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Matthew 24:1-35

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1Jesus left the temple and was walking away when his disciples came up to him to call his attention to its buildings.

2“Do you see all these things?” he asked. “Truly I tell you, not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down.”

3As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately. “Tell us,” they said, “when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?”

4Jesus answered: “Watch out that no one deceives you.

5For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and will deceive many.

6You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come.

7Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places.

8All these are the beginning of birth pains.

9“Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me.

10At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other,

11and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people.

12Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold,

13but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved.

14And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.

15“So when you see standing in the holy place ‘the abomination that causes desolation,’ spoken of through the prophet Daniel—let the reader understand—

16then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.

17Let no one on the housetop go down to take anything out of the house.

18Let no one in the field go back to get their cloak.

19How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers!

20Pray that your flight will not take place in winter or on the Sabbath.

21For then there will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now—and never to be equaled again.

22“If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened.

23At that time if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Messiah!’ or, ‘There he is!’ do not believe it.

24For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.

25See, I have told you ahead of time.

26“So if anyone tells you, ‘There he is, out in the wilderness,’ do not go out; or, ‘Here he is, in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it.

27For as lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.

28Wherever there is a carcass, there the vultures will gather.

29“Immediately after the distress of those days “‘the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.’

30“Then will appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven. And then all the peoples of the earth will mourn when they see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory.

31And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.

32“Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near.

33Even so, when you see all these things, you know that it is near, right at the door.

34Truly I tell you, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened.

35Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.

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1)       According to verses 1 and 2 what was Jesus’ response to his disciples’ calling his attention to the buildings of the temple?

o   Jesus told them that

§  Not one stone would be left on another.

§  Every one would be thrown down.

 

2)       What was the impact on the disciples of Jesus’ pronounced judgment on the temple, given that the Jewish culture was very much bound up with the temple?

o   They were shocked.

 

3)       According to verse 3 what were the questions that the disciples asked Jesus privately as he was sitting on the Mount of Olives?

o   When will the destruction of the temple happen? 

o   What will be the sign

§  Of Jesus’ coming.

§  And of the end of the age?

 

4)       What motivated the disciples to ask Jesus those questions?

o   They wanted to escape the calamity that would be coming upon Jerusalem. 

 

5)       Is the prophecy that Jesus was making going to be fulfilled at the end of the age or does it have an earlier fulfillment?

o   The prophecy that Jesus was making has fulfillment both

§  In 70 A.D.

§  And at the end of the age.

 

6)       What happened in 70 A.D.?

o   Jesus’ pronounced judgment on the temple came true in 70 A.D.

o   When

o   The Romans

§  Put down a Jewish rebellion. 

§  And burned and tore apart the temple.

o   Such that

o   Not one stone was left on another.

 

7)       What does it mean for people to come in Jesus’ name claiming to be the Messiah or the Christ, given that there will be the second coming of Christ?

o   These people will claim to be the second coming of Christ.

 

8)       According to what Jesus said in verse 5 what will happen when many claim to be the second coming of Christ?

o   They will deceive many. 

 

9)       According to what Jesus said in verse 4 what must the disciples do when people claim to be the second coming of Christ?

o   They must watch out.

o   That

o   No one deceives them. 

 

10)   According to what Jesus said in verse 6 what will happen before the end comes?

o   The disciples will hear of

§  Wars.

§  And rumors of wars.

 

11)   According to what Jesus said in verse 6 what should the disciples do when they hear of wars and rumors of wars?

o   They should not be alarmed.

 

12)   According to what Jesus said in verses 7 and 8 what is the beginning of birth pains?

o   The beginning of birth pains comes when

§  Nation will rise against nation.

§  And kingdom against kingdom.

§  And there will be

Ø  Famines. 

Ø  And earthquakes in various places.

 

13)   According to what Jesus said in verse 9 what will happen to the disciples when all nations will hate them because of Jesus?

o   They will be handed over to be

§  Persecuted.

§  And put to death.

 

14)   According to what Jesus said in verse 10 what will many disciples do at that time?

o   At that time many will

§  Turn away from the faith.

§  And betray and hate each other.

 

15)   According to what Jesus said in verse 11 who will appear and deceive many people?

o   Many false prophets will

§  Appear.

§  And deceive many people.

 

16)   According to what Jesus said in verse 12 what will result from the increase of wickedness?

o   The love of most will grow cold.

 

17)   According to what Jesus said in verse 13 how will the disciples be saved amidst persecution?

o   Disciples who stand firm to the end will be saved.

 

18)   According to what Jesus said in verse 14 what is another condition that must be fulfilled before the end will come?

o   This gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations.

o   And then the end will come.

 

19)   What did Jesus mean when he referred to ‘the abomination that causes desolation’ standing in the holy place in verse 15?

o   Jesus meant

§  The antichrist who will proclaim himself to be God in the temple that will have been rebuilt not long before the end of the age.

