29 “Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 30 Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. 31 And he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.
The Lesson of the Fig Tree
32 “From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts out its leaves, you know that summer is near. 33 So also, when you see all these things, you know that he is near, at the very gates. 34 Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. 35 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away. Matthew 24: 29-35 ESV
Matthew 24: 29-35 Coming of the Son of Man and Lesson of the Fig Tree
12And when I saw the Lamb open the sixth seal, there was a great earthquake, and the sun became black like sackcloth of goat hair, and the whole moon turned blood red, 13and the stars of the sky fell to the earth like unripe figs dropping from a tree shaken by a great wind. 14The sky receded like a scroll being rolled up, and every mountain and island was moved from its place.… Revelation 6: 12-14
…3Their slain will be left unburied, and the stench of their corpses will rise; the mountains will flow with their blood. 4All the stars of heaven will be dissolved. The skies will be rolled up like a scroll, and all their stars will fall like withered leaves from the vine, like foliage from the fig tree. 5When My sword has drunk its fill in the heavens, then it will come down upon Edom, upon the people I have devoted to destruction.… Isaiah 34: 3-5
Immediately after the tribulation of those days - I have heard people try to fit "the tribulation of those days" into the period preceding the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A. D. There are a hosts of problems with this, including the word "immediately" which starts this sentence. Remember, during the tribulation, just like in the time written of by Jeremiah, there will be false Christs and false prophets. In Jeremiah's time, he prophesied that the Babylonian captivity would last 70 years, but the false prophets started out by saying there wouldn't even be a captivity. Then when it came, they somehow still managed to hold the people's ears, and they said it would only last for 2 years, and then we will return to the land, but they were wrong. So in the post preceding this, we see also a warning that people would say, "look, Messiah is in the desert, or over here", but Jesus tells us that there will be no guessing like that necessary, for it will be like lightning, very visible. There will be visible signs in the heavens, the sun darkened, and of course the moon reflects the light of the sun, so this will be out, the stars will fall, and the heavens themselves shaken. What happened in 70 A.D. was not this, it was localized, and here is a big problem, Jesus' return is imminent at this point, and He comes to judge the earth. It is not written in figurative language, no, Christ returns, and only cults believe that Jesus has already come back, visited the Americas, and so much more nonsense.
…9They storm the city; they run along the wall; they climb into houses, entering through windows like thieves. 10Before them the earth quakes; the heavens tremble. The sun and moon grow dark, and the stars lose their brightness. 11The LORD raises His voice in the presence of His army. Indeed, His camp is very large, for mighty are those who obey His command. For the Day of the LORD is great and very dreadful. Who can endure it?… Joel 2: 9-11
All the tribes of the earth will mourn - Again, this encompasses so much more scope, you will have the elect Jews, who have been sealed and kept hidden during the last 3.5 years of the Tribulation, the period known as the Great Tribulation. They will mourn over Christ as a long lost Son, theirs will be the confession of Isaiah 53 . There will also be those of the world who mourn in anguish, not wanting to face the Son of God, the great Judge of all the world. He is coming to reclaim what is His, and they want to hide from Him. Every knee will eventually bow, but some will only do it because of the might they see before them, but in their hearts they want Him to go away.
13And when the dragon saw that he had been thrown to the earth, he pursued the woman who had given birth to the male child. 14But the woman was given two wings of a great eagle to fly from the presence of the serpent to her place in the wilderness, where she was nourished for a time, and times, and half a time. Revelation 12: 13-14
10Then I will pour out on the house of David and on the people of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and prayer, and they will look on Me, the One they have pierced. They will mourn for Him as one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for Him as one grieves for a firstborn son. 11On that day the wailing in Jerusalem will be as great as the wailing of Hadad-rimmon in the plain of Megiddo.… Zechariah 12: 10-11
…15Then the kings of the earth, the nobles, the commanders, the rich, the mighty, and every slave and free man hid in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains. 16And they said to the mountains and the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of the One seated on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb. 17For the great day of Their wrath has come, and who is able to withstand it?”… Revelation 6: 15-17
They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds - This is Christ coming to judge the earth and to save His sheep that have made it through the Tribulation of "those days".
