By Angus Harley

What follows in this article is an exegesis of Matthew 24. There are two obvious main sections in Matthew 24: vv1-3, the setting of the temple, and the subsequent questions of the disciples; and, vv4-51, Jesus’ answer to the disciples’ questions. We can further subdivide vv4-51 into perspectives to give the following:

-vv1-3 the perspective of Jesus’ disciples;

-vv4-14 the perspective of the elect in the nations;

-vv15-28 the perspective of the elect in Judea;

-vv29-41 the perspective of the elect as a whole within the world;

-vv42-50 the perspective of the elect considered generically as disciples who serve Christ in this age.

Just before, in Matthew 23:37-39, Jesus had lamented Israel’s unwillingness to come under his Messianic protection, and in doing so he summed up Israel’s history of killing the prophets who were sent to them. In this, Jesus is condensing Israel’s history not from an Old Covenant perspective, or even an OT one as such, but from the point of view of the Christ in the midst of Jerusalem, of Judea. That this was never just about Israel, but specifically concerned with those who rejected the Christ and his prophets, is brought out in 23:35, for Jesus goes all the way back to “righteous Abel” whose blood was shed by evil Cain. This almost timeless, non-Jewish, perspective that has woven into it the rebelliousness of Israel is what lies behind Matthew 24.

Jesus’ disciples’ perspective (vv1-3)

Jesus’ comment about the temple continues the same line of thinking as before: the judgment of God upon Israel as a nation that rejected the Christ and his prophets, that devoured righteous men. Jesus’ words are directed specifically to his immediate group of disciples, the apostles. It does not seem the crowds were there at this point (cf., 26:1). Just as Jesus took aim at the city of Jerusalem itself in Matthew 23, now he targets the temple of Jerusalem.

Afterward, his disciples came to him to ask him about his comment on the temple. Their response and questions pertained to their own, current, knowledge of the Messiah’s kingdom. They understood it as a Jewish-centered event that meant judgment upon rebellious Israel, the deliverance of the faithful Israelites, the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem, the overpowering of international enemies of Israel, to then be accompanied by the new temple of Ezekiel, the New Covenant age of the Messiah, as he reigned in Jerusalem. The nations would then flow into Jerusalem in surrender to the Messiah and to worship Yahweh. The disciples wanted to know when all those things would take place. It is commonplace in the Gospels for Jesus’ apostles to ask questions and make comments that are very much so reflective of the Jewish ideas of the Christ. Let us remind ourselves that in Matthew 16:23, Jesus rebukes no less than the top apostle at that time, Peter, for his horrible understanding of the Messiah, for thinking that the Christ could never go to an accursed death.

Therein lies the greatest irony of all: the Lord is cursing Jerusalem, the temple, and Judea, for rejecting that he must be accursed on the cross! This cross-perspective is universal in application. Yes, the Gospel came to the Jews first, and they were the people of God of old. Yet, their destruction at God’s hand, their judgment, is the same form of judgment that the nations as a whole will experience for rejecting the Christ and his Gospel. If God will not spare Judea and the Jews for rejecting the Christ, he will certainly bring judgment down upon the heads of the nations who reject the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

The elect in the nations’ perspective (vv4-14)

Jesus accommodates his disciples’ questions, but he does not succumb to their theology. Thus, we cannot call their questions an interpretive key to Matthew 24.[1] Rather than a Jewish-centric model, Jesus counteracts with an international one in this section. Also, he switches from his immediate disciples to the “elect” who are out there in those nations, not gathered in Jerusalem and Judea.

Vv4-14 focus on the nations and the elect in them, so that this is a distinct section to vv15-28 that refers to the elect in Judea and the Jews. Vv4-14 is subdivided into two parts: vv4-8 and vv9-14.

Sequence then capstone: international

V14 is the capstone to the section vv4-14, for it tells us that all the preceding judgment-events let loose on the world will come to an end, implying the “end of the age” spoken of before. In other words, there is no end described as taking place ‘in’ the judgment events themselves; not one of those events is a form of the spiritual coming of the Son of Man. Rather, these events precede his physical, in-person, visible, coming, so that the precursors signal the certainty of the end. Just as importantly, notice how, in this subsection, this end has nothing to do with Rome and its invasion of Judea. For, “the end”, in context, pertains to the nations and to the perspective of the elect in the nations.

