Matthew 24:1
Outline:
I. \\#Matt 1:1-3:17\\ The Presentation of the King
II. \\#4:1-7:29\\ The Person of the King
III. \\#8:1-11:1\\ The Power of the King
IV. \\#Matthew 11:2-14:13\\ Decisions Concerning the King
V. \\#Matt 14:13-16:12\\ Training the Disciples
VI. \\#Matt 16:13-20\\ Decision by the Disciples
VII. \\#Matthew 16:21-20:28\\ Final Instructions of the King
VIII. \\#Matt 21:1-28:15\\ The Holy Week
A. \\#Matt 21:1-11\\ Sunday, Nisan 10-One week before
the resurrection
1. Jesus’ Triumphant Entry
2. Jesus "looks" in the temple.
3. Jesus returns to Bethany in the evening.
B. \\#Matt 21:12-17\\ Monday, Nisan 11
1. Jesus curses the fig tree.
2. Jesus cleanses the temple.
3. Jesus teaches the people.
4. Jesus returns to Bethany for the night.
C. \\#Matt 21:18-26:16\\ Tuesday, Nisan 12
1. Jesus teaches from the cursed fig tree.
\\#Matt 21:18-22, Mark 11:20-25\\
2. Jesus teaches from the temple.
\\#Matt 21:23-23:29\\
\\#Mark 11:27-12:44\\
\\#Luke 20:1-21:4\\
(a) \\#Matt 21:23-27\\ His authority
(b) \\#Matt 21:28-32\\ Parable - It is not too
late to do the right thing.
(c) \\#Matt 21:33-46\\ Parable - Judgment will
come to Israel for what they are about to
do.
(d) \\#Matt 22:1-14\\ Parable - If the Jews will
not come, others will.
(e) \\#Matt 22:15-46\\ The Jews try to trap
Jesus.
(f) \\#Matt 23:1-12\\ Teachings from the wrong
behavior of the Pharisees.
(g) \\#Matt 23:13-33\\ Woes Against the
Pharisees.
(h) \\#Matt 23:34-39\\ A curse against Israel.
3. Olivet Discourses
\\#Matt 24:1-25:46\\
\\#Mark 13:1-37\\
\\#Luke 20:1-21:4\\
(a) \\#Matt 24:1-3\\ The Setting
(b) \\#Matt 24:4-12\\ The Common Signs
(c) \\#24:12-14\\ The Close Signs
(d) \\#Matt 24:15\\ The Countdown Sign
(e) \\#Matt 24:16-31\\ The Afters
(f) \\#Matt 24:32-25:46\\ The Exhortations
4. The Evil Ones
\\#Matt 26:1-5, 14-16\\
\\#Mark 14:1-2, 10-11\\
\\#Luke 22:2-6\\
\\#John 13:2\\
5. Passages not yet discussed
\\#Matt 26:6-13\\
\\#Mark 14:3-9\\
D. \\#Matt 26:17-75\\Wednesday, Nisan 13
1. A New Day
\\#Matt 26:17\\
\\#Luke 21:38-22:1\\
\\#Mark 14:12\\
\\#John 13:1\\
2. Prepare the Passover
\\#Matt 26:17-19\\
3. The Meal - Technically, Thursday began at sunset.
\\#Matt 26:20-30\\
4. The Mount of Olives
\\#Matt 26:31-56\\
5. Caiaphas’ \\#Matt 26:57-75\\
E. \\#Matt 27:1-61\\ Thursday, Nisan 14 (Passover)
F. \\#Matt 27:62-66\\ Friday, Nisan 15 (First day of
Unleavened Bread)
G. \\#Matt 28:1-15\\ Sunday, Nisan 17 (Resurrection and
Feast of First Fruits)
We are well into "teaching Tuesday." Jesus taught at the cursed
fig tree \\#Matt 21:18-22, Mark 11:20-25\\, in the temple
\\#Matt 21:23-23:29, Mark 11:27-12:44, Luke 20:1-21:4\\, and now as
we begin Matthew chapter 24, Jesus leaves the temple and begins to
move toward the Mount of Olives, hence, we begin what are called the
Olivet Discourses \\#Matt 24:1-25:46, Mark 13:1-37, Luke 20:1-21:4\\.
I. \\#Matt 24:1-3\\ The Setting
A. \\#1\\ The Prompt
1. "And Jesus went out, and departed from the temple"
Jesus has been in the temple teaching since
\\#Mt 21:23\\.
2. "disciples came… to shew him the buildings of the
temple." - I wonder every time I read this, why?
