There Is at Least One Thing We Should All Conclude from the Olivet Discourse -- a study of Matthew 24
- mww
- 2 days ago
- 19 min read
Updated: 1 day ago
What will Jesus find you doing when He returns?
Bible Study Ideas and Commentary for Matthew 24
The Lifeway lesson pulls out Matthew 24:36-51, which is impossible to be understood rightly apart from the rest of chapter 24, "The Olivet Discourse". People lose their minds debating this chapter, but we should agree on Jesus' point: one day, Jesus is coming back. And when He does, human history as we know it will end and everyone will face judgment.
Now concerning that day and hour no one knows—neither the angels of heaven nor the Son —except the Father alone.
Disclosure: This Is a Duplicate of a 2017 Lesson
Lifeway gave this lesson back in 2017, and thus I already have notes prepared. That post has 15,000 views, which suggests this is a topic that people will always be interested in. (And they should! This is Jesus talking about the end of the world!)
My interpretation of this passage has not changed in the last 7 years, so I am going to quote my previous post a lot (rather than reinvent the wheel).
The Importance of Your End-Times Theology
This is a passage that is very difficult (impossible) to read in a vacuum. You and everyone in your group will read these verses and interpret them in light of what they already believe the Bible says about the end times. Many of our church members at FBC are almost finished with a months-long study of Revelation led by Pastor David Lambert, and I would hope that they apply what they have learned to this week's discussion. (In fact, challenge your group members who have been in that study to share!)
Whatever you believe about the "end times", just make sure that you can explain from the Bible why you believe what you believe. I think Jesus is very clear that we know less than we want to, and that's by God's design.
Getting Started: Things to Think About
Watching a Game without the Clock
It's NBA playoffs season, and I had a nostalgia kick and watched some old Rockets games (Hakeem Olajuwon is my favorite player of all time; it's not like my current team is any good). Anyway, these old replays are weird to watch! No clock on the screen, no score. Watch a few minutes and describe how you feel.
I am so dependent on knowing what the score is and what the clock is to know how I'm supposed to feel about the game!
How about for you? Have you ever watched a game where you don't know how much time is left or what the score is?
When you don't know either of those things, doesn't it reduce your urgency?
Well, that's what Jesus is trying to battle in this week's passage. Think about it -- look around you at the world -- who's winning right now? We don't even know how to tally the score! And we certainly don't know how much time is left. Jesus has to keep His followers' urgency and energy up indefinitely. Not an easy thing to do.
Similar: Playing a Game with a Win Condition
Most games people play have a specific time limit -- a set number of rounds or "tricks". You know when the game is about to end. Some games, instead of having a time limit, have a win condition (so many points, so much board control, etc.) If you've played games like that, you might talk about how the strategy differs between the two kinds of games.
It's Almost Closing Time!
One of my very favorite pictures (and bittersweet memories) is from the first trip we took to Disneyworld as a family (2013). The last ride we rode as "It's a Small World", and that ride has a giant clock in the line. For us normies, Disney closed at 11:00, and this was our last day, so I snapped this picture.
What are your "it's almost closing time" memories? Now that so many stores are 24-hour, this is a slightly different experience than it was when I was younger. Getting to the store before it closed was a big deal! Or being in the store when they announce "5 minutes till closing" and not having made your decision yet. Or maybe you're racing to catch a flight. Whatever it was, "almost closing time" gives you a shot of adrenaline.
Whether or not Jesus is coming back today or in a thousand years, we all live in an "almost closing time" world -- none of us is promised tomorrow. How should that affect how we live?
House Protection and Digital Protection
Theft (larceny) is still the most common property crime, and it seems that "identity theft" (fraud) has long surpassed it in total impact. So, this week might be yet another opportunity to talk about protecting yourself and your family from all kinds of thefts.
What do you do to protect your home and your auto?
What do you do to protect your bank account and your savings?
This is some low-hanging fruit, based on this week's passage, but I think it's always a valuable topic. Jesus assumes that we are ready for the run-of-the-mill thief. Well, are we?
