Matthew 24:5 Keeping with what we have already set forth, it is important to understand what is and is not being said here. Jesus is not speaking of persons who might come claiming specifically to be Jesus (though that does happen sometimes), or to the antichrist who will ultimately come. He is referring instead to…
Matthew 24:4 Jesus starts out with a very important admonition. Indeed, it is often that for want of understanding this basic truth that we fail to understand prophecy. The simple lesson here is this, Jesus alone may be trusted. This is so very important that I cannot emphasize it enough. There are literally millions of…
Matthew 24:3 Just as we find three questions here, we must keep three very important things in mind as we consider the following words of Christ. In His great Olivet discourse, Jesus has quite a bit to say about the future. To make sure you understand His words, keep these things in mind. First, the…
Matthew 24:2 To us today this seems quite strange, to say that a stone would not be left upon another. But, if you understand ancient construction, and ancient destruction, it makes perfect sense. Large buildings such as the temple were built by putting huge stones on top of each other. These stones were expertly shaped…
Matthew 24:1 These buildings were evidently something to behold. Though it is not certain why the disciples wanted Jesus to see this great sight at this time, it is doubtless that many came there just to admire the workmanship. The greatness of Herod’s temple only stood to throw into sharp relief the comments of Christ…
Matthew 23:39 That these words would come from their mouths can happen one of two ways. Individually, all people will ultimately acknowledge the supremacy of Christ. And, this will occur in the future. However, as a nation, the Jews will also, at a future time, accept Christ nationally. This will occur during the end times…
Matthew 23:38 As the next verse illustrates, this does not mean God is done with the Jews. What it does mean is that the mission of declaring God’s name to the world was taken from them. Though any Jewish believer may do so, and rightly, the church is now the means of witness in this…
Matthew 23:37 By and large the Jews had missed the message of the prophets. They failed to accept their words. And the law of Moses, though they claimed to accept it, was added to and twisted round by them. So, that which Jerusalem had become compared to what it was possible for it to be…
Matthew 23:36 Though we forget it, Jesus actually did quite a bit of prophesying during His earthly ministry. Indeed, virtually all of the prophecy given in the New Testament comes straight from the mouth of Christ. Bible Reading: 1 Chronicles 2:1-3:24 Scripture Memory: James 2:20 “But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is…
Matthew 23:35 Jesus here refers to the first and last murders in the Old Testament. In the Jewish organization of the books, Abel was the first (as in our Bible today), and Zacharias was the last. Thus Jesus is here referring to all innocent blood shed from the very beginning and onward. Though these men…