Jesus was no earthly foreigner to the temple. He
was, in His incarnation, a righteous Jewish male who
was required to attend the temple several times in
a year. What made the disciples think they needed
to show Jesus the temple?
B. \\#2\\ The Prophecy - "There shall not be left here one
stone upon another…." This prophecy was literally
fulfilled by General Titus in 70 AD.
C. \\#3\\ The Question - "When shall these things be? What
shall be sign of they coming, and of the end of the
world?"
1. As mentioned, the prophecy Jesus gave has already
been fulfilled once. However, there is nothing that
says it will not happen again.
a. Jesus may have been speaking of the fulfillment
of 70 AD; however, He being God, may be looking
at a more distant fulfillment.
b. We know that Jerusalem will fall again.
Zech 14:2 For I will gather all nations against
Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be
taken, and the houses rifled, and the women
ravished; and half of the city shall go forth
into captivity, and the residue of the people
shall not be cut off from the city.
c. Perhaps the walls of Jerusalem will again fall
on this day. The text does not say.
2. Regardless, as Jesus answers the disciples’ questions,
He skips over the near-at-hand fulfillment of His
prophecy and relates to them the signs and time
conditions of His coming to set up His kingdom.
a. That is, in part, what the disciples asked when
they added the phrase "and of the end of the
world?" The end of the world was not near at
end in 70 AD, but when Jesus comes to establish
His kingdom, it will be.
b. Christians need to understand. There is nothing
in these two chapters that speaks of the rapture.
c. These are Jewish men, standing outside the Jewish
temple, asking of the Jewish Messiah the signs
of His coming to a Jewish nation.
II. \\#Matt 24:4-12\\ The Common Signs
A. \\#4\\ "Take heed that no man deceive you."
1. Jesus begins by giving signs which will be common to
every generation. In fact, these signs are so
common that they are no signs at all.
a. Jesus’ point in mentioning them was to tell us
what IS NOT A SIGN of His coming. Notice…
Matt 24:6 … see that ye be not troubled: for
all these things must come to pass, but the
end is not yet.
Matt 24:8 All these are the beginning of
sorrows.
b. Without this passage, Christians would be pronged
to sounding a false warning about the coming of
Jesus. When the boy cries "Wolf" too often, the
effect of the warning is lost.
2. The fact that these are common signs means…
a. They are signs that will gradually worsen
throughout the entire waiting period. That is,
we will see a steady increase in these conditions
from Jesus’ time until He returns to set up His
kingdom.
b. They are signs that will cycle throughout the
entire waiting period. That is, there will be
times when these signals will increase to a
climax, then regress, only to climax again at a
later time.
c. I can testify that I have seen an increase in
these signs during my lifetime.
B. \\#5-12\\ The Signs
1. \\#5\\ "Many shall come… saying, ‘I am the
Christ.’" And in conjunction with that sign, they
shall be very effective, i.e. "shall deceive many."
2. \\#6\\ "ye shall hear of wars and rumors of war…"
3. \\#7\\ Not only will there be rumors, but there will
be many actual wars, i.e. "nation shall rise against
nation, and kingdom against kingdom."
4. In addition, "there shall be famines, and pestilences,
and earthquakes, in divers places."
5. \\#9-10\\ Persecution of the Elect
6. \\#11\\ "…many false prophets shall rise." And the
verse goes on to say they will be effective.
7. \\#12\\ "iniquity shall abound" - Evil and wicked
behavior will become more open, more brazen, more
accepted, and more wicked.
8. "…the love of many shall wax cold."
a. The word "because" at the beginning of this verse
shows a cause-effect relationship.
b. Because iniquity is more common and accepted, the
natural love and loyalty between family,
friends, and co-laborers fails.
III. \\#Matt 24:12-14\\ The Close Signs
A. \\#14\\ Jesus’ coming is much closer now.
1. We saw in \\#Matt 24:6,8\\ that our Lord was lowering
expectations for Him to come.
2. "and then shall the end come"
a. However, in \\#14\\, He is raising the expectation
of His coming.
b. When the sign(s) that Jesus gives in this section
are fulfilled, you can KNOW that the time for
Jesus to establish His kingdom are close.
B. \\#12-13\\ A possible connection?
1. I placed \\#12\\ into the Common Signs, but I believe
it might should go into the Close Signs category.
2. The reason I think so is because the "But" of \\#13\\
seems to go with \\#12\\, and \\#13\\ seems to
provide a natural break between the two groups.
