His Glorious Appearing: An Exposition of Matthew Twenty-Four

by James White

Christ's Prophecy.

Jesus on the Mount of Olives

Probably no other chapter of the Bible speaks more fully, and more definitely, upon the subject of the second advent, than Matthew 24, in Christ's own words. We invite the attention of the candid reader to a brief explanation of the entire chapter.

Verse 1: “And Jesus went out, and departed from the temple; and his disciples came to him for to show him the buildings of the temple.”

Jesus had been addressing the multitude, in the presence of his disciples. He had reproved the scribes and the Pharisees for their sins, and had declared, in the previous chapter, the doom of the Jews, their city, and their temple. The disciples supposed that the temple would stand forever, and they called the attention of Christ to its magnificence and strength, and to the great stones that entered into the structure. On this point the historian of those times, Josephus, says: “Now the temple was built of stones that were white and strong, and each of their lengths was twenty-five cubits, their height was eight, and their breadth about twelve.”—“Antiquities,” book xv, chap. xi. If we compute a cubit at twenty inches, we shall be able to gain some idea of the size and “manner” of these stones.

Verse 2: “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.”

Verse 3: “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?”

This statement from the Master could not but deeply interest the disciples. And it matters not whether they supposed that the destruction of the temple, the coming of [pg 012] Christ, and the end of the age, would all occur at the same time, or at different periods, since Christ, in his answer in this chapter, has distinctly spoken of each separately, and has given each its place in the prophetic history of events. If it were their impression that the overthrow of the temple and the end of the world would occur at the same time, it by no means proves that this would be the case. As the Scriptures show, up to the time of the out-pouring of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost, their ideas upon many points were crude and inaccurate. Take as proof of this the parable which the Lord spake when he was going into Jerusalem. Luke 19. They thought that the kingdom of God should immediately appear. To correct this impression, the parable of the nobleman was spoken. If they understood the parable at the time when it was spoken, it did not fully eradicate the impression from their minds, as is proved by what they did when they entered Jerusalem. We cannot believe that they would have hailed him as the Son of David, and rejoiced before him as a King in his triumph, if they had realized that he was going into the city to be condemned and crucified as a malefactor. Palm branches and shouts of triumph did not attend the steps of the lowly and the condemned.

John admits for himself and Peter, after they had seen the empty sepulcher, that “they knew not the scripture, that he must rise again from the dead.” John 20:9.

Again, after his resurrection, Jesus reproved two of his disciples, who, though they had trusted that he would redeem Israel, were then sad and disheartened. They did not then understand that Christ ought “to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory.” The suffering part was still a mystery to them. And some of the apostles were so slow to realize that which he had spoken to them, [pg 013] that they could hardly be persuaded that he was indeed risen from the dead. And after he had been with them full forty days, speaking to them of the things pertaining to the kingdom, they did not yet understand “the times and the seasons,” and therefore asked him, “Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?”

However the matter may have been entertained in the minds of the disciples, it is evident that their query consisted of two distinct questions in the mind of the Saviour. These questions relate, first, to the destruction of Jerusalem; and, second, to Christ's second coming at the end of the world or age. They were distinctly answered by our Lord; not, however, before the promiscuous multitude; but on the occasion of a private interview with his disciples. Christ here speaks to his disciples; hence his words in this prophetic discourse are addressed especially to the church.

Verses 4, 5: “And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ, and shall deceive many.”

Jesus knew the hearts of men, and that many impostors would arise, and deceive multitudes. He here warns his disciples, and guards them against the deceptions of corrupt and ambitious men. Such was the general expectation of the appearance of the Messiah among the Jews, that many would set up the claim that they were the Christ, to carry out selfish purposes, or to gain notoriety, and the credulous people would be easily led into the deception, and then be destroyed for sedition. We are informed that in the days succeeding those of Christ, impostors arose in great numbers. Josephus tells us of an Egyptian false prophet who led 30,000 men into the desert to show them [pg 015] signs, and then brought them to Jerusalem as if to attack the city. He caused great pillage and destruction in Judea, but in the time of battle, ran away, leaving his followers to the exasperated Romans.—“Wars of the Jews,”book ii, chap. xiii.