This Week's Big Idea #1: An Outline of Matthew 24
Matthew 24 is called "The Olivet Discourse", and it is the last of Jesus' major discourses shared by Matthew. Here's the full outline of Matthew I shared months ago:
Part 1: Introducing Jesus (1:1-2:23)
Part 2: Introducing the Gospel Message (3:1-7:29)
Setting the stage for Jesus' ministry (3:1-4:25)
First teaching (the Sermon on the Mount) (5:1-7:29)
Part 3: The Kingdom Advances (8:1-11:1)
Miracles and messengers (8:1-9:34)
Second teaching (the Missionary Discourse) (9:35-11:1)
Part 4: Opposition Arises (11:2-13:53)
Hostility and confrontations (11:1-12:50)
Third teaching (Parables of the Kingdom) (13:1-52)
Part 5: Progressive Polarization (13:43-19:2)
More rejection, bigger miracles (13:53-17:27)
Fourth teaching (Life under Kingdom Authority) (18:1-19:2)
Part 6: Opposition and Grace (19:3-26:5)
Into the Passion Week (19:3-23:39)
Fifth teaching (the Olivet Discourse) (24:1-25:46)
Part 7: The Passion and Resurrection of Jesus (26:6-28:20)
In each cycle of action and teaching, things ramp up. Here at the end of Jesus' earthly ministry, He clearly defines the cosmic stakes of everything He is doing. For example, in the last two weeks, we have learned that the Jewish authorities are not just wrong, they are going to be eternally punished by God in hell. This week, we learn that Jesus is not just the Jewish Messiah, He is the leader of the armies of light that will conquer Satan and all those who oppose God Almighty. Ramping up.
"The Olivet Discourse"
To understand this week's passage, you have to read the entire context.
24:1 As Jesus left and was going out of the temple, his disciples came up and called his attention to its buildings. 2 He replied to them, “Do you see all these things? Truly I tell you, not one stone will be left here on another that will not be thrown down.” 3 While he was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples approached him privately and said, “Tell us, when will these things happen? And what is the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?”
This is still likely on Tuesday of Holy Week. Jesus has finished His confrontation with the Jewish leaders, and they're heading back to Bethany for the night. I think that these words were still ringing in the disciples' ears:
23:37 “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her. How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing! 38 See, your house is left to you desolate. 39 For I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord’!”
They were still focused on Jerusalem "the city" and "the temple", not realizing the cosmic implications of everything Jesus had said and is about to happen. Killing the Son of God will have significant consequences, and Jesus has to spell this out for them. While they're walking across the valley, this sinks in, and when they get to the Mount of Olives, they build up the courage to ask the question everyone wants the answer to. "When?"
Here the most important for understanding these chapters: the disciples thought they were asking about one great big event, but it’s actually a long series of events. The Sunday School lesson picks up in verse 36, but we need to understand the entire discourse:
24:4-14 Signs before the end (“immediately” before?)
Birth pains: wars, famines, earthquakes
Persecution and apostasy
False prophets
Increase of wickedness
Worldwide spread of the gospel
24:15-28 Prime example of a deceptive sign: the fall of Jerusalem
The greatest distress of history
Jews will expect Messiah’s return
Many false prophets will deceive
BUT no one will mistake Christ’s return
Vv. 22-28 apply both to this example and the entire age
24:29-31 Signs of the end (as a parenthetical aside)
Cosmic upheaval
Jesus riding through the clouds
Angels gathering the elect (cf. 1 Thess 4:17)
24:32-44 Lesson to be learned
When “these things” (vv. 4-28) happen, the time is near
“These things” will all happen in that generation
Comparison: the day of Noah; they knew yet they didn’t
Therefore, we must always be ready for the end.
24:45-25:46 Illustrations of the Lesson
The Faithful and Wicked Servants: the master came back unexpectedly; the emphasis is on the servants’ behavior when the master returns
The Wise and Foolish Virgins: the bridegroom was late in his coming; the emphasis is on how prepared the virgins were for the bridegroom’s lateness
The Wise and Foolish Servants: the master came back right on time after a very long time; the emphasis is on what happened while he was gone
The Sheep and the Goats: not about length of time at all but the sort of behavior that will be rewarded and punished when Jesus returns.