International tumult (vv4-8)

Vv4-8 focus upon the elect/disciples and their reaction to judgment-events in the nations. The season of God’s judgment via the Gospel is now upon the earth. The Gospel will stir up a multitude of fake Christs and fake comings. The physical earth will reflect this Gospel-invasion tumult in the form of earthquakes and famines. Yet, these things that happen in the world are merely the beginning of birth pangs. That is, they anticipate “the end” and the ‘birth’ of final judgment.

What the elect will encounter (vv9-14)

Vv9-14 center on the persecution of the elect as they go forward with that Gospel into these same nations. The elect must hold on to the end (until the coming of the Son of Man). For the Gospel must go out unto all the nations, stirring up hostility and enmity in every nook and cranny. These judgments and missions will expose fake prophets and fake believers for what they are.

Note how in all of this, the Gospel message of salvation is not the focus, for the concentration is upon the judgment of God upon the nations, because this reflects the new state of play introduced by the Gospel’s entry into the world. The elect are being tested in all these things as to their reading of the times: they must see these things as precursors to the Son of Man’s return. Just as importantly, the judgment events are vitally testing the elect, separating them from fake Christs, prophets, and fake disciples. For the fake will not endure to the end, just as fake disciples will be indolent at the time of Jesus’ sudden return (Matt.25).

That nation fights against nation (v7), Jesus’ disciples are hated by the nations (v9), and the Gospel goes to the nations (v14), demonstrate the international scope of God’s Gospel-judgment. The “times of ignorance” were over, and the Gospel was advancing as a form of salvation-judgment on the nations (Acts 17:22-31). All of these things in the nations were markers for the coming of the Son of Man at “the end”.

The elect in Judea’s perspective (vv15-28)


The next main section is vv15-28. It focuses on the judgment-events in Judea that are the precursors of the Son of Man’s visible, in-person, Second Coming. His Coming is not found in the judgment-events themselves.

Sequence then capstone: Judean

It is no coincidence that the language of the Son of Man’s return in vv27-28 is not directly attached to the temple-event itself of v15, for the temple’s destruction is one significant facet among many others of the Gospel-judgment of God within Judea as a whole. In other words, as before, in vv4-14, we have an enumeration of events considered as precursors (vv15-26), which are then capped off by the concept of the end in the Son of Man’s return (vv27-28).

Judean perspective (vv15-16)

Vv15-16 reorient the reader in a new perspective: a Judean one, “then those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains”. Plainly, the abomination of desolation pertains to these Judeans, not to the nations, or to the elect in the nations.

The use of “Therefore when” (Gk. hotan oun) relates to the union between the judgment events in the nations and those in Judea, for the Judean tribulations turn the attention to the elect in the midst of a nation that is being dismantled for its rebellion against God’s Christ and his Gospel elect.

The Judean nature of this destruction is underscored by the fact that Jerusalem itself, or its city, is not cited. It is certainly implied, of course, yet it is not the focus. It will be counter-argued that Luke explicitly states that Jerusalem was surrounded by the Romans (Lk.21:20-24), and that, as we saw, Matthew 23 refers to Jerusalem’s demise. Nonetheless, Luke is not Matthew, and he does not mention it, for it is not the city’s or temple’s destruction that is Jesus’ focus: it is the tribulations in Judea. It is a panoramic, Judean, vista, not a city-temple one.

This, once more, puts stress on PP’s claim that the temple and Jerusalem’s downfall are the mark of the Second Coming, spiritually speaking, of the Son of Man. In fact, we can go one stage further. In Luke 21:10-24, he blobs together the various tribulations, both internationally and nationally in Judea. These as a whole are considered to be the tribulations that precede the return of Christ (Luke 21:25ff.).

As the previous sub-section, the elect in Judea will be persecuted unto death, but must persevere to the end. Many false Christs and false prophets will arise. Many will say that the Christ has returned, but he has not. For one must not confuse the judgment-events and the going forth of the Gospel of the Christ with his return.

