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If I Were Told the Future - Lesson 6
Matthew,
Chapter 24
Let's pray together before beginning this lesson:
Our Heavenly Father,
It is a privilege to probe once again Your Holy Word. After having studied the book of
Daniel, we now move on to the Gospel according to Matthew, chapter 24.
We humbly ask You to reveal to us what these verses have to teach us, so that we may be
better prepared for the events which are soon coming. In Jesus Christ we pray.
Amen.
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Matthew 24:15
When you see the «abomination of desolation», spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place (whoever reads, let him understand).
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The 24th chapter of the Gospel according to Matthew constitutes
the link between the two main prophetic books of Daniel and Revelation.
It is indeed in this chapter that Jesus Himself invites us to study the book of Daniel, as
we have seen in our last lesson. This chapter also inspired the structure of the book of
Revelation, as we will see in this lesson.
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Matthew 24:1,2
Then Jesus went out and departed from the temple, and His
disciples came to Him to show Him the buildings of the temple. And Jesus said to them,
«Do you not see all these things? Assuredly, I say to you, not one stone shall be left
here upon another, that shall not be thrown down.»
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Thus begins chapter 24 of the Gospel according to Matthew, also
called the Sermon on the Mount.
The essentials of this chapter can also be found in the Gospel according to Mark (chapter
13) and Luke (chapter 21).
The text opens with the announcement of the destruction of Jerusalem's temple.
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Matthew 24:3
Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him
privately, saying,
«Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the
end of the age?»
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In the eyes of Jesus' disciples, the temple of Jerusalem was so
impressive that the announcement of its complete destruction could only mean the end of
the world...
To answer their question, Jesus gave them a sermon whose structure inspired the author of
the book of Revelation, as the following table demonstrates.
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Outline of Matthew 24, and parallel with the book of Revelation :
=========================================================================
| Matthew |
Book of |
Events covered
Section | ch. 24 | Revelation |
by this section
=========================================================================
Introduction | v. 1-3 | ch. 1-5 | Opening scene and
presentation
-------------+----------+------------+-----------------------------------
Part 1 | v. 4-14 | ch. 6-9 |
Signs of the times
-------------+----------+------------+-----------------------------------
Part 2 | v. 15-28 | ch. 10-14 | Tribulation,
world-wide apostasy
-------------+----------+------------+-----------------------------------
Part 3 | v. 29-31 | ch. 15-20 | Return of Jesus
and its effects
-------------+----------+------------+-----------------------------------
Conclusion | v. 32-51 | ch. 21-22 | Personal appeals to follow God
=========================================================================
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Matthew 24:3
Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?
---------------------
Revelation 1:1
The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show His servants - things which must shortly take place.
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Let's illustrate this outline with some verses, beginning with
the introduction of Matthew chapter 24 and of Revelation.
These two texts pursue the same goal: to reveal what the future has in store for us.
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Matthew 24:6
And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.
---------------------
Revelation 6:4
And another horse, fiery red, went out. And it was granted to the one who sat on it to take peace from the earth, and that people should kill one another; and there was given to him a great sword.
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Then the two texts move on with a section about the signs of the times, foretelling a time of trouble marked by wars.
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Matthew 24:7
For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places.
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Revelation 6:8
And power was given to them over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword, with hunger, with death, and by the beasts of the earth.
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Let's note the close parallel between Matthew chapter 24 and the book of Revelation: both foretell great disasters, famines, wars, sowing death in their wake.
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Matthew 24:9
Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name's sake.
---------------------
Revelation 6:9
When He opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the testimony which they held.
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Next, the two texts predict difficult times for the believers themselves, persecuted and put to death for having followed Jesus.
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Matthew 24:21
For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be.
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Revelation 13:15
[The second beast] was granted power to give breath to the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak and cause as many as would not worship the image of the beast to be killed.
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The two texts also foretell that the situation will become critical, as everyone will have to choose: following God or the powers of evil.
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Matthew 24:24
For false christs and false prophets will arise and show great signs and wonders, so as to deceive, if possible, even the elect.
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Revelation 13:13
[The second beast] performs great signs, so that he even makes fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men.
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And to complicate the situation, convincing miracles will give people the impression of following God, when in fact they will be following Satan.
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Matthew 24:24
For false christs and false prophets will arise and show great signs and wonders, so as to deceive, if possible, even the elect.
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Revelation 13:14
And [the second beast] deceives those who dwell on the earth by those signs which he was granted to do in the sight of the beast, telling those who dwell on the earth to make an image to the beast.
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The two texts confirm that apostasy will be generalized, world-wide.
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Matthew 24:29
Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.
---------------------
Revelation 16:10
Then the fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast, and his kingdom became full of darkness; and they gnawed their tongues because of the pain.
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And finally, the last section of both texts presents the return of Jesus, preceded by celestial phenomena like the darkening of heavenly bodies.
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Matthew 24:30
Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, 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.
---------------------
Revelation 19:11
Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war.
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Both texts immediately move on with the return of Jesus, an event which is described as glorious and universally visible.
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Matthew 24:30
Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, 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.
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Revelation 18:9
And the kings of the earth who committed fornication and lived luxuriously with [Babylon] will weep and lament for her, when they see the smoke of her burning.
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According to both texts, Jesus' return will not delight everybody...
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Matthew 24:31
And [the Son of Man] will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.
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Revelation 19:14
And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses.
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Still according to Matthew 24 and Revelation, Jesus will not come alone, but accompanied by His heavenly armies made up of millions of angels.
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Matthew 24:31
And [the Son of Man] will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.
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Revelation 20:4
And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God (...). They lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.
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Then the resurrection and gathering of Jesus' people will take place.
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Matthew 24:46
Blessed is that servant whom his master, when he comes, will find so doing.
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Revelation 22:7
Behold, I am coming quickly! Blessed is he who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book.
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Finally, Matthew 24 and the book of Revelation conclude with a personal appeal to follow God and serve Him with loyalty, faithfulness and perseverance, keeping in our hearts the teachings of the Word of God.
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Matthew 24:46,47
Blessed is that servant whom his master, when he comes, will find so doing. Assuredly, I say to you that he will make him ruler over all his goods.
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Revelation 22:12
And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to his work.
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Likewise, both texts confirm that our choices, deeds, words and thoughts, will determine the nature of the reward Jesus will grant us when He returns.
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Matthew 24:33
So you also, when you see all these things, know that [the Son of Man] is near, at the very doors.
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Matthew 24:44
Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not expect Him.
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The main purpose of Matthew chapter 24, like the other prophetic books of the Bible, is to help us to properly prepare ourselves for the great day of the return of our Savior Jesus Christ.
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Matthew 24:25
See, I have told you beforehand.
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Will Jesus' prophetic words find fertile soil in our heart, or
will we choose to neglect His words until it is too late?
The decision is up to each one of us.
But for all those who choose to follow God, we sincerely hope that this Bible prophecy
study guide will be very useful.
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Let's thank God for His assistance:
Lord,
As our study of the organization of Bible prophecies progresses, we note the close links
between each one of them, uniting them like the pieces of a puzzle which will soon show us
a clear portrait of what the future is made of.
We thank You, Father, for if we better and better understand the prophetic word, it is
because You are willing to enlighten us by the presence of Your Holy Spirit.
Please continue to guide us, as we will soon tackle the book of Revelation. In Jesus
Christ we pray.
Amen.
The test of Lesson 6 is waiting for you!