This explanation is to help in understanding what the three Gospel prophetic dissertations are saying.
Matthew's chapter 24 is very similar to Mark's chapter 13; while Luke is somewhat different. First let us look at Luke.
Luke 21:5-7
Some of his disciples were remarking about how the temple was adorned with beautiful stones and with gifts dedicated to God. But Jesus said, 6 "As for what you see here, the time will come when not one stone will be left on another; every one of them will be thrown down."
7 "Teacher," they asked, "when will these things happen? And what will be the sign that they are about to take place?" (NIV)
We see here that Jesus made a statement concerning the destruction of the temple and the disciples asked him when this would happen and what sign would precede the event. Matthew records two more questions that they asked. "...and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?" Matthew 24:3 (NIV)So we have a total of four questions that will be answered.
Luke 21:9
When you hear of wars and revolutions, do not be frightened. These things must happen first, but the end will not come right away." (NIV)
This answer is for the question of when these things would happen, that is, the end of the age will not come right away. Then Jesus tells them some signs that would precede the end of the age, and his Second Coming, but these signs are pretty vague.
Luke 21:10-12
Then he said to them: "Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. 11 There will be great earthquakes, famines and pestilences in various places, and fearful events and great signs from heaven.
12 "But before all this, they will lay hands on you and persecute you. They will deliver you to synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors, and all on account of my name. (NIV)
Notice how verse 12 says "But before all this..." Verses 12 through 19 speak of the severe persecution that the early church experienced.
Luke 21:20
"When you see Jerusalem being surrounded by armies, you will know that its desolation is near. (NIV)
This is a direct answer to the question of what would be the sign that the temple was going to be destroyed. "When you see," this tells us that this is a sign.
In 70 AD the Roman army came to Jerusalem and surrounded the city and then totally destroyed it. Early Christians would have recognized this sign and in obedience they would have fled Judea.
Luke 21:22
For this is the time of punishment in fulfillment of all that has been written. (NIV)
There are many prophecies that foretell that the Israelites were to be scattered the furthermost parts of the earth. The army that surrounded the city was a sign that the fulfillment of all these were about to happen to the Jewish people.
Luke 21:23-24
How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers! There will be great distress in the land and wrath against this people. 24 They will fall by the sword and will be taken as prisoners to all the nations. Jerusalem will be trampled on by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled. (NIV)
We have seen the fulfillment of this prophecy for the past two thousand years. The times of the Gentiles will be ended at the end of the Day of the Lord. At that time the nation of Israel will be established as the premiere nation of the world.
Luke 21:25-28
"There will be signs in the sun, moon and stars. On the earth, nations will be in anguish and perplexity at the roaring and tossing of the sea. 26 Men will faint from terror, apprehensive of what is coming on the world, for the heavenly bodies will be shaken. 27 At that time they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. 28 When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near." (NIV)
Matthew gives us a clearer picture of the signs at the end so we will look at them in a bit.
We have previously determined that the abomination that causes desolation sign in Daniel 9:27 is the sign that occurs immediately before the Lord catches-up the church. Knowing this we can then know that everything in Matthew that happens before verse 15 happens during the Church age, and every thing that happens after verse 15 happens during the Day of the Lord, or the Fiery Furnace. This is a very important piece of information.
Matthew 24:9-14
"Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. 10 At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, 11 and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. 12 Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, 13 but he who stands firm to the end will be saved. 14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come. (NIV)
This section concerns the Church. The persecution mentioned here is not the early church persecution, for it says, "At that time.." and is speaking of the time just before the end of the age.
Those that teach "Once saved, always saved" are wrong, because Jesus clearly says here that many people will be deceived by false prophets and they will increase in wickedness and their love will grow cold, and that they will fall away from the faith, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved. Well, I ask you, what will happen to those who don't stand firm to the end?
Jesus is telling us here that the church at the end of the age will have most people not being saved. That is most, so be very careful what teachings you listen to, most will be bad.