Unequalled great tribulation (v21)

The calamity about to fall on Judea was, is, and will remain, unparalleled in the history of this evil age. Many commentators read this in a literal fashion, and conclude that there has never been such a radical destruction of a nation in the history of mankind than the ending of the Jews in the first century.

This is not so. One can think of Japan’s utter destruction in World War Two, or the wiping out of whole civilizations. Ironically, we can also cite the Nazi’s attempt to extinguish all Jews. Jesus’ meaning must be interpreted according to its Christological import. The destruction of the temple and Judea’s punishment by the Romans was not quantitatively, as to the material and human aspects, the evilest event ever. The distress that Jesus speaks of pertains to its qualitative or spiritual nature: it indicates that Rome’s destruction of the temple was the ultimate expression of divine anger against a people, the Jews, supposedly given over to obedience to the God of heaven and of earth. For unlike Noah’s day, the Judeans had had the Christ in their midst, yet rejected his Gospel, his miracles- the Spirit’s work- and then murdered him. No greater spiritual evil had ever been perpetrated; no greater spiritual judgment was ever executed by God. Yet, even that judgment is but a prophetic pointer to the final, greater, judgment to come when the Son of Man does return at the end (not in the temple’s destruction).

Visibility of return (vv27-28)

It goes against the grain of the text and its context to imply that the coming of the Son of Man is not visible in these verses. The entire logic of Jesus’ statement is built on the premise of the Son of Man’s absence (invisibility!) only to suddenly return in final judgment (visibility!). Moreover, this judgment is not only final, it is in-person. The false prophets are not wrong to say that Christ will physically return, in-person; yet, they are false prophets because no one knows when he will return.

The two illustrations of his return that are given by Jesus demonstrate the above points. Jesus’ return will be as visible as the flashing of lightning across the sky that comes suddenly. He will not be locked into a place, whether a desert or a building, at his coming. Again, this undermines the temple-return argument. The point is that the entirety of Judea, and by extension the world, is going to be hit hard, fast, and without warning. As to the eagles or vultures’ illustration, Jesus is simply reinforcing what he’s stated all along: that the certainty and nearness of the Second Coming is signified by the presence of prior judgment-events, just as a corpse is marked out by gathering eagles or vultures. On that note, it matters not whether Jesus is implying the Roman eagles of the Roman armies, for Jesus’ prophetic method is using the judgment events of Judea as a foretaste of the greater judgment at the end of the age and the Son of Man’s actual return.

The elect in the world’ perspective (vv29-41)

From the Judean angle, Jesus moves on to that of a worldwide perspective for his elect. This is not the international (nations) perspective referred to before, for it excluded Judea. The world perspective is inclusive of the nations and of Judea, both considered as one. Creation as a whole is coming into play, here. Thus, it is this section that gives us the celestial language of v29 concerning phenomenon in the sky and heavens. The Son of Man will come on the clouds of the sky. All the tribes of the earth will see him coming, and his angels will gather the elect from all the corners of the earth, from one end of the heavens to the other (vv30-31). It is also for that reason we get the reference to the passing away of heaven and earth (v35). Similarly, the coming of the Son of Man is compared to the global event of Noah’s day in which the world was flooded (vv37-39).

Vv29-41, which focus upon the worldwide nature of the Second Coming, are divided into two parts: the celestial fulfillment of the judgment-events (vv29-35), and the matter of a lack of knowledge of when this will happen (vv3-41).

Celestial judgment (vv29-35)

PP tells us that “this generation” will “see all these things”; this includes the Son of Man’s coming itself.

That view conflates the tribulations on the world with the return of the Lord. For, the “tribulations of those days” is the same tribulations, trials, and judgment-events previously described as coming upon the nations and upon Judea, including the destruction of the temple. It is “immediately after” them that the Lord will return.

That this is so is shown in Jesus’ illustration of the fig tree. The fig tree buds in one season, and this shows that the summer season of fruit is near. Jesus’ own disciples will see those tribulations, and when they do, they are meant to understand that the final judgment at the end of time, in the return of the Son of Man, is impending.