3. The Common Signs, although common, are still events
which must be endured; but there is a definite
increase in the severity of affliction by \\#13\\.
4. By \\#13\\, the severity is so great, a blessing is
promised to those who stay faithful.
5. The blessing is a type of salvation.
C. What kind of salvation?
1. Since this prophecy is being given to those who are
spiritually saved, I think it is a reference to a
physical salvation.
2. That is, if you can live until "the end," which I
believe to be the time that Jesus comes to establish
His kingdom, you will be physically delivered from
those who are seeking to do you physical harm.
3. This type of deliverance is seen in both the Old and
New Testament passages which describe the Lord’s
coming.
Zech 14:3 Then shall the LORD go forth, and
fight against those nations, as when he
fought in the day of battle.
Rev 19:15 And out of his mouth goeth a sharp
sword, that with it he should smite the
nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of
iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the
fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.
D. The Sign(s)
1. \\#12\\ As already mentioned, one sign could be
the increase in iniquity and the love of many running
cold. If so, we are certainly seeing a fulfillment
of these, and it would indicate that we are much
closer to the Lord’s final appearing.
2. \\#14\\ "this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached
in all the world."
a. The sign that is certainly a close sign of the
Lord’s coming to establish His kingdom is the
availability of the gospel to all people groups.
b. It seems certain that we are living in such a
time. While there is still a great deal of the
world which does not have a personal, clear,
gospel presentation, most of the world has some
exposure to the gospel in one fashion or another.
c. This is a definite sign that we are near to the
Lord’s coming and kingdom.
IV. \\#Matt 24:15\\ The Countdown Sign
A. "the abomination of desolations"
1. This is the one, end-time sign which is definitive
because it is a specific, singular event.
2. To understand this event, one must understand Daniel
nine.
B. Daniel 9:24-27 is a calendar for the nation of Israel.
Daniel 9:24 Seventy weeks are determined upon
thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish
the transgression, and to make an end of sins,
and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and
to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to
seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint
the most Holy.
1. All of Israel’s future is defined in the term
"seventy weeks."
a. The Greek word for weeks means a unit of measure,
such as seven days or seven weeks, or seven
years.
b. Some believe it means seven years (myself
included).
c. Seventy times seven years would be 490 years.
25 Know therefore and understand, that from
the going forth of the commandment to restore
and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the
Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore
and two weeks: the street shall be built
again, and the wall, even in troublous times.
26 And after threescore and two weeks shall
Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and
the people of the prince that shall come
shall destroy the city and the sanctuary;
and the end thereof shall be with a flood,
and unto the end of the war desolations are
determined.
2. So from the time the commandment was given to rebuild
Jerusalem until the Messiah would be cut off will be
7 + 60 + 2 - 69 weeks or 483 years.
a. The Weeks
(1) The 69 weeks are divided into three groups,
a group of seven sevens (49 years), and then
of sixty-two sevens (434 years), and that
leaves one week.
(2) The weeks start with \\#Neh 2:1-8\\, which
occurred in Nisan, 445 BC.
(3) The first set of seven weeks takes us to
397BC and the end of the Old Testament.
(4) Sixty-two more sevens takes us to exact day
that Jesus rode into Jerusalem for the
triumphant entry.
McGee, J. V. (1991). Vol. 26: Thru the Bible commentary: The Prophets
(Daniel). Based on the Thru the Bible radio program. (electronic ed.)
. Thru the Bible commentary (157). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.
b. The cutting off of the Messiah means His death.
(1) Notice that Messiah’s death does not happen
as part of the 69 weeks or the 70th week.
(2) \\#Dan 9:26\\ says it is AFTER the 69th
week and the 70th week does not start until
the prince confirms the covenant
\\#Dan 9:27\\.
(3) It and the destruction of city and temple
happen IN-BETWEEN the 69th and 70th weeks.
(4) While the destruction of the city (70 AD)
did happen in the church age, it is likely
that Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection
occurred in a time period all to itself, one
that is for but not apart of any other.
c. Then "the people of the prince" shall come and
destroy the city and the sanctuary.
(1) The people are the Romans who came in 70 AD.
(2) The prince, I believe, is Satan.
(3) Once that happens, desolations will be upon
that city until the end. (Even to this day
that land is being fought over.)
d. Daniel did not see or mention the time period that
interrupted the 70 weeks calendar God had
outlined for the Jews.
(1) That interruption is our church age, called
the Age of Grace.
(2) Once Messiah was cut off and the city and
sanctuary destroyed, the Jewish calendar
stopped and the church age began.
