached freely, and many were saved. Buying would speak of having a personal transaction of faith with “them” (the Father and the Son), whereby they would be saved and sealed with the indwelling Spirit of God, of which the “oil” speaks (compare Isaiah 55:1-3). The foolish were told, “Buy for yourselves.” Everyone who gets saved must have a personal transaction with the Lord Himself. It is not possible to buy it for another person.
Then came that happy but solemn moment when the Bridegroom came, and “they that were ready went in with Him to the marriage: and the door was shut” (vs. 10). Those who were foolish and unprepared when the Bridegroom came missed out. Afterward they came and cried, “Lord, Lord, open to us,” but it was too late! (vs. 11) Five times we get the expression in Scripture, “Lord, Lord,” and it always refers to empty profession (Matt. 7:21; 7:22; 25:11; Luke 6:46; 13:25).
PARABLE III—Usefulness in the Time of Christ’s Absence
(Matthew 25:14–30)
We have had faithfulness in the first parable, and then we’ve had watchfulness in the second parable; now we have usefulness of service in the third parable. We want to be faithful, watchful, and useful during the time of Christ’s absence. The first parable brought before us service in the house of God; whereas this parable has to do with service outside the house.
This parable has to do with the exercise of our gift during the time of the Lord’s absence. The “man travelling into a far country” would be the Lord Himself who has departed from this scene through death and ascended into heaven (Acts 1:9-11). In departing, the man gave to one “five talents, to another two, and to another one; to every man according to his several ability” (vs. 15). They were to trade with these in his absence, and when he returned, he would take account of their labour.
There are two things here: “ability” and “talents.” “Ability” is our natural intellectual powers that God gives and forms in our personalities right from birth. God providentially singles out and fashions each one of us in this way long before we are even saved.
When we are saved, we are given a spiritual gift by the Holy Spirit so that we might be able to serve the Lord in the place in which He has put us. The “talents” speak of these spiritual gifts. It might be a gift for evangelism, shepherding, or teaching (Eph. 4:11), or perhaps something less distinctive like helps (1 Cor. 12:28) or showing mercy (Rom. 12:8).
We see the sovereign wisdom of the Master here in giving gifts that match the servant’s natural abilities. For example, someone who is naturally out-going, who likes to be with people and is talkative, could be given the gift of the evangelist. It is not likely that the Lord would give such a gift to someone who is naturally reticent and lacks communication skills.
If we turn over to 1 Peter 4:10-11, we’ll see this distinction again. “As every man hath received the [a] gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God; if any man minister, let him do it as of the ability which God giveth: that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to Whom be praise and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.”
I mention this because Christians today do not understand what gift is and confuse it with natural ability. Take for instance, someone who is able to throw a football a mile. People will tell him, “Oh, that’s your gift!” So, he gets the idea that he is called to go into professional football to serve the Lord. Perhaps some other Christian is able to sing or play music very well. People will tell him, “That’s your gift, brother!” So, he is encouraged to go into the entertainment field to pursue a career. The result is that we see Christians involved in all sorts of endeavours that I don’t believe the Lord would lead them into. We have Christians in Hollywood; we have Christians in the Super Bowl, etc. They are only helping on the world system in its purpose of keeping people distracted and entertained as they go on their way to hell!
How could a right-minded Christian musician play in a dance band that is helping people to flitter away an evening dancing merrily into hell? It’s an incredible thing; real believers are being reduced to entertain the man of the world as he steps mindlessly into a lost eternity! It reminds me of Gehazi who was found to be covetous and was dismissed from his service for the Lord (2 Kings 5:20-27). We find him later entertaining the godless king with stories of the amazing things that Elisha had done! (2 Kings 8:4-5) It’s happening today in the Christian world, and it’s because of bad teaching, and perhaps a lot of self-will and glory seeking too.
The faithful servants went and “traded” with their talents and “gained” more (vss. 16-17). This does not mean that if we serve the Lord with our gift that we’ll get another gift, but that our gift must be cultivated. The more we exercise our gift the stronger it will grow and the more effective we will be in our service.
Then it says, “After a long time the lord of those servants cometh.” The “long time” would speak of the whole period of the Lord’s absence—the Church period of some 2000 years. The master’s coming back would, of course, speak of the Lord’s coming—the Rapture. Then, the servants were assembled and held accountable. This speaks of the judgment seat of Christ when our lives and service will pass into review, and we will be rewarded accordingly (Rom. 14:10; 1 Cor. 3:12-15; 4:5; 2 Cor. 5:10). The great thing to see here is that the Lord does not reward according to gift. That wouldn’t be fair since some received more talents than others in the first place. They are rewarded according to their willingness and diligence to use what was put into their hands. If they multiplied what they received, they would be rewarded accordingly. Each one who worked according to the ability that the Lord gave received His commendation, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord” (vss. 21, 23).