Ancient Jerusalem

In the former part of the second century Cazibee set himself at the head of the Jewish nation and proclaimed himself their long-expected Messiah. To facilitate the success of his bold enterprise he changed his name to that of Barchocheba, alluding to the Star foretold by Balaam. Adrian raised an army, and sent it against him. He retired into a town called Bither, where he was besieged. Barchocheba was killed in the siege, the city was taken, and a dreadful havoc succeeded. The Jews themselves allow that, during this short war against the Romans in defense of this false Messiah, they lost five or six hundred thousand souls.—Buck's Dictionary.

Dr. A. Clarke says, on the authority of Josephus, that “a few years afterward, under the reign of Nero, while Felix was procurator of Judea, impostors of this stamp were so frequent that some were taken and killed almost every day.” And at intervals since then the Jews who are all the time expecting the appearance of the Messiah have been repeatedly the victims of cruel deception.

Verse 6: “And ye shall hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.”

It is proper that we should consider what is meant by the term “the end,” used in this verse; in verse 14, “then shall the end come;” and in verse 3, “the sign of thy coming, and the end of the world.” In the first place, it may be unhesitatingly claimed that the term does not refer to the end of the Jewish dispensation, which terminated at [pg 016] the crucifixion, nor to the destruction of Jerusalem, which occurred about forty years later. Because, first, Jesus treated the question concerning the destruction of the temple and that referring to his coming and the end of the world as relating to two distinct events, widely separated in time. Second, the signs which were to be premonitory of the end did not transpire before the destruction of the temple. Third, the second coming of Christ, the close of probation, the judgment, the resurrection, and the end of sin, death, and mortality, are frequently and prominently associated together in the Bible as constituting the most important epoch in human history. To limit this thrilling discourse to the local and long past destruction of Jerusalem would be to rob it of its force and grandeur. Not only would the twenty-fourth of Matthew which we are now studying be stultified, but very much of the life and power of the Scriptures would be sacrificed by such a course.

As to the meaning of the phrase, “the end of the world,” it may consistently be translated “the end of the age,” and in the margin of the Revised Bible it is rendered “the consummation of the age.” For an inspired definition of the term, let the reader turn to Matt. 13:38-40 and its context, where the same words are used and repeated in the original:—

“The tares are the children of the wicked one; the enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels. As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world. The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them that do iniquity; and shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

From Rev. 14:14-16 we learn that the harvest of the earth and the second coming of Christ are identical. [pg 017] So that by no possible means could it be established that the “end of the world” means the destruction of Jerusalem. Further evidence is found in Matt. 28:20 where the same expression, both in the original and in the translation, is used: “Lo I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world.” But no one would have the audacity to claim that this promise expired in a. d. 70, as it must have done if those questions of the disciples and the subsequent discourse of Christ related only to the impending doom of the temple and city.

Verses 7, 8: “For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. All these are the beginning of sorrows.”

Wars, famines, pestilences, and earthquakes have occurred all along since these words were spoken. Therefore, these, as they have ever existed, cannot be regarded as the especial signs of the end. It may be claimed, however, with a good degree of consistency, that the Scriptures teach that these calamities would abound in the last days to such an extent as to constitute a sign of the approaching Judgment. We wish to keep the important fact distinctly before the mind, that the sacred Scriptures do teach when men may not, and when they may, look for the second appearing of Christ.

