Matthew 24
The disciples showed Jesus the buildings of the temple. He told them that every stone in the temple would be upturned, which came to pass in the year 70 A.D. when Titus and his Roman army razed the temple.
He sat on the mount of Olives, and the disciples came privately and asked, "Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of Thy coming, and of the end of the world [age]?"
So He answers them. At the end of the age there will come a time of trouble lasting a little over seven years. The first three-and-one-half years are called the "beginning of sorrows" and the next three-and-one-half years are called the "great tribulation."
The Beginning of Sorrows
During the beginning of sorrows deceivers shall arise pretending to be Christ; beware of them. Do not be troubled about wars and rumors of wars. Nations shall rise, one against another; there will be famines, pestilence and earthquakes in different places. (Read also Rev. 6, which covers the beginning of sorrows.)
All through the seven years of trial there will be many who will pretend to be Christ. Today we have many wars going on in many places. Most of them are not prominent. Then there will be more wars that will be prominent and will affect the Jews, especially during the great tribulation which follows the beginning of sorrows.
In the beginning of sorrows a covenant will be made between the head of the Roman people and Israel. Then it will be broken in the middle of the seven years. A ruler appointed of God will arise, possibly like one who is appointed president of the league of nations today in the West. He will have the power over all nations for a brief time and there will be peace. Civil war will break out, not necessarily between armies, but every man against his neighbor. Many will be slain at this time. If the rider on the white horse in Rev. 6 carried a bow for distant warfare, this one carries a great sword for close combat, terrible in its consequences.
There will be famine, especially affecting the poor and working class, the rich being immune for the moment. Finally, a part of the earth will be killed by the sword and by famine. There seems to be a mention of a religious war, probably against the remnant of Israel and others who carried a testimony to the God of the earth. Those who are killed will later be raised with other martyrs for heaven.
Finally, the rulers of the various nations will feel the awful pangs of war when governments will be broken up and chaos will spread over the western world. The mighty men and their subjects will call for the mountains to fall on them because of the wrath of the Lamb, but the wrath of the Lamb will not come until three-and-one-half years later. All these things are the beginning of sorrows.
The Great Tribulation
The Lord speaks to the disciples as though they personally would be the ones going through this period of trials. But two thousand years stand between His discourse and its fulfillment. The disciples prefigure the little remnant of Jews who will give a testimony of the coming kingdom and the King.
The men of the earth shall hate and betray one another, being deceived by false prophets. Affection for Christ will grow cold as iniquity abounds. Those who continue through these hardships shall be saved for the coming kingdom. The gospel of the kingdom of the Son of man shall continue to go out to all nations of the prophetic earth. Psa. 96 is the gospel of the kingdom.
In the middle of the seven years, the abomination of desolation-idolatry-will be set up publicly. During the last three-and-one-half years of Judgment, idolatry will have full sway in Jerusalem, especially the temple. Before the end of the seven years, a man will be worshipped in Jerusalem (2 Thess. 2:44Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God. (2 Thessalonians 2:4)). There will be an attack by the king of the north.
This idolatry causes the remnant of faith in Israel to flee unto the mountains. Persecution for not worshipping the idol and from the nations who seek to destroy them will be so severe that they must flee quickly or be killed (Dan. 9:2727And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate. (Daniel 9:27)). Those who flee must not stop to retrieve anything from their houses, but must leave immediately. Circumstances will be difficult for mothers with children. God in mercy thinks of the fact that it might be winter and cold, and that they would want to keep the sabbath days, being under the law.
The tribulations of this period will be greater than had ever occurred before or ever would occur after. Unless the time was shortened, there would be no flesh left; for the sake of the elect Jews, the time would be shortened.
Immediately following the great tribulation, the sun shall be darkened (the leader of the western confederacy, the revived Roman Empire, is destroyed) and the moon shall not give her light (the antichrist is destroyed in judgment).
Chapter 24:1-44 outlines the coming judgment on Israel and their condition at that time. Verses 36-44 are a picture of the condition in Israel just two-and-one half months before the end. Chapter 24:45 to 25:30 is the judgment on Christendom-those who profess to be Christians and are not real. Chapter 25:31-46 will be the judgment on the living nations (Gentiles). This judgment will be final.
These judgments take place in the prophetic earth, which is bounded by the perimeter of the four world monarchies spoken of in Dan. 2 Babylonian, Medo-Persian, Grecian and Roman (and her colonies).
The Servant in the Household
In the profession of Christ, the Christian profession, there are those who serve in the assembly as those who shepherd and help the saints. There are faithful and wise servants as well as evil ones.
The faithful and wise ruler is one who has found grace to provide meat for the people of God during the Lord's absence. Such servants are much needed today. The servant will be blessed when his Lord returns; He makes him ruler over all of His goods.
The evil servant who is over the household says in his heart, "My Lord delayeth His coming," so he begins to smite his fellow servants, and eat and drink with the drunken. The Lord will come on him suddenly and give him his position with all hypocrites where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.