The man who “hid” his talent in the earth answers to a mere false professor in Christianity. We can see that he was not saved because he was cast into “outer darkness” (vs. 30). A difficulty that some have with this is that he had been given a talent (a gift). But the truth is that God gives certain outward manifestations of the Spirit to all who are in the house of God, whether they are saved or not. In that sense, all in the house of God have been given a gift. Remember the Spirit of God today dwells, not only in believers, but also among them (John 14:17: Acts 2:1-4). The Spirit of God is in the house of God where there is a mixture of believers and unbelievers; and mere professors who are there partake of the Spirit of God in an outward way (Heb. 6:4).
The Lord gave an example of one who had a gift, but was not saved, in Matthew 7:21-23. Judas is an example also (Acts 1:17). He preached, cast out demons, and healed people, but was lost (John 6:70; Acts 1:25). The master of the house holds such people responsible because they have taken the ground of being a servant by their profession, and are viewed as such, even though they are not saved. The greatest judgment will belong to those who have had the greatest degree of light and privilege but have not responded to it! (Luke 12:47-48)
The Lord's Coming in Relation to the Gentile Nations
(Matthew 25:31-46)
As mentioned at the beginning of the meeting, this last part of the Lord’s Olivet discourse takes up His coming (the Appearing) in relation to the Gentile nations (Matt. 25:31-46).
The first thing of note here, is that the Lord is speaking of Himself as “the Son of Man” again. This tells us He is not speaking of the Church, for He never takes that title in connection with the Church. It is the remaining Gentile nations of the earth that are before us here. Furthermore, it is important to see that what happens here will take place after the Lord appears. The proper rendering of the verse should be: “When the Son of Man shall have come in His glory” (vs. 31 – J. N. Darby Trans.). This indicates that this is after the Lord has come back. The fact that He is called “the King” here, also indicates that the Lord is back on earth and the kingdom is about to be set up (vss. 34, 40).
The Sessional Judgment
The judgment that we are about to look at is the last phase of the judgment of the “quick” (2 Tim. 4:1; 1 Peter 4:5). The “quick” is an old English word for living persons. The judgment of the quick is an “umbrella term” that covers three judgments of the Lord. These are the Harvest, the Vintage (Winepress), and the Sessional judgments. The Harvest judgment, which we have already looked at, is a discriminating (or separating) judgment that will happen when the Lord first appears and dispatches His angels to take the wicked out of the kingdom of heaven—the western part of the earth (the prophetic earth). Just as a farmer in the time of harvest separates the wheat from the chaff, the Lord will use His angels to execute judgment in this way (Matt. 13:38-43, 49-50; 24:37-41). Then there is the Vintage (or Winepress) judgment, which is not mentioned in this discourse. It has to do with the Lord’s judgment of the confederated armies of Gog (Ezek. 38-39; Isa. 33-34; 63:1-6; Rev. 14:17-20). There is no discrimination in this judgment, for all are judged together, just as grapes are trampled indiscriminately in a winepress. Lastly, when all hostile enemies are no longer existent on earth, the Lord will “sit upon the throne of His glory” and execute this calm and solemn Sessional judgment.
It says, “Before Him shall be gathered all nations: and He shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats” (vs. 32). When the Lord says, “all nations,” He is referring to all of the nations that are left on the earth after the previous judgments have been executed. Perhaps we could call them third-world nations. He could not be referring to the Christianized nations in the western part of the earth, because they have been judged already. The nations that are assembled here are far less responsible than the previous two groups because they have not had the light the others have had. However, they are still responsible and will be assembled before the Lord’s “throne of His glory” for judgment.
This has often been confused with the Great White Throne judgment in Revelation 20. However, a closer look will show that this is not the same judgment. This is a judgment of living persons (nations); the Great White Throne is a judgment of dead persons. This takes place before the Millennium; the Great White Throne is after the Millennium. Also, this judgment has two classes of people being judged: the righteous (“the sheep”) and the wicked (“the goats”); whereas the Great White Throne judgment has only one class—the wicked. There are no righteous persons raised then because all the righteous will have been raised some 1000 years before.
In this judgment, those who have been favourable toward the Jewish messengers (“My brethren”) and who have preached the gospel of the kingdom in their country during the seven-year tribulation period will be permitted to enter the kingdom of Christ on earth (vs. 34). It is noteworthy that the earthly blessings for Israel, and for the Gentile nations that will populate the millennial world, are “from the foundation of the world” (Matt. 13:35; 25:34; Acts 3:21). The blessings of the Church, however, whose destiny is heavenly, are from “before the foundation of the world” (Eph. 1:4).