Jesus then gave us the sign that would announce the end of the age, and that is the abomination that causes desolation sign, but that fact is not very clear here, but is nonetheless true.
Matthew 24:15-16
"So when you see standing in the holy place "the abomination that causes desolation,' spoken of through the prophet Daniel -- let the reader understand -- 16 then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. (NIV)
"So when you see...", another sign. This time the abomination that causes desolation sign is a sign that warns the Jews living in Judea to flee because the Day of the Lord has come. This is the time of testing for the people of Israel.
It is interesting that the 'fleeing' in Luke looks a lot like it does here in Matthew, but the two are completely deferent times. Luke speaks of the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD and the subsequent persecution of the Jewish people, and Matthew is talking of the time when the beast will enter the temple and declare that he is God and begin his persecution of the Israelites.
Jesus then tells us that the Day of Vengeance will be the worst time the world has ever gone through. The devastation that the world experiences will be so bad that had the Lord not cut its effects short no human would have survived. The Lord is going to supernaturally restore the ecology of the planet.
Isaiah 65:17-21
"Behold, I will create new heavens and a new earth. The former things will not be remembered, nor will they come to mind. 18 But be glad and rejoice forever in what I will create, for I will create Jerusalem to be a delight and its people a joy. 19 I will rejoice over Jerusalem and take delight in my people; the sound of weeping and of crying will be heard in it no more. 20 "Never again will there be in it an infant who lives but a few days, or an old man who does not live out his years; he who dies at a hundred will be thought a mere youth; he who fails to reach a hundred will be considered accursed. 21 They will build houses and dwell in them; they will plant vineyards and eat their fruit. (NIV)
The new heavens and the new earth created here is not Heaven. People are being born and people are dying, this is the earth during the Millennial Kingdom, during the time that Jesus Christ is reigning as the King.
Looking back a Matthew we then receive two warnings in a row about the fact that false Christ's will appear and deceive. We are told not to believe them, that the sign of the Coming of the Lord will be unmistakable. Now I have said that we receive the warning, but what I mean is that the Israelites receive the warning for the church has been caught-up in glory three and a half years before the events spoken of here in Matthew.
Matthew 24:29-30
"Immediately after the distress of those days ""the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.'
30 "At that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory. (NIV)
We are told directly that the darkening sun and moon is a sign of the soon coming Lord. This is the sign of Jesus official coming. He actually came for the Church three and a half years earlier, but he has been working behind the scenes, as it were, but now he comes for Israel. This is the Coming that the Israelites have been waiting for, for almost 2500 years.
Matthew 24:31
And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other. (NIV)
This is speaking of the restoration of the people of Israel. The elect referred to here is not the Church. The Church has been caught-up three and a half years before this event. This is talking about Israel.
There are many Scriptures concerning Israel that must be fulfilled. People today tend to thing that the Bible is about the Church, but it's not, it's about Israel--mostly.
We now see a greatly misunderstood statement.
Matthew 24:36
"No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. (NIV)
I hear people say all the time that Jesus could come today, because no one knows the day and the hour of his coming. This is not true. Jesus is not coming today. Now, we should always live as though he might be coming today. The prophetic scenario will be fulfilled in it entirety. All the Scriptures will be fulfilled. The man commonly referred to as the Antichrist will come and sign a seven-year treaty with the many in Israel, and the two witnesses will come and preach for three and a half years before the Lord comes. These things must come first. As Jesus said: "Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away."
At the time that Jesus spoke the words above no one knew the day and the hour, but that doesn't mean that when the time approaches we will not know. Luke gives us this warning:
Luke 21:34-36
"Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with dissipation, drunkenness and the anxieties of life, and that day will close on you unexpectedly like a trap. 35 For it will come upon all those who live on the face of the whole earth. 36 Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man." (NIV)
Luke tells us that those that are not waiting will be caught off guard, but those that are waiting will not be caught off guard. We will know and understand the events that are coming. This does not mean that all those people that are nuts over the Bible prophecies will see it coming. They will not see it coming, and they will be tossed into the Fiery Furnace along with all the rest of the unbelievers.
