Mattityahu (Matthew) Chapter 24

Mattityahu (Matthew) Chapter 24 begins with Yeshua (Jesus) exiting the Temple, and his talmidim (disciples) drawing His attention to it's buildings, but then Yeshua reveals that the Temple will be destroyed, not a stone left standing. His talmidim ask Him when this will happen, when the 'olam hazeh (this world) is ending, and Yeshua lays out the signs to come: many false Messiahs, wars and rumors of wars, famines, earthquakes. His talmidim will be arrested, punished, put to death for His sake, false prophets will arise to fool many, hearts grow cold from distance to Torah, and the Gospel will be announced to the whole world, and then the end will come. He then prophesied the coming abomination that causes desolation standing in the Holy Place, the Temple, and warns that when that happens those in Y'hudah (Judah) must escape to the hills. He then again warns of false Messiahs and prophets with the ability to perform "miracles," and not to be fooled by them because when the Son of Man comes, it will be glorious spectacle in the Heavens starting from the east and filling the sky to the western horizon, the sun will go dark, the moon will stop shining, stars will fall, the power of heaven will be shaken, the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, His angels will be sent out with a mighty shofar (wind instrument made from a ram's horn), and He will gather together His chosen people. He then uses the fig tree as a metaphor, how it's sprouting branches signal that summer is approaching, to how his talmidim will know that when they see these things the time is near, for this people won't pass away before all this happens, though none but the Father know exactly when. He compares that day to the days of Noach (Noah), the people being mostly unaware and just living their lives until Noach and his family entered the ark, God closed it, and the Flood swept them away. He goes on to further highlight the importance of staying alert and ready for that day, lest it come and find you unaware. He then tells a parable at the end of the chapter about two servants left in charge of the household staff, one who is found doing his job at the master's return and is greatly rewarded, and one who acts wickedly, beating his fellow servants and eating and drinking with drunkards, who is taken unaware at his master's return and is "cut in two and put with the hypocrites." The popular view of this chapter is one of futurism, that Yeshua is speaking to us, the reader, and not directly to His talmidim, which is the important context of this chapter, He is literally describing the coming destruction of the Temple that took place in 70 AD, His talmidim were arrested, beaten, and killed for His sake, which caused the spread of the gospel, the Christian population in Y'hudah did flee to the mountains, and there were many recorded aerial phenomena recorded during the razing of Yerushalayim and the destruction of the Temple. #truth #bible #newtestament #gospelofmatthew #yeshuahamashiach #prophecy #prophecyfulfilled #templedestruction #divinejudgment #partialpreterism