Jesus’ reference to the passing away of heaven and earth (v35) illustrates the same teaching. For what “this generation” represents, this evil age in creation, will come to an end, for the Son of Man will return to end all things, according to his inviolable word.

Tribes of the earth (v30)

In keeping with its temple motif, PP understands the phrase “tribes of the earth” (Gk. phulai tes ges) (v30) to relate to the land of Israel and its tribes, that is, ‘Jewish tribes of the land of Israel’. In support of this reading, it is said, we read of a similar phrase in Matthew 19:28, “the twelve tribes of Israel”.

However, the Greek phrase phulai tes ges is rendered literally as “tribes of the earth”, and is surely distinguished from the other Greek phrase tas dodeka phulas tou Israel, which is literally rendered, “the twelve tribes of Israel”. The one is not the other. The “tribes of the earth” are the same tribes that are referred to in Revelation 5:9, 7:4, 9; 11:9; 13:7; 14:6 as the tribes of this world.

In Matthew, the Greek term ges is rendered “land” when explicitly connected, or even associated with, with Israel and its land (2:6, 20, 20; 4:15; 9:31; 27:45), or with some other country or place (10:15; 11:24; 14:34). However, ges is rendered “earth” when referring to this world (5:5, 13, 18, 6:10, 19; 9:6; 10:29, 34; 11:25; 16:19; 17:25; 18:18, 19; 23:9, 35; 28:18).

Indeed, we see a contrast between a limited, country, use of ges and its global counterpart in Mathew 11:24-25:

“24 “Nevertheless I say to you that it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment, than for you.” 25 At that time Jesus said, “I praise You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and intelligent and have revealed them to infants.””

Sign of the Son of Man in heaven (v30)

PP thinks that this “sign of the Son of Man” is the destruction of the temple. The Son of Man in heaven will ‘appear’ on earth via the sign of the destruction of the temple. It is said that the angelic “great trumpet” playing is a symbolic action that announces the Messianic year of Jubilee. The ‘announcement’ or ‘trumpeting’ of the angels is symbolic for the going forward of the Good News of the Gospel at the time of the temple’s removal.

I will deal only with the “sign of the Son of Man” aspect, at this point, and come back to the interpretation of the angels and their trumpet. Although it is difficult to determine what precisely is meant by Matthew’s phrase “the sign of the Son of Man in the heaven”, there are a number of things we can safely conclude. For one thing, the plain import of the text is that of a visible, physical, return of the Son of Man, for all men see him and his angels. The visibility aspect is also present in the form of the visible tumult in both the celestial and terrestrial realms. Such is the detail of this sighting, that Jesus is seen to come on the clouds of heaven (the sky). Yet, in spite of all this evidence and language of visibility, we are being asked to believe, by PP, that Jesus was invisible the whole time!

PP’s reading also stated that ouranos meant ‘heaven’, the dwelling place of God, where the Son of Man was at the time of his return via the Romans. In support of this, we are referred to v36 and the “angels of heaven”.

This reading of ouranos in v30 is undoubtedly incorrect. For one thing, we have the problem of logic. How can the Son of Man be returning from heaven yet remain in heaven? Ouranos is, in context, a reference to the sky, or perhaps more accurately, to the celestial realm that includes the sky and the stars, etc., “ “But 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 the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken” ” (v29).

Some suggest that the “sign” of Jesus is the mourning of those on earth. This does not comply with the celestial nature of the sign, however. Others cite Luke 21:25 that refers to signs in the celestial and terrestrial realms. However, this view splits the difference, as it were, so that it falls short by including the terrestrial. Moreover, it uses “signs” not “sign”, singular. It is possible that the celestial upheaval is, according to Matthew, grouped together and considered the sign.

I prefer another approach: that “the sign of the Son of Man in heaven” is found in the event itself: his presence in the celestial realm, as seen by mankind, is itself the sign. This view is not uncommon. It comes under criticism, however, for equating the sign with the event that it portends: the Son of Man’s coming in the sky is a sign of what? His coming in the sky? Even so, I still think that the context bears out the Son of Man in heaven is the sign. This will take a bit of unfolding.

