I finished Matthew 25 this morning.

I wanted to go back, though and share some of the observations from 24.

In verse 2, Jesus prophesies the destruction of the Temple. The disciples in verse 3 ask him, "Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the close of the age?"

That’s interesting, because the KJV had said, “end of the world.”

I looked back at Matthew 13, and noticed that verses 38-40 say, “The field is the world, and the good seed is the children of the kingdom. The weeds are the sons of the evil one, and the enemy who sowed them is the devil. The harvest is the close of the age, and the reapers are angels. Just as the weeds are gathered and burned with fire, so will it be at the close of the age.” Also in verse 49, “So it will be at the close of the age.”

Interesting that Paul uses it in 1 Corinthians 10, “Now these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come.”

The Jews believed that the Messiah would bring about a new age. At this time, the disciples were living in the Jewish age.

Hebrews 9:26 says, “But as it is, he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.” If he meant the end of the world, we have a real problem. Because Christ died almost 2,000 years ago, and the world still has not ended. But the Jewish age has definitely ended.

Looking back at Malachi, which I just read September 30.
3:1, 2 - Behold, I send my messenger and he will prepare the way before me. And the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple; and the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight, behold, he is coming, says the Lord of hosts. But who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears? For he is like a refiner's fire and like fullers' soap.
4:5 - Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes.
Rev. 6:17 - The great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?
Malachi’s prophecy is clearly of a coming Judge, heralded by Elijah [John the Baptist].

Isaiah 40:3 - A voice cries: “In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God.”
Isaiah’s prophecy is of a coming Savior, heralded by a voice [John the Baptist].

The Savior and the Judge are both heralded by John the Baptist.

Malachi 3:3, 16-18; 4:2, 3, 5, 6 all offer hope. A remnant will be saved. But the warning still stands, “lest I come and strike the land with a decree of utter destruction.” (Reminiscent of Jericho, “And the city and all that is within it shall be devoted to the Lord for destruction.” Joshua 6:17, also Deuteronomy 13:12-18)

This is all spoken of Israel.

Now, Zechariah prophesied of his son, “And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways, to give knowledge of salvation to his people in the forgiveness of their sins...” And John says of him, “He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him.” The “Savior’s herald” aspect.

But John the Baptist himself preached, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?... Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees... His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into the barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.” The “Judge’s herald” aspect.

Notice he warned of the wrath to come. Even as he’s saying it, it’s on its way. “Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees.” “His winnowing fork is in his hand.”

Okay, now back to Matthew 24. The disciples asked him, “When will these things be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the close of the age?" Are these three different questions? Not in Mark 13, “Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign when all these things are about to be accomplished?” Not in Luke 21, “Teacher, when will these things be, and what will be the sign when these things are about to take place?” They’re asking about one great event.

The disciples asked a specific question and Jesus is giving a specific answer to the disciples.

In Matthew 24, there is nothing in the text to suggest a leap from the destruction of the temple to the distant future. The only time transition is in verse 29 where it says, “Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.” And there, the word is immediately. Not “after many days” or “it shall come to pass after these things.”

Now, verse 14 says, “And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.”
Colossians 1:5, 6 say, “Of this you have heard before in the word of the truth, the gospel, which has come to you, as indeed in the whole world it is bearing fruit and growing—as it also does among you, since the day you heard it and understood the grace of God in truth.”
And in verse 23, “if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister.”

Matthew 24:15 says, “So when you see the abomination of desolation spoken of by the prophet Daniel...” As the disciples had asked Jesus a specific question and he is giving them a specific answer, would they not have understood you as referring to themselves?

It does seem that the most natural reading of Matthew 24-25 would be that it is all one undivided answer to the disciples’ question.