When Will These Things Occur?

By Dan & Brenda Cathcart

Moed Ministries International

The Video Version of this teaching is available at:

https://youtu.be/wE8YCc7tKgk

The scripture reading for this teaching is

Yeshua leaves the temple for the last time and looks back seeing the magnificence of the temple building. Perhaps he got melancholy or even teary eyed because His disciples comment on the grandeur of the temple.

Matthew 24:1-2 NKJV 1 Then Jesus went out and departed from the temple, and His disciples came up to show Him the buildings of the temple. 2 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."

Instead of agreeing with His disciples and expressing appreciation of the beautiful temple, Yeshua chastises them for not seeing beyond the physical and tells them that the temple they are admiring will be utterly destroyed! The disciples are taken aback and can’t stop thinking about Yeshua’s words. Could Yeshua really mean that the temple would be destroyed? How did this relate to the coming kingdom of God?

When Yeshua and His disciples arrive at their destination on the Mount of Olives overlooking the temple, the disciples immediately ask Yeshua when these things will occur.

Matthew 24:3 NKJV 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?"

Yeshua’s words recorded in Matthew 24 and 25 are a direct answer to these questions. In order to understand the words of Yeshua in these two chapters, we must understand not only the question, but the context of the question. Yeshua had just completed four days of teaching in the temple. Luke records that at Yeshua’s triumphal entrance to Jerusalem before He began to teach in the temple, He stopped and wept over Jerusalem’s failure to recognize that Yeshua was sent by God to redeem them.

Luke 19:41-44 NKJV 41 Now as He drew near, He saw the city and wept over it, 42 saying, "If you had known, even you, especially in this your day, the things that make for your peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. 43 "For days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment around you, surround you and close you in on every side, 44 "and level you, and your children within you, to the ground; and they will not leave in you one stone upon another, because you did not know the time of your visitation."

Matthew reminds us of this event by placing it right before Yeshua’s proclamation that the temple will be destroyed. Matthew clearly wants us to associate these two pronouncements of Yeshua. However, while Luke focuses on the physical destruction of Jerusalem, Matthew focuses on the emptiness of Jerusalem’s existence while Yeshua is not there.

Matthew 23:37-39 NKJV 37 "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one 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 say to you, you shall see Me no more till you say, 'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!'"

The word translated as “desolate” is eremos, number 2048 in Strong’s Concordance meaning lonesome. Jerusalem will be left lonesome until they once more see Yeshua!

Over the four days from the time that Yeshua entered in triumph to Jerusalem, He cursed a fig tree proclaiming judgment on the present generation; He cleaned out the temple pronouncing that it had become a den of thieves; He told a parable about the owner of a vineyard going away for a long time before returning to judge his servants; and He condemned the practices of the scribes and Pharisees.

After these four days of hearing about coming judgment culminating in the shocking statement that the temple of God would be destroyed, the disciples asked these questions. At this time, the disciples have recognized that Yeshua is the Messiah, the Son of God. Their questions would reflect their belief that He was indeed the Messiah. Alfred Edersheim in The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah relates that Jewish belief at that time about the coming of the Messiah varied widely. However, the general stages of His coming transitioning from the present world to the world to come followed similar lines. He writes:

This happy period would begin with ‘the days of Messiah’. These would stretch into the ‘coming age’ (Athid labho), and end with ‘the world to come’ (olam haba).[i]

Edersheim goes on to describe the general belief about ‘the days of Messiah’:

Suffice it to say, that, according to general opinion, the Birth of the Messiah would be unknown to His contemporaries; that He would appear, carry on His work, then disappear—probably for forty-five days; then reappear again, and destroy the hostile powers of the world… Ransomed Israel would now be miraculously gathered from the ends of the earth, and brought back to their own land, the ten tribes sharing in their restoration, but this only on condition of their having repented of their former sins.[ii]

The disciples would have recognized that the days of Messiah were coming to an end and the coming age was soon to begin! However, the days of the “disappearance” of Messiah were not forty-five days. The disappearance is still continuing! So, the question about when these things will happen was more than about the coming judgment on Jerusalem. The disciples wanted to know when the days of Messiah would become the ‘coming age’ and ‘the world to come!’ “What are the signs of your coming,” they asked. “And what are the signs of the entire completion of the age?”