Main point #1: we don’t know when Jesus will return. There are a lot of people out there who will try to predict when Jesus is returning, but they’re all wrong.
Main point #2: a lot of terrible things will happen in history before Jesus returns; they are signs of the end, but no one can predict the end from their occurring.
My best summary: By the time all of the disciples die, every one of the signs of Jesus' return (including the fall of Jerusalem) will have already taken place. Basically, ever since John wrote his Gospel and the Revelation, we have been living in the last days. Jesus could come back at any moment. The next catastrophe might be the final sign of the Second Coming. Or not. We won't know because God does not want us to know.
Here's my favorite advice I've heard about this: “We are to prepare as if Jesus is coming back in 1000 years but live as if He is coming back tonight.”
Why Did Jesus Say These Things?
If we can't know when Jesus will return, why did Jesus say any of this in the first place? I think it's very simple. Jerusalem is about to be destroyed, and if the people aren't warned ahead of time, they will assume that is the final sign of the end, and they will be disappointed (or confused) when Jesus does not come back right then.
It's the same reason why Jesus predicted His own death so many times. Under ordinary circumstances, the death of the teacher would be terminal for his movement -- unless that teacher is Jesus, and Jesus will rise from the dead.
Understanding Jesus' Point Based on the Outline
When I was in seminary, I wrote this outline for the discourse. My teacher was Thor Madsen, who really pushed me toward D. A. Carson. This is why you get so much of Carson in my notes -- I really think he's right about the Gospel of Matthew. Anyway, Dr. Madsen was really big into "propositional outlines", which basically means that you make your outline a series of complete statements that capture the entire content. Here's why:
If you understand the outline of a message, you can understand what each part is doing. In other words, this outline helps us understand why Jesus said what He said. We may not be able to understand exactly what He's revealing, but we can understand His point.
{Preface} Understand that many necessary events are neither an immediate sign of My return nor of the end of the age (4-14).
False Christs will come to mislead you (4-5).
Worldwide cataclysms will precede the end (6-8).
There will be dramatic religious and social erosion (9-12).
But be encouraged that you can persevere through these events until the end (13-14).
{Transition} Jerusalem will fall, but that event only foreshadows the end (15-28).
The destruction will be sudden (15-17).
The destruction will be absolute (19-22).
False prophets will try to persuade you that I have returned (23-26).
But you will know the true sign of My return (27-28).
{Body} You will not mistake the ultimate sign of My return (29-35).
The sign of My return will be worldwide and celestial (29-31).
Believe that you will be able to interpret the signs (32-35).
You can predict summer through the fig tree (32-33).
You can trust My words (34-35).
{Application} You will not be able to predict the end of the age, so you must remain vigilantly obedient (36-51).
Only God knows when the end will come (36).
Life will continue as usual right until the end (37-42).
Beware, I will return unexpectedly (43-51).
You must remain vigilant because I could return at an unexpected hour (42-44).
You must stay about your Master’s business because My return will surprise you (45-51).
What's my point?
Our focal passage this week is the application to Jesus' message. (Or, the "lesson to be learned".) Christians can get really hung up on the words used, but we should read them as illustrations and examples of how Jesus wants us to apply His words to our lives.
We don't know when Jesus is coming back, so we must live our lives expecting Him to come back at any moment.
This Week's Big Idea #2: Your End Times Theology
Forgive me for the terms below. They are what they are. If you glaze over at this stuff, just skip this section.
I doubt you have time to talk about this in depth with your group, but it might be a helpful review for you as you do your personal prep. The way you interpret the Bible (your "hermeneutic") will shape how you interpret this week's passage without you even realizing it. When I share these terms, you already have an idea of what you think they mean:
The Tribulation. Everyone agrees that God will judge sin on the earth. Will Christians will be on earth when it happens?
