His Glorious Appearing: An Exposition of Matthew Twenty-Four

by James White

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.