As we examine Yeshua’s answers to these questions, we need to realize that many of the events He described already happened during the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple in 70 CE, and later, in the exile of the Jewish people from the land of Israel in 135 CE. But which parts are which? The answer is not always clear cut. Also, prophecy tends to be cyclical, so those events that have already been fulfilled may yet be fulfilled again.

Yeshua begins His answer to the disciples by warning about the rise of false prophets. He is returning but not in forty-five days!

Matthew 24:4-8 NKJV 4 And Jesus answered and said to them: "Take heed that no one deceives you. 5 "For many will come in My name, saying, 'I am the Christ,' and will deceive many. 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. 7 "For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. 8 "All these are the beginning of sorrows.

Yeshua cautioned that hearing about turmoil and disaster throughout the world is not the sign of His return although these types of things must happen in this world. They are all symptoms of a bigger picture, that of the beginning of sorrows. But what are sorrows? The word “sorrows” is odeen, number 5604 in Strong’s Concordance meaning a pang or pain, especially of childbirth. These are the inevitable pains leading up to the coming of the Messiah. These pains include conflicts between nations as well as disturbances in the creation itself!

Yeshua warns that this interim time is not the time when He will again be seen in Jerusalem. He goes on to explain that these days will include personal tribulation as well as turmoil between nations. He again warns that it is a time of false Messiahs.

Matthew 24:9-12 NKJV 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. 10 "And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another. 11 "Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. 12 "And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold.

The word translated as “offend” is skandalizo, number 4624 in Strong’s Concordance meaning to entrap, trip up, or stumble. Many people will be entrapped, tripped up and stumble leading to betrayal and hatred! This has been going on since the beginning of the days of Messiah as both Jew and Gentile stumble over faith in Yeshua!

1 Peter 2:6-8 NKJV 6 Therefore it is also contained in the Scripture, "Behold, I lay in Zion A chief cornerstone, elect, precious, And he who believes on Him will by no means be put to shame." 7 Therefore, to you who believe, He is precious; but to those who are disobedient, "The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief cornerstone," 8 and "A stone of stumbling And a rock of offense." They stumble, being disobedient to the word, to which they also were appointed.

Yeshua goes on to say that this transition time of tribulation will continue until all nations hear the gospel!

Matthew 24:14 NKJV 14 "And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.

The word “end” in this verse is not the same Greek word used by the disciples in their question about the signs of the end of the age. This time, the Greek word used is telos, number 5056 meaning to set out for a definite point or goal. The word “come” is hay-ko, number 2240, meaning to arrive. Yeshua is referring to arriving at the goal!

All of these things were fulfilled in the forty years between the ascension of Yeshua and the destruction of the temple in 70 CE. The destruction of the temple could be understood as arriving at the goal of judgment on Jerusalem! At that time, the gospel of the kingdom had gone out to all parts of the Roman world. However, the days of Messiah are continuing and will continue until He makes His reappearance. In that sense, wars will continue, famines will continue, earthquakes will continue, tribulation will continue, stumbling over Yeshua will continue!

Yeshua, then turns to describing events that will happen in conjunction with the destruction of the temple.

Matthew 24:15-22 NKJV 15 "Therefore when you see the 'abomination of desolation,' spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place" (whoever reads, let him understand), 16 "then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. 17 "Let him who is on the housetop not go down to take anything out of his house. 18 "And let him who is in the field not go back to get his clothes. 19 "But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! 20 "And pray that your flight may not be in winter or on the Sabbath. 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. 22 "And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect's sake those days will be shortened.

When the Romans surrounded Jerusalem in 68 CE, the believing Jews fled the city and refused to enter it again. Anyone who did enter the city found that they were trapped and couldn’t leave. They were caught up in the destruction that followed in 70 CE. Josephus records that following the destruction of the temple, the Romans used the temple mount as a place for their own sacrifices.