This is the fulfillment of the end, indicated by the sign of the abomination of desolation. Since this has not happened yet, neither has the abomination of desolation.
i. Again, those who claim that all or most of the events of Matthew 24 were fulfilled in the Roman conquest of Jerusalem and Judea in A.D. 70 are in an unenviable position. They often claim that Jesus fulfilled this coming on the clouds of heaven of the Son of Man with power and great glory by “coming” in judgment against the Jewish people in A.D. 70.
ii. Even some of those who believe that most the events of Matthew 24 were fulfilled in the fall of Jerusalem understand that this is a stretch too far. “From the foregoing exposition it appears that the coming of the Son of Man is not to be identified with the judgment of Jerusalem.” (Bruce)
They will gather His elect from the four winds - This means from all over the earth, NSEW, and this is one of the first times we see the use of the word "elect", revealing that God's redeemed are chosen. It wasn't because you were smarter than the average bear, Boo Boo, but rather because God showed you mercy.
Elect (chosen) (1588)(eklektos from verb eklego which in middle voice [eklegomai] means select or pick out for one's self which is derived from ek =out + lego =call) means literally the "called out ones" or "chosen out ones". The idea of eklektos is the ones who have been chosen for one's self, selected out of a larger number. In regard to election as related to salvation, Wuest comments that "This election does not imply the rejection of the rest (those not chosen out), but is the outcome of the love of God lavished upon those chosen-out." (Wuest)
The doctrine of election is mysterious and we will never fully comprehend it on this side of glory (cp 1Cor 13:11-12). However, Paul shows us how we are to live in the face of this doctrine (and not let it be divisive!) - "For this reason (referring to the "Gospel unchained" in 2Ti 2:9) I endure all things for the sake of those who are chosen (the elect), that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus and with it eternal glory." (2Ti 2:10-note) Paul did not know who the elect were, but he nevertheless endured for their sake and so too must we. We see a similar pattern in First Thessalonians where Paul reminds the believers at Thessalonica of God's "choice (ekloge) of you." (1Thes 1:4-note) Then he explains how their election was effected, explaining "our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction." (1Thes 1:5-note) As W A Criswell says "The word "for" introduces a clause that explains the way in which election works. However one understands this mysterious doctrine, the text makes clear its intimate relationship to the Gospel of Christ, the preached word, and the ministry of the Holy Spirit." (Believer's Study Bible Notes) - Precept Austin
Spurgeon on Election - Andrew Fuller remarks, in a letter to two relatives:: ' I used to think that the doctrine of election was a reason why we need not pray, and I fear there are many who split upon this rock, who think it is to no purpose to pray, as things will be as they will be. But I now see that the doctrine of election is the greatest encouragement instead of a discouragement to prayer. He that decreed that any one should be finally saved, decreed that it should be in the way of prayer; as much as he that has decreed what we shall possess of the things of this life, has decreed that it shall be in the way of industry; and as we never think of being idle in common business, because God has decreed what we shall possess of this world's good, so neither should we be slothful in the business of our souls, because our final state is decreed.' - Precept Austin
The Lesson of the fig tree - He has spoken to the Pharisees before about reading the signs of the sky, knowing what sort of weather it will be. It is the same with the fig, and the Lilies, and the turning of the leaves in fall, you know that it marks a time, that something else is fast approaching.
You know that He is near, at the very gates - This is the language of immediacy, the expectation is high.
This generation will not pass away until all these things take place - This is a reference to the generation alive during the Tribulation. That generation will see these things, and they will see the coming of the Lord Jesus on the clouds. Remember, the first major thing they will see, the one that will make it most clear to them anyway, will be the abomination of desolation.
As noted below, even highly respected commentators such as William Hendriksen and R C H Lenski (both of whom favor a 70AD fulfillment of Mt 24:15ff), agree that this generation is a qualitative term, not a quantitative (chronological) term referring to a kind of generation, not a time of a given generation. In other words, they both agree that "this generation" is highly unlikely to refer to the generation that was alive at the time Jesus gave the Olivet Discourse the only interpretation that supports a preterist interpretation of Mt 24:15ff.
The NET Note offers three possibilities for this generation - (1) Some take (generation) as meaning "race" and thus as an assurance that the Jewish race (nation) will not pass away. But it is very questionable that the Greek term genea can have this meaning… (2) Generation might mean "this type of generation" and refer to the generation of wicked humanity… (3) generation may refer to "the generation that sees the signs of the end" (Mt 24:30), who will also see the end itself.