(3) As abruptly as the church age begin, so it
will stop with the rapture.
(4) Once the rapture occurs, the last seven years
of Jewish history will resume. We call that
the Tribulation.
(5) Daniel writes of that week in the next
verse.
27 And he shall confirm the covenant with
many for one week: and in the midst of the
week he shall cause the sacrifice and the
oblation to cease, and for the overspreading
of abominations he shall make it desolate,
even until the consummation, and that
determined shall be poured upon the desolate.
3. The last week
a. One "shall confirm the covenant" with Israel for
the last seven years.
(1) I believe the "he" of that verse is the
"prince of \\#26\\.
(a) The Roman Cesar died long ago, but the
Evil One still abides.
(b) The actual man who serves Satan is not
as important as the power behind the
man; however, this man will likely be
the anti-Christ or one of his
forerunners.
(2) The word "confirm" means "prevail, to be
strong."
(3) It indicates that the covenant or treaty
brokered with Israel by this prince will be
"forced" upon Israel.
b. Then, "in the midst of the week he shall cause the
sacrifice and the oblation to cease…."
(1) "midst" means middle or half-way.
(2) 3 1/2 years into the seven years, the prince
will force the worship to stop.
c. "for the overspreading of abominations" - He will
commit abominations in the place of worship.
d. And in doing so "he shall make it desolate"; that
is, his actions will cause the temple to be
desolate, unusable.
e. Hence, we have out term, "the abomination of
desolation" that was spoken of by the Prophet
Daniel.
C. So what is the one definite, Countdown Sign?
1. It will be Israel is forced into a seven-year treaty
by a power who then violates the treaty half-way
through it and desecrates the temple so badly that
it can not be used again.
2. When that happens, you can know for absolute certainty
that Jesus is coming very soon to establish His
kingdom.
3. While we must wait for the prophecy to fulfilled to
know all things for certain, I believe that this is
a reference to the seven-year tribulation, to the
treaty that anti-Christ will force upon Israel, and
to how he will break that treaty at the mid-point of
the tribulation.
4. During the last 3 1/2 years of that treaty, the anti-
Christ will persecute the Jews and millennium saints
with a fierceness such as the world has never seen.
V. \\#Matt 24:16-31\\ The Afters
A. \\#16-28\\ After the Abomination of Desolations
1. \\#16-20\\ Flee Jerusalem and Israel
a. \\#16\\ Get out of Judaea. That is Judah, the
southern part of Israel where the city of
Jerusalem is located.
b. \\#17-18\\ Get out quick! Don’t go back into your
house to get your possession or even to gather
clothing.
c. \\#19-20\\ God help you if anything slows you
down! That includes your children, weather, or
even the Sabbath laws.
d. Why?
2. \\#21-22\\ This is great tribulation!
a. By this time, the Jews are half-way through the
seventieth week. That means they have been in the
tribulation for 3 1/2 years, but the last half
will be far worse than the first! It is called
the GREAT tribulation.
b. \\#21\\ This is a time like the WORLD has not
seen. That phrase indicates this trouble will
be WORLDWIDE.
c. \\#22\\ It is so bad that if God did not shorten
the days of it, all of humanity would perish!
(1) I assume that by shortening the days the
Lord meant instead of it being seven full
years it will only be 3 1/2 years.
(2) The Lord makes it clear that the severity of
the tribulation is shortened for the sake of
those who will come to trust Jesus during
the tribulation.
(a) That means people will be saved during
the tribulation.
(b) And it means that those who are saved
during the tribulation will suffer with
those who are unsaved.
3. \\#23-28\\ False Christs
a. Jesus has already given us the warning of false
Christs.
b. \\#Matt 24:5\\ It was one of the Common Signs. So
why repeat it now?
c. \\#24\\ Because during the tribulation, the anti-
Christ will make a compelling, believable
counterfeit with "great signs and wonders." So
much so that if God does not protect them, even
the "elect" will believe him.
d. \\#25-26\\ SO DON’T BELIEVE THEM!
e. How can we know who is the Christ?
(1) Christ will not just show up on the earth!
(a) He will not suddenly appear in a bedroom
or a desert!
(b) \\#27\\ Every FUTURE visit Jesus makes
will be spectacular in nature to those
to whom He is appearing, like a bolt
of lightning shooting around the world!
1Thess 4:16 For the Lord himself shall
descend from heaven with a shout, with the
voice of the archangel, and with the trump
of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise
first:
Rev 1:7 Behold, he cometh with clouds; and
every eye shall see him, and they also which
pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth
shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen.