And now the Romans, upon the flight of the seditious into the city, and upon the burning of the holy house itself, and of all the buildings round about it, brought their ensigns to the temple and set them over against its eastern gate; and there did they offer sacrifices to them, and there did they make Titus imperator, with the greatest acclamations of joy.[iii]

Yeshua went on to warn against false Messiahs who would rise up and show signs and wonders.

Matthew 24:23-26 NKJV 23 "Then if anyone says to you, 'Look, here is the Christ!' or 'There!' do not believe it. 24 "For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. 25 "See, I have told you beforehand. 26 "Therefore if they say to you, 'Look, He is in the desert!' do not go out; or 'Look, He is in the inner rooms!' do not believe it.

One particular false messiah rose up and fooled many people in 135 CE when Simon bar Kochba was declared the Messiah and led a massive revolt against Rome. This resulted in a huge slaughter of the residents of Jerusalem and the exile of the Jewish people from Israel! Jews throughout the land were either killed or taken into captivity. Once again, believing Jews heeded Yeshua’s words and fled Jerusalem before the destruction of the city!

The warning against false messiahs continues! In contrast, Yeshua says that He will come as a flash of lightning from east to west!

Matthew 24:27 NKJV 27 "For as the lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.

Yeshua’s return will be after days of great tribulation. Tribulation has been going on since the time of Yeshua’s ascension. Persecution has been targeted against Jews and Believers in Messiah by both Jew and Gentile alike! It will continue until Messiah appears!

Matthew 24:29-31 NKJV 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. 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. 31 "And He 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.

Alfred Edersheim explains in The Life and Times of Jesus the Mesiah that the Jewish belief at the time of Yeshua was that the sound of the trumpet would usher in the coming age marked by the wars of Gog and Magog and repeated attacks on Jerusalem. However, descriptions of the specific characteristics of this time vary widely.

It is at this time that we will see the coming of Yeshua. Yeshua says that His coming would not be hidden but that everyone would see and hear it! We are not to be fooled by proclamations of the Messiah coming in any way other than openly with great power and glory!

However, the Jewish expectation was that the Messiah would disappear and reappear after an absence of only days! Peter and the other apostles confirmed this expectation when they asked Yeshua at His ascension if this was the time He would establish His kingdom.

Acts 1:6-7 NKJV 6 Therefore, when they had come together, they asked Him, saying, "Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?" 7 And He said to them, "It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority.

Yeshua’s answer only conveyed the fact that only the Father knows the times or seasons of the coming of Yeshua. Yeshua said the same thing in His answer to these two questions.

Matthew 24:36 NKJV 36 "But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only.

Yeshua goes on to describe the days leading up to His coming as days much like any other. People would be going about their business eating, drinking, marrying, and having kids. Yeshua wraps this up with an illustration of a homeowner constantly on alert for housebreakers.

Matthew 24:42-44 NKJV 42 "Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming. 43 "But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into. 44 "Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.

The point is not that we should be watching for thieves, but that we should be watching for the coming of our master. Just like a homeowner has no idea when a thief may break into his house, and so must be prepared at any time, we, also,must we be prepared for the coming of Yeshua at any time!

Yeshua, then, turns His attention to a series of parables emphasizing the need to be prepared! The first of these is the illustration of two servants, one of whom is found working when His master returns while the other one abuses and mistreats his fellow servants.

Matthew 24:45-51 NKJV 45 "Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his master made ruler over his household, to give them food in due season? 46 "Blessed is that servant whom his master, when he comes, will find so doing. 47 "Assuredly, I say to you that he will make him ruler over all his goods. 48 "But if that evil servant says in his heart, 'My master is delaying his coming,' 49 "and begins to beat his fellow servants, and to eat and drink with the drunkards, 50 "the master of that servant will come on a day when he is not looking for him and at an hour that he is not aware of, 51 "and will cut him in two and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites. There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

The warning here is to those who would be leaders who would have authority over others. Their focus is not to be on when or if the master returns; it is to be on taking care of the household left to them in trust!