Those who showed animosity toward the Jewish messengers will be separated out as “goats” and sent into the lake of fire (vss. 41, 46). This means that their nation will be removed entirely from the face of the earth. I used to think that one of the nations to be separated out at this time is Edom, because Scripture tells us that they will be annihilated from the face of the earth (Obad. 17-21). But Edom is a nation in the prophetic earth, which will have been judged before this. They will be gone before this judgment happens.
Three Phases of Edom’s Judgment
Edom’s judgment will actually take place in three phases. First, they will be deceived by their own confederacy under the King of the North and their land will be ransacked and looted; many will fall at that time (Obad. 1-14). A little later, after the Lord appears, He will go out to the land of Edom to tread the Winepress judgment (the Vintage) and will destroy the confederated armies of Gog who have converged there (Obad. 15-16; Isa. 34:1-10; 63:1-6); many more Edomites will fall at that time. Their third and final blow will come from the armies of restored Israel who will go out to that land, and the other surrounding countries, to wipe out any who remain (Obad. 17-21; Num. 24:1-19; Psa. 18:34-48; Psa. 108:7-13; Isa. 11:14; Micah 4:13; Ezek. 39:10; Zech. 10:3-5, 12:6, 14:14).
The criteria on which the nations are judged here is not whether they have received the Gospel of the Grace of God (Acts 20:24), or even if they have received Israel’s Messiah in faith. They are judged merely on whether they have been favourable toward the Jewish messengers who have gone forth into every nation preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom (Matt. 24:14). The simple criteria of whether they were hostile or receptive toward the messengers is all that is considered at this time. Some will “yield feigned obedience” and will be allowed to enter the kingdom of Christ (Deut. 33:29; Psa. 18:44; Psa. 66:3; Psa. 81:15 – J. N. Darby Trans.). What a merciful God we have! (Hab. 3:2) King David’s mercy on Shimei is a type of this (2 Sam. 19:16-23).
After the kingdom of Christ is established there will be a continual judgment of persons “every morning” throughout the Millennium (Psa. 101:3-8; Zeph. 3:5; Zech. 5:1-4). Those who have feigned obedience will be tested during the Millennium and will manifest themselves as wicked and will be judged. The Psalmist mourns this sad result, saying, “The haters of the LORD should have yielded feigned obedience unto Him; but [and] their time would have been for ever. He would have fed them with the finest of wheat; yea, with honey out of the rock would I have satisfied thee” (Psa. 81:15-16 – margin). “Forever” is a term in the Old Testament meaning as long as time goes on; it is not eternity. Solomon’s judgment of Shimei is a type of this. After David permitted him to live in the kingdom, he was tested later under Solomon’s reign and proven to be wicked, whereupon he was judged (1 Kings 2:36-46).
A difficulty some have with this is that those who are permitted to enter the kingdom are said to be “righteous” and they go “into life eternal” (vs. 46). This sounds like they all have faith. However, eternal life in the sense that it is used here is to live on earth as long as time goes on. The Old Testament and the synoptic gospels (Matthew, Mark and Luke) view eternal life in this way (Psa. 133:3; Dan. 12:2; Matt. 19:16, etc.). The Christian sense of eternal life, found in John’s gospel and the epistles, is entirely different (John 17:3; Rom. 6:23, etc.).
While the judgment here is the judgment of the Gentile nations, the results are individual (vss. 41, 46). Every person who passes into a lost eternity will suffer the consequences of their own sins.
Three Destinies For Mankind
There are three distinct places, or destinies, for men—each are said to be prepared of the Lord. First, the Lord has gone to “prepare” a place in the Father’s house for the heavenly saints (John 14:3); and then, the earthly saints will inherit the kingdom on earth, which has been “prepared” for them (Matt. 25:34). Lastly, there is the lake of fire that has been “prepared” for the devil and his angels (Matt. 25:41). We see from this last reference that it is not God’s intention that any man, woman, or child should end up in the lake of fire. It was prepared for “the devil and his angels,” but sad to say, many humans will have their end there because they have refused every gesture of grace toward them.
Summary
In this Olivet discourse the Lord has given us a comprehensive outline of His coming in connection with the three responsible spheres on earth—Israel, Christendom, and the Gentile nations. After this, the Millennium will be ushered in, and the Lord Jesus Christ will reign in righteousness “over all the earth” (Zech. 14:9; Psa. 72:8).
(Adapted)