The Millennium. Everyone agrees that Rev 21 speaks of a 1,000-year reign of Christ. Is this intended to be literal?
The Resurrection/Rapture. Everyone agrees that the dead will be raised when Christ returns. Will this happen secretly and before the Tribulation?
The Final Judgment. Everyone agrees that God will judge the world. How many separate judgments will there be, and who will endure them?
The Second Coming. Everyone agrees that Jesus is coming back. When will it happen? Is it a literal event?
There are four main approaches to what the Bible says about the end times:
Preterist. These passages deal with events in the first century that its audience experienced.
Historicist. These passages report events happening throughout church history.
Futurist. These passages primarily deal with future, end-of-all-things events.
Idealist. These passages are mainly symbolic and thus not worried about fulfillment
The way you approach one passage is generally the way you will approach all such passages.
Now let's get to the main "camps".
Amillennialism: "This is all intended to be figurative."
This is the default position for those who don’t get caught up in end times debates.
Postmillennialism: "This is the story of the church throughout history."
In the 1500s, new Protestants saw themselves experiencing the events of Revelation, so this became the dominant view; it was widely held until World War II.
Premillennialism: "This all means what it says."
Many conservative Christians today hold one of three versions of this view. I would guess that everyone in your group holds one of these three views:
(1) “There Is a Secret Rapture of the Church” (Dispensational Premillennialism)
First proposed by John Nelson Darby in the 1830s, this is the Left Behind view.
(2) “Jesus Never Promised Us a Rose Garden” (Historic Premillennialism)
This view proposes to take everything found in the Bible on the subject at face value.
(3) “The References to 42 Months Must Mean Something” (Midtribulation Premillennialism)
This view has become a compromise position between the others.
I personally hold to Historic Premillennialism, but David has given me some good arguments in favor of Midtribulation Premillennialism.
If you want to know what you believe, do this exercise: look at this bare-bones outline of the book of Revelation and write down "past", "present", or "future" next to each section.
[Warning: the book of Revelation doesn't say anything about a "rapture" (that's in 1 Thess 4, and there's nothing "secret" about it) or a "seven-year" anything (that's extrapolated from Daniel). That's why you don't see those things below.]
Chapter 1 Introduction of Jesus, the Revealer
Chapter 2-3 Letters to the 7 churches (Symbol of “church age” or historical letters?)
Chapter 4-5 The scene in heaven; the Lamb taking the scroll
Chapter 6-9 The seven seal judgments
1. White horse / conquest
2. Red horse / war
3. Black horse / famine
4. Pale horse / death
5. Martyr’s interlude
6. Beginning of wrath of the Lamb
7. Make way for the trumpet judgments
Chapter 8-11 The seven trumpet judgments
1. 1/3 earth burned up
2. 1/3 seas destroyed
3. 1/3 rivers turned bitter
4. 1/3 light destroyed
5. Plague of hell-locusts (5 months)
6. 200M army unleashed
6b. Interlude: 2 witnesses (3.5 years)
7. Signs?
Chapter 12-14 The seven signs
1. The woman and the dragon
2. The war in heaven
3. The beast from the sea
4. The beast from the earth
5. The 144,000
6. The 3 angels of woe
7. The harvest of the earth
Chapter 15-16 The seven bowl judgments (wrath of God)
1. Painful sores
2. Whole sea destroyed
3. All water to blood
4. Scorching sun
5. Darkness
6. Preparation for Armageddon
7. Final earthquake and hailstorm
Chapter 17-18 Vision of the fall of Babylon
Chapter 19 Invasion of the armies of heaven (led by Jesus)
Chapter 20.1 The thousand-year reign
Chapter 20.2 The final battle and doom of Satan
Chapter 21-22 The new heaven and earth
What you think has already happened, is happening now, or will happen in the future helps you know which "camp" you belong to. My favorite camp is the "panmillennial" camp -- it will all pan out in the end.