(2) \\#28\\ When Jesus comes, His people will
come to Him, like eagles to a carcase.
(a) Some do not like the fact that Jesus
used the image of a dead carcase to
represent Himself at His coming.
(b) Even so, that does seem to be the most
straightforward understanding of what
the passage is a saying.
(c) And since the eagle is the symbol of the
mature believer in the Bible, it may be
that the Lord was emphasizing the
the believer’s ability to recognize the
Christ as the eagle more than the
carcase to identify the Christ.
(d) Regardless, the point is that when Jesus
comes, His people will gather to Him.
B. \\#29-31\\ After the Tribulation
1. \\#29\\ There will be cosmic signs.
a. There will be three such signs.
(1) The sun and moon shall be darkened - That
does not mean they will cease to give light
altogether.
(2) Stars will fall from the heavens.
b. These heavenly acts will indicate that the power
which holds the heavens together has been shaken.
c. A similar sign occurs at the beginning of the
tribulation.
Rev 6:12 And I beheld when he had opened the
sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great
earthquake; and the sun became black as
sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as
blood;
13 And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth,
even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs,
when she is shaken of a mighty wind.
14 And the heaven departed as a scroll when it
is rolled together; and every mountain and
island were moved out of their places.
(1) These two heavenly signs are like bookmarks.
(2) They mark the beginning and end of the
tribulation.
2. \\#30\\ There will be a heavenly sign.
a. Jesus referred to this as the "sign of the Son of
man in heaven."
b. This sign is somewhat unclear.
(1) I know of no other heavenly sign from the
Scriptures, and some say that Jesus’ coming
is the sign.
(2) However, from the remainder of the verse, it
appears that Jesus is not seen coming until
AFTER this sign is seen in the heavens.
(3) Once the sign is seen, it is immediately
understood by the Jews for they begin to
mourn.
(4) At present, we are limited but God could give
a sign to the Tribulational saints that we
know nothing of.
3. There will be a reaction - The Jews will mourn.
Although the Jews come to accept Jesus as their
Messiah at the mid-point of the tribulation, there
will still be many years of rejection and even the
crucifixion for which they will be responsible.
4. The Son of man will return! This is the return of
Jesus that every eye shall see.
5. \\#31\\ God will send forth the angels.
a. It appears that the angels will have two jobs.
(1) Here they are sent to gather the saved from
across the earth and bring them to Jesus.
(2) This might be the time of the judgment
of His servants \\#Matt 25:14-30\\.
b. But the Bible also speaks of the angels gathering
the unsaved for a judgment.
(1) Jesus closed the Parable of the Tares with
these words.
Matt 13:41 The Son of man shall send forth
his angels, and they shall gather out of his
kingdom all things that offend, and them
which do iniquity;
42 And shall cast them into a furnace of
fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of
teeth.
43 Then shall the righteous shine forth as
the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who
hath ears to hear, let him hear.
(2) This might be the Judgment of the Nations as
discussed in \\#Matt 25:31-46\\.
VI. \\#Matt 24:32-25:46\\ Exhortations
A. \\##Matt 24:32-35\\ Parable of the Fig Tree
1. This parable deals with the timing of the Lord’s
coming.
2. \\#32-33\\ This will be the second time on that
Tuesday that Jesus taught using a fig tree.
a. \\#Matt 21:18\\ Tuesday begins. Jesus had cursed
the fig tree on Monday \\#Mark 11:12-14\\. The
disciples saw the withered fig tree on Tuesday
morning as they were going back to Jerusalem
\\#Mark 11:20-22\\, and Jesus used it as an
object lesson to teach on faith and prayer.
b. I told you then that I believe the cursing of the
fig tree was also symbolic as to what was about
to happen to Israel. Jesus had come to Israel
looking for fruit. He found none. Now, because
of what Israel was about to do concerning Jesus,
they would be cursed.
c. I also believe this parable has to do with Israel.
3. There is NOTHING in either of these texts which
demands that Israel be the fig tree.
a. However, it has been suggested by others and I
desire to believe that it is true, that the
budding of the fig tree is a reference to Israel
becoming a nation.
b. The whole point of this parable is to give the
reader SOMETHING that he can associate with
Jesus’ kingdom coming.
(1) Israel becoming a nation could certainly be a
logical, world-wide sign.
(2) However, the fig tree could also be a
reference back to the one sure sign that
Jesus gave earlier \\#Matt 24:15\\, the
abomination of desolations. Such an
interpretation would fit the context. In
fact, considering that this passage deals
with Jesus returning to establish His
kingdom, an argument can be made that it
serves the context better.