Whilst it is true that Jesus’ entrance into creation is the beginning of his judgment, we should nevertheless distinguish it from the actual act of judging the nations, who are on earth. This, then, bypasses the illogical position that the Son of Man in heaven is the “sign” of the Son of Man in heaven. For, Jesus’ judgment of the nations is taking place on earth. The heavenly entrance of Jesus is, in other words, a sign of the inevitability of the destruction of the nations on earth.

Matthew, more than Luke, is heavily into celestial language in regard to Jesus’ return: the sun is darkened, stars fall from the sky, the powers of heaven are shaken, and, the clouds are Jesus’ chariot of judgment. All of these events, including Jesus’ presence, are overwhelming. From an earthly point of view, the tribes of the earth melt in fear and mourn at the Son’s return. Why? Because his presence in heaven is a certain sign of his coming down to earth to judge them. The Son of Man must come to sit on “his glorious throne”, with all the nations around him, to judge all men (25:31-32). Thus, Jesus’ appearance in the heaven is ‘the’ sign, the only one necessary, to demonstrate that he is coming down to them on earth.

Does the reader see in this some irony? For in a text- Matthew 24-25- that is so full of ‘nearness’ language and forms of a sign, the ultimate sign is found in Jesus’ himself and the event of his celestial entrance, which is followed immediately by his descent to earth to judge.

It will be challenged that Jesus himself is a sign. The sign cannot be a person, it will be claimed. There is some truth to this, for the sign is not the person himself, but his action at that time, in a particular place. He, in other words, embodies the sign. This time we can call upon Luke’s help:

“29 As the crowds were increasing, He began to say, “This generation is a wicked generation; it seeks for a sign, and yet no sign will be given to it but the sign of Jonah. 30 For just as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites, so will the Son of Man be to this generation. 31 The Queen of the South will rise up with the men of this generation at the judgment and condemn them, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and behold, something greater than Solomon is here. 32 The men of Nineveh will stand up with this generation at the judgment and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and behold, something greater than Jonah is here.”” (Luke 11:29-32)

Jonah was a sign, at that time, to the Ninevites, for he preached a message of judgment. His preaching was an in-person sign of what was to come on Judgment Day. Similarly, Jesus was preaching in the midst of the Israelites, testifying to them of what will happen on Judgment Day. And as before, we saw that concerning “this generation”, judgment, in the Gospels, is always close at hand, perilously near. So much so that, in the Matthean account of the same teaching, in Matthew 12:38-42, Jesus’ death and resurrection are considered a sign of the coming of the final Judgment Day.

As stated before, the sign-presence of the Son of Man in heaven, on the Last Day, signals that those on earth, below, will be judged by him, for he is coming down to them in his great wrath. This takes the factors of signs and immediacy to a whole, new, ‘hyper-sonic’, level.

Even if this view is incorrect, one thing is clear: we do not have to resort to turning the text into a symbolically loaded sequence of events. Which brings us to the role of the angels and the great trumpet.

“on the clouds of heaven” (v30)

A literal rendition is proper, because it is known that clouds and Jesus’ glory go hand-in-glove (Matt.17:5; Acts 1:9). Acts 1:9 could not be clearer, “And after He had said these things, He was lifted up while they were looking on, and a cloud received Him out of their sight.” This confirms what is said in both Matthew 24:30 and 26:64 (also, Rev.1:7; 10:1; 14:4, 15, 16). It is readily known that this cloud-event on the Final Day is in fulfillment of Daniel 7:13, a day in which the nations are judged, not merely a temple in Israel, or the Jews themselves.

The angels and the great trumpet (v31)

Out of the fourteen uses of angelos in Matthew, only one time does it refer to a Gospel messenger (11:10), the rest of the time it indicates angels (1:20, 24; 2:13, 19; 4:11; 13:39, 49; 18:10; 22:30; 24:36, 31; 28:2, 5). In particular, the plural form of angelos is always “angels”, in Matthew. The heavenly “angels” are agents of the Son’s judgment at the end; they are not symbolizing the going forth of the Gospel. The angels are accompanying the Son of Man by sifting the elect from the non-elect, a very Matthean concept, in which all men will be judged according to their deeds (Matt.13:39, 41, 49, 27).