Other Resources:
This is just fyi --
Jesus’ teachings on the end times: Matthew 24
The mysterious case of the Two Witnesses: Revelation 11
The Millennium: Revelation 20
Paul on the resurrection: 1 Corinthians 15
Paul on the end times: 2 Thessalonians 2; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-5:11
Daniel on the end times: Daniel 9:20-27, Daniel 12
Gog: Ezekiel 38-39
The minor prophets on the end times: Zechariah 14
Don't Try to Cover That in Group Time
Like I said above, David has spent months leading a group through these topics. Don't think you can whip everybody into shape in a few minutes. I share this so you can have a resource to skim through for some basic questions. My point is that how you read the rest of the Bible will influence how you interpret this week's passage.
Part 1: No One Knows When Jesus Is Coming Back (Matt 24:36-41)
36 “Now concerning that day and hour no one knows—neither the angels of heaven nor the Son —except the Father alone. 37 As the days of Noah were, so the coming of the Son of Man will be. 38 For in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day Noah boarded the ark. 39 They didn’t know until the flood came and swept them all away. This is the way the coming of the Son of Man will be. 40 Then two men will be in the field; one will be taken and one left. 41 Two women will be grinding grain with a hand mill; one will be taken and one left.
This is such a truly strange place to start a Sunday School lesson. I thought this in 2017, and I think it more now. If you don't give significant backstory, this is just bewildering.
"That day" refers to the disciples' initial question -- what will be the sign of the end of the age? "That day" is the Day of Judgment, which many of us think means the last event in human history. (BUT the whole reason I gave that long section about "end times" is to make sure you realize that there's a lot of disagreement about what all of this means. It is okay to disagree about this stuff.)
The phrase "Not even the Son of Man" gives some people heartburn. What do you mean Jesus doesn't know something? Isn't He God?
This is an example of what Paul meant by Jesus "emptying Himself" (Phil 2:7). Jesus willingly accepted certain limitations of being human -- like having to sleep, and being able to die. He also "gave up" this knowledge of His return. That way, Jesus can rightly say that NO ONE KNOWS WHEN HE IS RETURNING (except God the Father) and ANYONEWHOSAYSOTHERWISEISLYINGTHROUGHTHEIRTEETH.
"Taken". Ooph. "Taken". Some people use this passage to defend the doctrine of the secret pretribulation "rapture". That's not what Jesus is talking about. What happened to the people who were "taken" in Noah's day? A horrible death. In other words, taken (in this context) means "taken in judgment". This passage does not teach the rapture. There are other passages that could be more effectively used to that purpose.
In any case, Jesus' point is that His return will be so sudden that it will interrupt daily life.
Bonus Topic
Why does God not want us to know when Jesus is coming back?
Part 2: Be Ready at Every Moment (Matthew 24:42-44)
42 Therefore be alert, since you don’t know what day your Lord is coming. 43 But know this: If the homeowner had known what time the thief was coming, he would have stayed alert and not let his house be broken into. 44 This is why you are also to be ready, because the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.
This is Jesus' very simple point. We need to be vigilant. We need to be ready. "The Master" could return at any moment (more about this below). Be very clear about this: we don't know when Jesus is coming back.
Multiple topics you might want to cover here:
What happens when Jesus comes back?
Is there anything that must happen before Jesus comes back?
This is another reason why I packed all of those bullet points into my Big Ideas. There's a lot of debate about this. (Not the least of which is "where does the Millennium fit into all of this?") Note that Jesus' likens His return to a thief. That's a rather negative connotation. This is not going to be a happy event.
My oversimplified understanding is that Jesus' return marks the end of human history as we know it. There is an interlude between His return and the Final Judgment ("the Millennium"), but that's more about demonstrating the total lostness of everyone who has rejected Christ -- even when they see Him reigning on earth, they still reject Him. Thus when the Final Judgment comes, no one can say that anyone was judged unfairly.
In other words, this is it. When Jesus comes back, that's it. "Put your pencils down." No more chances, no more time.
What do you want Jesus to find you doing when He returns?