Yeshua follows this illustration with the parable of the ten virgins. All ten are asleep when the bridegroom comes because his appearance is delayed. However, five of the virgins are still prepared and go out to meet the bridegroom. The other five are not prepared because they neglected to put oil in their lamps.

Matthew 25:3-5 NKJV 3 "Those who were foolish took their lamps and took no oil with them, 4 "but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. 5 "But while the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and slept.

The foolish virgins seemed surprised when their lamps went out and demanded some oil from others. This indicates that each individual is responsible for their own salvation and needs to be prepared at any time for Yeshua’s coming. Alfred Edersheim explains in The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah:

The foolishness of the five virgins therefore consisted, not (as commonly supposed) in their want of perseverance—as if the oil had been consumed before the Bridegroom came, and they had only not provided themselves with a sufficient extra supply—but in the entire absence of personal preparation.[iv]

Finally, Yeshua concludes with the parable of the talents awarded to the servants of a master who went on a long trip. The servants were to use their talents for the benefit of the master while he was away. When the master returned, he demanded an accounting of how they had carried out their responsibilities. Each servant must be prepared to give an accounting of his actions while the master is gone. When Yeshua returns, He will ask that same accounting from us. Isaiah speaks of the time of the coming of salvation:

Isaiah 62:11 NKJV 11 Indeed the LORD has proclaimed To the end of the world: "Say to the daughter of Zion, 'Surely your salvation is coming; Behold, His reward is with Him, And His work before Him.'"

The word “reward” is sakar, number 7939 in the Strong’s Concordance meaning payment of a contract, a salary, reward or wages. Yeshua confirms this promise in His final words recorded by John in Revelation.

Revelation 22:12 NKJV 12 "And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to his work.

Yeshua never really answered when these things will be; instead He gave the disciples warnings about hardship to come including persecution, tribulation, and the rise of false prophets and messiahs. These things began immediately after Yeshua ascended to heaven and the Holy Spirit came in power upon the disciples. These things will continue to happen until the coming age when He will appear in such a way that there is no doubt He is the Messiah. In the meantime, we are to be carrying out His instructions faithfully no matter how long it is until His appearing. Finally, we are to be watching for His coming!

Study Questions:

1. Revelation 21:9-10 calls Jerusalem the bride of Christ. Bereisheit Rabbah identifies the temple in Jerusalem with Sarah’s tent. Paul compares Sarah to the heavenly Jerusalem. Describe the foreshadow of Yeshua that begins with the binding of Isaac and ends with Isaac taking his bride into Sarah’s tent.

2. Matthew 24:9 begins with the word “then” which, in English, indicates a definite sequence of events. However, the Greek word we translate as “then” is #5119, tot’-eh, meaning then or at the same time indicating concurrent not sequential events. How does this change our understanding of Matthew 24:8-12?

3. Isaac was out in the field when his bride Rebaccah arrived. How will Yeshua be out in the field when His bride arrives?

4. Paul tells us in 1 Thessalonians 5:1-10 that Yeshua comes like a thief in the night to those in darkness however we are in the light. Compare Paul’s discussion with Yeshua’s illustration of the homeowner and the thief in Matthew 24:36-44.

5. What are the similarities of the parables Yeshua told in Matthew 25? What should we be doing as we wait for Yeshua to return?

© 2018 by Moed Ministries International. All rights reserved.

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[i] Edersheim, Alfred. The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah. Hendrickson Publishers, Inc. ©1993. Page 775.

[ii] Edersheim, Alfred. The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah. Hendrickson Publishers, Inc. ©1993. Page 775

[iii] Josephus. The Works of Josephus.  “The Wars of the Jews”. Book 6, Chapter 6, line 316. Hendrickson Publishers, Inc. ©1987. Page 743.

[iv] Edersheim, Alfred. The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah. Hendrickson Publishers, Inc. ©1993. Page 789.