§  And also the Roman Legions that were laying siege to Jerusalem in an attempt to put down a Jewish rebellion in the late 60 A.D.

 

20)   According to what Jesus said in verses 15 to 18 what should the disciples do when they saw ‘the abomination that causes desolation’ standing where it does not belong?

o   Let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.

o   Let no one on the housetop go down to take anything out of the house.

o   Let no one in the field go back to get their cloak.

 

21)   What does it mean to flee from Judea to the mountains historically for the disciples?

o   In the late 60 A.D. the disciples

§  Heeded Jesus’ advice.

§  And fled from Judea to a place called Pella.

o   When

o   The Roman Legions were laying siege to Jerusalem.

o   Hence escaping the Roman atrocity. 

 

22)   According to what Jesus said in verse 19 for which particular group of people will the situation be particularly dreadful in those days?

o   It will be particularly dreadful in those days for

§  Pregnant women.

§  And nursing mothers.

 

23)   According to what Jesus said in verse 21 how dreadful will those days be?

o   Those days will be the most catastrophic in the entire human history.

 

24)   According to what Jesus said in verse 20 what can one do to make it less catastrophic?

o   One can pray that their flight will not take place

§  In winter.

§  Or on the Sabbath.

 

25)   According to what Jesus said in verse 22 what would happen f those days had not been cut short?

o   No one would survive.

 

26)   According to what Jesus said in verse 22 for whose sake is God going to cut short those days?

o   God is going to cut short those days for the sake of the elect.

o   Whom

o   He has chosen.

 

27)   Who are the elect?

o   The elect are Jesus’ disciples

§  Whom God has chosen.

§  And who stand firm to the end.

 

28)   According to what Jesus said in verse 23 what should the disciples do when people point specifically to where the Messiah or the Christ is?

o   They should not believe it.

 

29)   According to what Jesus said in verse 24 what will false Christs and false prophets do?

o   They will

§  Appear.

§  And perform great signs and wonders to deceive.

 

30)   Will false Christs and false prophets performing signs and miracles be able to deceive the elect, given that the elect reads the bible and pays attention to Jesus’ warnings?

o   No.

 

31)   According to what Jesus said in verse 27 what will the coming of the Son of Man be like?

o   For as lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west.

o   So

o   Will be the coming of the Son of Man.

 

32)   According to what Jesus said in verses 26 and 27 will anyone need to seek in order to see the second coming of Christ and why?

o   No, because everyone wherever they are will be able to see the second coming of Christ without having to go anywhere.

 

33)   According to what Jesus said in verse 28 what did he liken his coming to everyone wherever they are to?

o   Jesus will come to everyone.

o   Wherever

o   They are.

o   Just as

o   The vultures will always

§  Find.

§  And gather around a dead body.

 

34)   According to what Jesus said in verse 29 what signs will there be in the sky immediately after the distress of those days?

o   The sun will be darkened.

o   The moon will not give its light.

o   The stars will fall from the sky.

o   And the heavenly bodies will be shaken.

 

35)   According to what Jesus said in verse 30 what sign will appear in heaven?

o   The sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven.

 

36)   According to what Jesus said in verse 30 what will the Son of Man do?

o   The Son of Man will come on the clouds of heaven with great

§  Power.

§  And glory.

 

37)   According to what Jesus said in verse 30 what will all the peoples of the earth do when they see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with great power and glory?

o   They will mourn.

 

38)   According to what Jesus said in verse 31 what will he do upon his return?

o   Jesus will send his angels with a loud trumpet call.

o   They will gather his elect

§  From the four winds.

§  From one end of the heavens to the other.

 

39)   According to what Jesus said in verses 32 and 33 how does the lesson of the fig tree aid us in discerning the imminence of the end?

o   We know that summer is near.

o   As soon as

o   The twigs of the fig tree get tender.

o   And its leaves come out. 

o   Even so

o   We know that the end is near, right at the door.

o   When

o   We see these things.

 

40)   Did what Jesus described happen within Jesus’ generation?

o   Some but not all of the things that Jesus described happened in 70 A.D.

 

41)   What does ‘this generation’ in verse 34 refer to, given that the generation for which ‘this generation’ serves as timing reference is in the preceding verse 33 that refers to the presence of all the signs that accompany the end of the age in the terminal generation of humanity?

o    ‘This generation’ in verse 34 does not refer

§  To Jesus’ generation.

§  But to the terminal generation of humanity.

 

42)   What does verse 34 tell us about the fulfillment of all the things Jesus described in the terminal generation of humanity?

o   The terminal generation of humanity will certainly not pass away.

o   Until

o   All the things Jesus described have happened.

 

43)   According to what Jesus said in verse 35 what is the durability of his words?

o   Heaven and earth will pass away.

o   But Jesus’ words will never pass away.

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Matthew 24:1-35

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