Another reason I gave all of the details I did was to show that Jesus believes that every "sign" will be fulfilled with the end of the disciples' generation. After the fall of Jerusalem, all of the signs have been fulfilled. This is very important because we have to say that Jesus could return at any moment. If there were still signs that had to be fulfilled (like a rapture, for one), then people could say, "Jesus can't come back yet because such-and-such hasn't happened yet." Do you see why that's a problem? "Jesus says that no one knows when He is returning, but we know that it can't be yet." I think that's wrong -- that goes against what Jesus is saying here. He could truly come back at any moment. Everything has been fulfilled.
This is the most exciting news in history. It is also the most terrifying news in history.
What you need to do is get your group talking about the urgency of this news. Perhaps you talked earlier about how weird it is to watch a game but not know how much time is left. It's hard to maintain your urgency when you think you have more time.
(Related topic: when you move from deadline to deadline, you might be pretty productive, but it might also be hard on your health! Discuss.)
And then here's the big topic for discussion:
What should we be doing while we wait for Jesus to return?
See below for more about this question.
Part 3: The Stakes Are High (Matthew 24:45-51)
45 “Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his master has put in charge of his household, to give them food at the proper time? 46 Blessed is that servant whom the master finds doing his job when he comes. 47 Truly I tell you, he will put him in charge of all his possessions. 48 But if that wicked servant says in his heart, ‘My master is delayed,’ 49 and starts to beat his fellow servants, and eats and drinks with drunkards, 50 that servant’s master will come on a day he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know. 51 He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
I think it's very helpful to point out that Jesus tells three related parables back-to-back-to-back:
The Parable of the Wise and Foolish Servants. The master returns before the servants expected.
The Parable of the Wise and Foolish Virgins. The bridegroom came later than the virgins expected.
The Parable of the Talents. The master returned "after a long time" -- but when he returned, it was sudden.
(We're studying a fourth, the Parable of the Sheep and the Goats, next week, fyi.)
Do you see the importance of reading the three parables together? The point of each is the same, but the circumstance changes. Jesus might come back before we expect, after we expect, or just after a long time. We don't know.
As to the previous question above -- "what should we be doing while we wait for Jesus to return?" -- the answer can roughly be found in these three parables. Go through each one with your group:
What were the "wise/faithful" servants doing?
What were the "foolish/wicked" servants doing?
We want to be like the wise servants.
Alert: Does This Teach Works-Based Salvation?
If you read these parables as allegories, you will conclude that Jesus is teaching that salvation is based on works. That's why we don't read parables as allegories.
What's Jesus point? That those who will be "saved" are those who will be found doing the master's will when he returns. Their behavior will reveal their heart. This is how Jesus helps His disciples cope with the sad betrayal of the Jewish leaders (and also Judas!). Those traitors should have known and acted better, and their failures demonstrate why God must judge them.
[Aside: in my previous post, I also include a section about "rewards in heaven".]
Just a tremendous passage.
If you can get your group to stay out of the weeds and agree that the point of this passage is to make Jesus' followers urgent about Jesus' business, then we can call this a good day of group Bible study.
Closing Thoughts: We Are Not Living in the Worst Days Ever
Let me copy my "closing thoughts" section from 2017.
When people talk about “how bad” things are today, I want to slap some sense into them. Things are rough, but we have no comprehension of true worldwide suffering as in years past. Consider these events and tell me that every generation in history hasn’t had the right to say that Jesus is coming back at any moment!
Year Death toll Event
160s 5M Smallpox in Italy
200s 37M War in China
600s Half of Europe Bubonic plague
1100s 2M Crusades
1200s 35M Mongol conquest of Europe
1300s 75M Black death (while the Hundred Years’ War was on)
1556 830,000 Earthquake in China
1500s+ 55M European conquest of Americas
1600s 25M War in China
1600s 6M Thirty Years’ War
1800s 5M Napoleon’s wars
1800s 38M Cholera, British Empire
1800s countless Tuberculosis
1850s 42M War in China, Plague in India
1900s 300M+ Smallpox, worldwide*
1910s 38M World War I and Russian Civil War
1918 50M Spanish Flu, worldwide
1931 More than 1M Floods in China
1940s 93M World War II and Holocaust