My friends only those people that truly love the Lord Jesus Christ will see and understand the truth. Only those that are living an obedient and righteous life will know the Lord.
Galatians 6:7
Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. (NIV)
People can say that they are Christians, but God know their hearts.
1 Thessalonians 5:1-4
Now, brothers, about times and dates we do not need to write to you, 2 for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. 3 While people are saying, "Peace and safety," destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.
4 But you, brothers, are not in darkness so that this day should surprise you like a thief. (NIV)
Paul clearly tells us that the day will not come like a thief in the night for those that are not in darkness. So, my friends, remain in the light, as he is in the light, and you will see and understand all that is coming upon the world.
Matthew 24:37-41
As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. 38 For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; 39 and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. 40 Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. 41 Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left. (NIV)
This is talking about the catching-up of the church. Again, Jesus is warning the people of the world that his coming will be unexpected for them. Please understand that since his coming will be exactly like the coming of the rains in Noah's time, that the coming of the rain was not unexpected for Noah.
Matthew 24:45-51
"Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of the servants in his household to give them their food at the proper time? 46 It will be good for that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns. 47 I tell you the truth, he will put him in charge of all his possessions. 48 But suppose that servant is wicked and says to himself, "My master is staying away a long time,' 49 and he then begins to beat his fellow servants and to eat and drink with drunkards. 50 The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. 51 He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. (NIV)
This parable is talking about the church age, and how it will seem like a long time and that people who call themselves Christians will begin to mistreat their fellow man. This is another passage that shows that the "Once saved, always saved" teaching is wrong. The person that is rejected in this story was a servant of the Lord and he was assigned a place with the hypocrites.
Notice the reference to the place of weeping and gnashing of teeth. This is a special wording to tell us that it is speaking of the Day of the Lord, that is, the Fiery Furnace of the Day of vengeance, the time of testing, the time of God's wrath.
The parable of the ten virgins tells us that all those with the Holy Spirit in them will be caught-up at his coming. Many think that they are Christian, but are not. Only those that are truly born-again are Christians. My friends, I see many, many people today that talk of the Coming Lord, but they are not true Christians, even though they go to church several times a week. A great deception has swept through the land, and most church going folks has bought it. They think that knowing the Lord is a mental thing, and not a thing of the heart. You must seek the Lord with all you heart and read the Scriptures daily, being eager to obey anything that the Lord reveals to you. Going to church is meaningless if you don't know and obey the Lord.
Concerning the parable of the Talents I will only say that the worthless servant was a servant of the Lord, but that he did not love the Lord and so he knew nothing. He was a churchgoer that was rejected. Had he read his Bible for himself he would have known that the Lord is not a hard man, but is compassionate and loving and kind.
My friends, we must be diligent in our seeking of the truth. We are clearly warned, many times, that the time near the end will be filled with false teaching. We have the Truth right in our hands if we will only open the Book and read it for ourselves, with a heart to obey whatever the Lord reveals to us.
The last parable, the one that refers to the Lord coming with all of his angels, is speaking of the Day of Judgment. This day is a thousand, or so, years from the preceding events. This day occurs after the Millennial Kingdom.
Something that I would like to point out concerning the time that the Lord will return is this. Jesus said that no one knows the day and the hour except the Father. The Father does know the day and the hour. The end times is not subject to any variation, whatsoever. Every event will occur at its exact time. The Father ordained the time before time began. Please look at this next passage.
Revelation 9:14-15
It said to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, "Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates." 15 And the four angels who had been kept ready for this very hour and day and month and year were released to kill a third of mankind. (NIV)
This passage is confirming the fact that everything is exactly laid out. The end-times will not begin one minute later, or earlier, than what God determined long ago. This is a comfort to us who know the Lord. We can rest in the knowledge that God has everything under his complete control.