While I agree the meaning of generation is controversial, my view is that the weight of Scriptural evidence most strongly supports the interpretation that Jesus was referring to the "type of generation" (see note of explanation below) that will witness the events beginning in Mt 24:15-note with the "revelation" of the Antichrist and ending with the "revelation" of the Christ in Mt 24:30-note (cp the two revelations - 2Th 2:8). Obviously, I believe the abomination of desolation in Mt 24:15-note is yet to stand in the holy place, the Temple. I am not a dispensationalist nor a preterist, but a literalist and a literal interpretation of Daniel 9:27-note calls for a 7 year treaty that is broken after 3.5 years, a specific event which has no past historical fulfillment in the first century. While the Hebrew of Daniel 9:27-note is difficult, this first portion of the verse is not difficult (i.e., the making and breaking of a covenant at the midpoint of seven years) and thus it gives the reader some very important truths to aid the understanding of Mt 24:15-note. Jesus clearly commanded the reader of Matthew 24:15 to direct his attention to Daniel. No, He did not specify Daniel 9:27 but that passage and Daniel 12:11-note (which from context of Da 12:1-note describes the same event as Da 9:27), are the writings in Daniel that most clearly relate to the abomination of desolation of Mt 24:15-note. And if one reads 2Thes 2:3-4-note, seeking a literal meaning, it is clear that Paul describes the revelation of a man who carries out an "abomination" in the holy place by taking his seat there and exalting himself over "every so-called god!" Even the ESV Study Bible note agrees that Paul is referring to the Antichrist. There is no Biblical or historical record that fulfills Paul's description in 2Th 2:3-4, so clearly it refers to a future event, an event which correlates perfectly with Jesus' warning of an abomination of desolation in the holy place in Mt 24:15-note! Note that this assessment is based on no one's system of theological interpretation! It is based on a literal reading of the text. It is only when one goes to the commentaries that one encounters considerable confusion. In fact, it is notable that none of the top five Matthew commentaries listed by Tim Challies or Ligonier ministries interpret Jesus' words in Mt 24:15-22 as descriptive of a future event. Do you think there might be some bias in their lists? It follows that if you consult those commentaries before you go to the Scripture, you will likely read Jesus' words in the Olivet Discourse with an inherent bias against a literalistic and futuristic interpretation. As I have attempted to demonstrate in the commentary notes on Matthew 24:15-34, any interpretation other than a literal interpretation encounters significant problems in trying to make a non-literal interpretation "fit." And so while I admit "this generation" in Mt 24:34 is a controversial phrase, it is patently (and intellectually) unfair to use one's interpretation of this phrase as a reason for jettisoning a literal reading of Matthew 24:15-22! "This generation" (with up to 6 possible interpretations!) should not be allowed to "trump" (be a decisive overriding factor) a literal reading of the "abomination of desolation" (Mt 24:15-note) a clear sign that will mark the starting point of the yet to occur, unprecedented time of the great tribulation (Mt 24:21-note). In fact the clear temporal association of the abomination of desolation with the unique great tribulation (When in Mt 24:15, Then in Mt 24:21-note Daniel 12:11-note), strongly supports a futuristic interpretation because the distress in 70AD was not UNIQUE and falls well short of the Jewish distress in World War II. While one might say 70AD foreshadowed the ultimate great tribulation, one cannot in all fairness interpret the great tribulation as fulfilled in 70AD, unless one spiritualizes or twists the plain meaning of Jesus' words!
In sum, this generation could refer to the evil type of generation that will exist until Jesus returned. Alternatively, MacArthur interprets it as the generation which would be alive at His Second Coming. Hiebert seems to combine these two interpretations of this generation writing that "It seems best to preserve the natural meaning of generation as denoting the people alive at a given time and accept the view that the reference is to that future, turbulent, wicked generation that will see the actual beginning of those eschatological events." The view that this generation refers to the one that was alive when Jesus spoke these words is untenable! - Precept Austin
Heaven and earth will pass away - God's word will remain, and so we should put a higher value on this than that which is passing. God's word must be above our feelings, our wants, and what we would wish to be right. Let us see God's word above every human throne and idea. Lord, thank you for your word, let it hold the place of highest honor in my heart.
1Of David. I give You thanks with all my heart; before the gods I sing Your praises. 2I bow down toward Your holy temple and give thanks to Your name for Your loving devotion and Your faithfulness; You have exalted Your name and Your word above all else. 3On the day I called, You answered me; You emboldened me and strengthened my soul.… Psalm 138: 1-3
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