The sacred writers have so uniformly associated such judgments as war, famine, pestilence, and earthquake, with the last Judgment, that the disciples would be in danger of concluding that the end would immediately follow the first appearance of these calamities; hence the caution given: “These things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.” Here the disciples were clearly taught that they should not expect the end in their day. This fact is worthy of the [pg 018] candid attention of those who object to the proclamation of the second advent of Christ in the form of an especial message. These sometimes assert that it was right for the disciples to look for Christ in their day, and that it has been scriptural and right for all Christians to look for the second appearing of Christ in their time, from the days of the chosen twelve to the present time. And they decide that no more can be learned and believed upon this subject in our time than by the Christians of past generations, and that the public mind should not now be moved upon this great question, any more than in all past time since the first advent of Christ.

We have seen that this position is incorrect so far as the early disciples were concerned. They are directed to the distant future as the time when their Lord should come. They are assured that they need not be troubled at hearing of wars and rumors of wars; “for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.” Our Lord then guides the minds of his disciples, as we shall see in the examination of this chapter, down over the time of the great apostasy, and the long period of the rule of papal Rome, before mentioning a sign of his second advent. He does not intimate that his people during these long periods may expect the end. No, not once. But when he comes to a later time, the Lord names signs in the sun, in the moon, and in the stars, and adds: “When ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors.”

Mark this: Our Lord does not mention wars, famines, pestilences, and earthquakes as signs of his second advent; but rather as events of common occurrence all the way through the Christian age, which must exist before the end. And history attests the fact that these calamities have [pg 019] covered at least seventeen centuries. The following is from a work of Noah Webster, LL. D., published in 1799:—

“By famine and sword, 580,000 Jews were destroyed between a. d. 96 and a. d. 180.

“In Antioch, from a. d. 96 to a. d. 180, earthquakes destroyed 13 cities and over 100,000 lives.

“In Rome, a. d. 169, pestilence destroyed 10,000 daily.

“In Rome, a. d. 187, pestilence appeared and continued three years.

“In London, a. d. 310, by famine, 40,000 died.

“In a. d. 446, September 17, an earthquake shook down the walls of Constantinople, and 57 towers fell.

“In Rome, a. d. 539, in one district 50,000 died.

“In Antioch, a. d. 588, an earthquake killed 60,000.

“In a. d. 542, the plague killed 10,000 in one day in Turkey.

“In a. d. 679, a severe famine in England, three years.

“In a. d. 717, in Constantinople, 300,000 died of plague.

“In a. d. 1005, earthquakes three months, followed by pestilence, by which it is said one third of the human race died.

“In a. d. 1077, in Constantinople, so many died by plague and famine the living could not bury them.

“In a. d. 1124, in Italy, there was such famine that the dead lay in the streets not buried; and in England one third of the people died of plague.

“In a. d. 1294, in England thousands died of famine.

“In a. d. 1346, in London, 50,000 died of plague and famine, and were buried in one grave-yard; in Norwich, 50,000; in Venice, 100,000; in Florence, 100,000; in Eastern nations, 20,000,000. It was called the black death.

“In a. d. 1352, in China, 900,000 died of famine.

“In a. d. 1427 in Dantzic, 80,000 died of plague.

“In a. d. 1570, in Moscow, 200,000 died of plague.

“In a. d. 1572, in Lyons, 50,000 died of plague.

“In a. d. 1625, in London, 35,000 died of plague.

“In a. d. 1656, in Naples, 300,000 died of plague.

“In a. d. 1665, in London, 68,000 died of plague.

“In a. d. 1755, an earthquake destroyed the city of Lisbon, killing 50,000. In Mitylene, and the Archipelago, it shook down 2000 houses. It shook all the Spanish coast. The plague followed, which destroyed 150,000 persons in Constantinople.”

Doubtless the figures in the above list should in some instances be corrected to correspond with facts. But, taken as a whole, they do not nearly represent the ravages of death in their enormity. For instance, the Encyclopedia Britannica states that Hecker estimates the celebrated “black death” of the fourteenth century in the different epidemics, to have swept away one fourth of the inhabitants of Europe, or 25,000,000 people!

Persecution And False Prophets.

Martyrdom of Huss

Verses 9, 10: “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. And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another.”