As the Son of Man has now returned (for the first and only time), he will bring true and final judgment. Thus, he does not in this final judgment use the Romans as a temporal form of judgment on “this generation”, as he himself is doing the judging, and he must punish all men from all time, including the Romans.

The sound of the trumpet signifies the end of time (1 Cor.15:52; 1 Thess.4:16). It is not clear whether the angels have the trumpet. Certainly, angels use trumpets in bringing God’s judgments (Rev.8:2, 6, 13; 9:14). Does 1 Thessalonians 4:16 imply that the archangel blows the trumpet? Or is it God’s doing? There is no record in the NT of God himself blowing a trumpet, even though the Son of Man’s voice is like a great trumpet (Rev.1:10; 4:1; see, Psa.47:5). Yet, Zechariah 9:14 does refer to God blowing a trumpet. Just as God came down with trumpet sound onto Mount Sinai (Exo.19:16, 19; 20:18), so the Son of Man will descend to earth from heaven with a great trumpet and its sound.  More trappings of his descent!

How does PP’s system work?

PP says that the sign of the Son of Man’s coming is the destruction of the temple itself; yet, we are also told the Son of Man comes by destroying the temple via the Romans. Which is it, then? Is the destroying of the temple the sign, or is it the coming? Why is the sign itself identified with the angels and trumpeting? For in PP’s reading the sign is the Son of Man sending forth the Romans to destroy the temple and Jerusalem. What has this to do with a trumpet of Gospel preaching going out into the nations? Does this not extend the return event itself, as seen by PP, beyond the temple and Jerusalem, out into Judea, and, more pointedly, into the nations? This is what I referred to earlier in regard to the blurring of the lines by PP as to which precise events constitute the supposed coming of the Lord in “this generation”.

Vv36-41

In this sub-section is a development of the global nature of the Son of Man’s sudden judgment at the end of time. To that end, Jesus cites the example of Noah’s day and the flood of the whole earth. The wicked generation of Noah’s day rejected the Lord’s coming judgment and God’s servant, Noah. Those evil ones continued to playout their everyday lives without any fear of the Lord’s coming judgment. Yet, suddenly the Lord sent the rain from the skies, so that the flood wiped out that evil generation; but Noah and his family were saved in the ark. So when the Son of Man returns, his judgment will be swift and merciless, separating the rebellious from the faithful, and this will take place in an everyday setting, as with Noah. People will be going about their business, and then the end will come.

Contra PP, there is in these things no hint of dual phases of the coming of the Son of Man. Just as Noah did not know when God would come in judgment upon the world, so no one knows, not even the Son, when he will return to bring judgment.

The generic perspective of the elect as disciples (vv42-51)

In these verses, the elect are considered by Christ as disciples who are to labor in the kingdom as faithful slaves. Jesus is, effectively, stripping down all perspectives mentioned before to their bare discipleship-bones. For it has never been about Judea, Jerusalem, or the temple, whether viewed negatively or positively. Nor has it been about the Jews as a special people, or elect Jews, or even disobedient Jews. In this sub-section, the elect in the world are being measured according to the faithful service as slaves to their Master in heaven. Their Master will return soon, so they must be diligent in their service to him, guarding their own hearts from the thought that he might not return. Those so-called servants, hypocrites, in the kingdom who do not actually work for him in his absence, will have their bodies cut in pieces and their souls cast into the place (hell) where there is only weeping and gnashing of teeth.

This final perspective is the ultimate one, for it is carried on forward in Matthew 25, demonstrating to us Jesus’ true intentions throughout chapter 24, even throughout Matthew itself. For he has always been concerned with saving a people who are true disciples, regardless of their status in society. Unfortunately, scholarship has so dedicated itself to Matthew 24:3-41 that it tends to peripheralize this theme, and often does not recognize that, in the end, it was always about true discipleship- thus Matthew 25.

[1] Contra Kim Riddlebarger, A Case for Amillennialism, expanded edition (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2013), 191.