4. \\#34\\ The budding of the fig tree starts a
generational clock for Jesus’ coming to set up His
kingdom.
a. Again, these events are not describing the rapture
but the coming Jewish kingdom.
b. Jesus said that once the fig tree buds, that
generation will not have died out until all the
things Jesus is prophesying (the tribulation and
His coming) have been fulfilled.
c. If the budding fig tree is Israel becoming a
nation (1948), then within 80 years (and that is
stretching the meaning for a generation), the
tribulation should be completed and Jesus should
have returned.
5. As for me, I will continue to count down from the re-
birth of Israel as a nation until that time is no
longer reasonable.
a. Stretching the definition of a generation to its
most further extent, around 80 years, that would
be around 2028.
b. Should it happen that I am still alive and the Lord
has not come, I will not doubt God’s Word but will
begin to consider that my desire for this prophecy
was wrong.
c. WE DON’T HAVE LONG TO WAIT.
6. \\#35\\ Jesus assured us that His word, specifically
all of these words relating to His return to
establish His kingdom, would not change or fail.
a. That would insinuate that the interpretations of
these parables are to be understood.
b. How else would we know when it came to pass?
B. \\#Matt 24:36-41\\ Parable of Noe’s Days
1. This parable deals with the conditions at the Lord’s
coming.
2. \\#36\\ Although Jesus gave us the parable of the fig
tree telling us within a generation when He will
return to establish His kingdom, no one will know
the exact day of that event.
a. By "no one," Jesus includes Himself and the angels
of God. Does that make Jesus inferior to God?
b. No. Jesus laid aside many of His attributes
while robed in flesh. His omniscience was one
of them.
3. \\#37\\ This parable compares Jesus coming to the
days of Noah. How so?
a. The people in Noah’s day, if they had believed
the preaching of Noah, would have known the
flood was coming in the lifetime of Noah but not
the exact day. Whatever the parable of the
fig tree, Jesus’ coming will be within the
lifetime of the generation who lives when that
even occurs.
b. \\#38-39\\ The people in Noah’s day partied hard,
oblivious to the imminent judgment that came
upon them. So will the generation who lives when
Jesus comes to establish His kingdom.
c. \\#40-41\\ The people in Noah’s day were quickly
taken in judgment, so much so that some were
working when the judgment came. That would
imply they were going about their normal duties,
totally unaware of what was to take place. So
will the people of that generation be quickly
taken in judgment when Jesus comes to establish
His kingdom.
C. \\#Matt 24:42-44\\ Parable of the Thief
1. This parable teaches us to watch for the Lord’s
coming.
2. \\#42\\ Because we do not know exactly when our Lord
will come and because it will happen quickly, we
are commanded to watch for it; that is, we are to
always be ready for Jesus to return.
3. \\#43\\ The faithful are to be as prepared for Jesus’
kingly coming as they are for a thief who might
break in to their home.
a. While no one ever knows when a thief might come,
we have all taken some precautions so that if or
when one comes, we are as prepared as we can be.
b. \\#44\\ So the faithful should be watching for
the coming of Jesus.
D. \\#Matt 24:45-51\\ Parable of the Faithful and Faithless
Servant
1. This parable teaches us to work until the Lord’s
coming.
2. \\#45\\ "whom his Lord hath made ruler over his
household" - This parable is directed toward the
saved who know that they have a charge from Christ.
That would include all Christians.
3. \\#46-47\\ The servant who continues to serve until
Jesus returns will be both blessed and rewarded for
his faithfulness.
a. That may not be easy considering that this will
be the tribulation.
b. To continue serving Jesus during that time will
most likely cost your life.
4. \\#48-51\\ But if the servant turns from his duties
and begins to live like the world, then his reward
will be with the lost.
a. In all of the following parables, the results for
those who quit appears to be damnation.
b. Examples:
(1) \\#Mt 24:51\\ The evil servant is cast
into outer darkness.
(2) \\#Mt 25:11-12\\ The five unprepared
virgins are locked out and the Lord
denies knowing them.
(3) \\#Mt 25:30\\ The unprofitable servant
is cast into outer darkness.
(4) \\#25:46\\ The goats are cast into
everlasting punishment.
c. Does this mean a saved person can lose his
salivation?
d. I think it rather means that the individual was
lost all the while and returned to follow his
nature. However, that is not taught in this
parable from other Bible passages.
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