Matthew 24:1-35
Jesus left the temple and was walking away when his disciples came up to him to call his attention to its buildings. 2 "Do you see all these things?" he asked. "I tell you the truth, not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down."
3 As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately. "Tell us," they said, "when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?"
4 Jesus answered: "Watch out that no one deceives you. 5 For many will come in my name, claiming, 'I am the Christ,' and will deceive many. 6 You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. 7 Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. 8 All these are the beginning of birth pains.
9 "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.
15 "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. 17 Let no one on the roof of his house go down to take anything out of the house. 18 Let no one in the field go back to get his cloak. 19 How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers! 20 Pray that your flight will not take place in winter or on the Sabbath. 21 For then there will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now--and never to be equaled again. 22 If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened. 23 At that time if anyone says to you, 'Look, here is the Christ!' or, 'There he is!' do not believe it. 24 For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and miracles to deceive even the elect--if that were possible. 25 See, I have told you ahead of time.
26 "So if anyone tells you, 'There he is, out in the desert,' do not go out; or, 'Here he is, in the inner rooms,' do not believe it. 27 For as lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 28 Wherever there is a carcass, there the vultures will gather.
29 "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. 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.
32 "Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. 33 Even so, when you see all these things, you know that it is near, right at the door. 34 I tell you the truth, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. 35 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away. (NIV)
- To what end does Matthew 24:14 speak of?
- HINT: Matthew 24:3 - Age
- HINT: Romans 11:25 - Gentiles
- HINT: 1 Corinthians 15:51-52
- HINT: 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17
- HINT: Revelation 11:15-18
- What is this "Abomination that causes desolation" mentioned
in Matthew 24:15? Have we seen other references to it in Scripture?
- HINT: Daniel 9:27
- HINT: Daniel 8:13
- HINT: Daniel 11:31
- HINT: Mark 13:14
- HINT: 2 Thessalonians 2:4
- We have determined earlier in these studies that the Lord returns from heaven and gathers his body the Church immediately after the "Abomination that causes desolation" sign mentioned here in Matthew 24:15.
- Is the church present for the events mentioned in Matthew 24:4-14?
- Is the church living on the earth in flesh and blood human bodies
during the time mentioned between Matthew 24:16-31?
- Who is given the instruction to flee Judea when they see the "Abomination
that causes desolation" sign? Israel or the Church?
- How long will this time of great distress for Israel last?
- HINT: Daniel 9:27
- HINT: Revelation 13:1-5
- HINT: Revelation 12:6, 13-17
- HINT: Daniel 12:6-7
- What sign marks the end of this time of distress?
- HINT: Matthew 24:29
- Is this sign of the sun and moon mentioned elsewhere in Scripture?
- HINT: Isaiah 13:9-10
- HINT: Isaiah 24:21-23
- HINT: Ezekiel 32:7-10
- HINT: Joel 2:10, 31
- HINT: Joel 3:15
- HINT: Mark 13:24
- HINT: Luke 21:25-26
- HINT: Revelation 6:12-14
- How will the Lord appear? What will be the sign of his coming?
- HINT: Matthew 24:30 - Clouds
- Is this coming with the clouds mention elsewhere in Scripture?
- HINT: Matthew 26:64; Mark 14:63
- HINT: Mark 13:26
- HINT: Revelation 1
- Who will be gathered by the angels in verse Matthew 24:31?
- HINT: The church has been caught-up three and a half years before this event.
- Who were the elect from the time of Adam to the time of Abraham?
- Who were the elect from the time of Abraham to the time of Moses?
- Who were the elect from the time of Moses to the resurrection
of Jesus?
- Who are the elect from the time of the resurrection of Jesus
to the catching-up of the church?
- Who will be the elect after the Church is taken?
- REMEMBER: The church is taken then there is a thousand years before the great judgment day.
- Since the Church is taken at the time of Matthew 24:15 is fulfilled,
who are the elect mentioned in Matthew 24:22, 24, 31?
- HINT: Romans 11:25-32
- HINT: Luke 21:24