Here is a brief description of the afflictions and martyrdom of the church of Christ. Thousands of the faithful followers of Jesus were most cruelly put to death by pagan Rome; yet the prophecy doubtless applies more particularly to the long period of papal persecutions, in which not less than fifty millions of Christians were put to death in the most cruel manner that wicked men and demons could devise. In these verses we are brought down over the long period of the martyrdom of the church of Jesus Christ, to near the present generation. These verses being parallel with verses 21 and 22, this subject will be noticed again.

Verse 11: “And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.”

A true prophet is one who speaks for God. The spirit of prophecy is the testimony of Jesus. Rev. 19:10. It is Jesus Christ speaking through human lips or pen to his people. Pseudo, or false prophets, speak through the agency of wicked spirits and the power of Satan. Their work is to deceive. And while this is true of those who are under [pg 023] the direct inspiration of superior beings, good or evil, it is true in a more restricted sense that consecrated teachers of divine truth may be regarded as God's prophets; and teachers of error may properly be called false prophets. True and false prophets may be known.

The Crucifixion

The prophets of God are teachers of purity, reprovers of sin, and faithful in warning the people of coming dangers. The duties of those whom God calls to speak in his great name are clearly expressed by the sacred writers. We here quote from three of them:—

Isa. 58:1: “Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and show my people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins.”

Joel 2:1: “Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in my holy mountain. Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble; for the day of the Lord cometh, for it is nigh at hand.”

2 Tim. 4:1, 2: “I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom; preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long-suffering and doctrine.”

False prophets do not reprove the people for their sins, and do not warn them of coming danger; but they proclaim peace to the sinner. Their teachings lead from God and his word, and are such as please the unconverted mind. The inspired writers have also spoken definitely of the testimony and work of false prophets. We here give several for example:—

Eze. 13:9, 10: “And mine hand shall be upon the prophets that see vanity, and that divine lies. They shall not be in the assembly of my people, neither shall they be written in the writing of the house of Israel, neither shall they enter into the land of Israel; and ye shall know that I am the Lord God. Because, even because they have seduced my people, saying, Peace; and there was no peace; and one built up a wall, and lo, others daubed it with untempered mortar.”

Jer. 6:13, 14: “For from the least of them even unto the greatest of them, every one is given to covetousness; and from the prophet even unto the priest, every one dealeth falsely. They have healed also the hurt of the daughter of my people slightly, saying, Peace, peace, when there is no peace.”

Jer. 14:13, 14: “Then said I, Ah, Lord God! behold, the prophets say unto them, Ye shall not see the sword, neither shall ye have famine; but I will give you assured peace in this place. Then the Lord said unto me, The prophets prophesy lies in my name. I sent them not, neither spake unto them.”

After stating the duty of the faithful servant of God to preach the word, to reprove, to rebuke, and exhort with all long-suffering and doctrine, the apostle says:—

“For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; and they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.” 2 Tim. 4:3, 4.

That time has now fully come. The people choose pleasing fables, which do not disturb them in their sins, rather than the reproving, searching declarations of the word of God. They love to be deceived by the teachings of false prophets, and “say to the seers, See not; and to the prophets, Prophesy not unto us right things, speak unto us smooth things, prophesy deceits.” Isa. 30:10.

“Shall I not visit for these things? saith the Lord. Shall not my soul be avenged on such a nation as this? A wonderful and horrible thing is committed in the land; the prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests bear rule by their means; and my people love to have it so; and what will ye do in the end thereof?” Jer. 5:29-31.

The ears of the people are filled with the pleasing fables of the world's conversion, a good time coming, and that we are just entering the golden age. The threatenings of God's word on the proud, the haughty, the vain, the rich, the sinners in Zion, and those out of Zion, are kept back by [pg 025] the false teachers of these times. Many of them even dare to teach that the moral code of the ten commandments is abrogated. And as the result of such a course, and of such teaching, we see in the professed church of Jesus Christ, that