Part II: When shall these things be?

Matthew 24:3

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?"

The book of Matthew was written to Jews, and thus contains the elements of the question that would pertain to the Jews. But what about the question pertaining to the sign of Christ's coming? The disciples knew from Matthew 16:28, that Christ's coming would mark the beginning of the new kingdom which would replace the old Jewish order.

Matthew 16:28

28 "Assuredly, I say to you, there are some standing here who shall not taste death till they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom."

This event was to occur before some of them died, they wanted to know what would be the sign of this coming, they had a desire to know what to look for in their lifetime, and Jesus gave them what they asked for, with no indication of any these events being in the far future. The disciples' three questions in Matthew 24 were one and the same as the questions posed in Mark and Luke:

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?"

Mark 13:4

"Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign when all these things will be fulfilled?"

Luke 21:7

"Teacher, but when will these things be? And what sign will there be when these things are about to take place?

The disciple's inquiry was concerned about the destruction of the Temple, and not of the end of the world. This is quite clear in the references in Mark and Luke, and since these references repeat Christ's apocalyptic prophecy of the impending destruction of Jerusalem, we have little need to impose a different referent in Matthew 24. Oft, expositers posit three referents in the disciples' question, but the three are all in reference to one event. The destruction of the Temple or Tabernacle always meant to the Jews a dawning of a new age.

False Prophets, Wars and Rumors of Wars, Famines and Earthquakes

Matthew 24:4-8

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.

False Prophets

Though the Olivet discourse contains Old Testament apocalyptic form, we do not find this form in Matthew 24 in the first 28 verses. What we find is Christ's instructions to His disciples for when these things are to come to pass.

Many false prophets arose in the disciples time, we find reference to these in many of the epistles (Acts 13:6; 2 Thess. 2:3; 1 John 2:18) Luke 21:8 adds "The time is near." Many new translations includes this as some of the things that the false christs will say, but this is a modern imposition of doom and gloom eschatology. We have confirmation of Christ's meaning from John as he says in 1 John 2:18 that they knew this was the last hour because of the false prophets that had arisen.

For very soon after our Saviour's decease appeared Simon Magus, Acts viii. 9,10,- 'and bewitched the people of Samaria, giving out that himself was some great one: to whom they all gave heed, from the least to the greatest, saying This man is the great power of God.' He boasted himself likewise among the Jews, as the Son of God. Of the same stamp and character was also Dositheus the Samaritan, who pretended that he was the Christ foretold by Moses. In the reign of Claudius, about twelve years after the death of our Saviour, when Cuspius Fadus was procurator of Judea, a certain impostor, named Theudas, persuaded a great multitude with their best effects to follow him to the river Jordan for their passage, and "saying these things he deceived many, "saith Josephus. But Fadus sent a troop of horse against them, who falling unexpectedly upon them, killed many, and made many prisoners; and having taken Theudas himself alive, they cut off his head and took it to Jerusalem. A few years afterwards in the reign of Nero, and the procuratorship of Felix, these impostors arose so frequent, that "many of them were apprehended and killed every day." They seduced great numbers of people still expecting the Messiah; and well therefore might our Saviour caution his disciples against them. Dissertations on the Prophecies by Bishop Thomas Newton (p.p. 375-376)

Nation Rise Up Against Nation

Many wars and rumors of wars occurred during the time after Christ's ascension and the fall of Jerusalem.

When Caligula Caesar ordered that a statue of himself be erected in the Temple of Jerusalem, the Jews were furious, and refused this request. Rumors spread throughout that Caligula would respond in force, but he never did. The Jews, so expectantly awaiting a Roman assault, that they quit tilling their fields in awaiting war. Caligula's death ended this madness. This occurrence happened again under Nero Caesar.

Wars went on between the Galileeans and the Samaritans, Jews and Syrians, and even within Rome herself, as Otho and Vitalellius contended for the empire after the last line of Julian caesars ended with Nero's suicide.

Famines and Earthquakes

Famine

Agabus prophesied of a great famine that was soon to take place in Acts 11:28. The famine was worldwide and so severe in Jerusalem that many fed off their own young, hundreds of thousands died. This was forewarned in Deuteronomy 28:54-57

Deuteronomy 28:54-57

54 "The sensitive and very refined man among you will be hostile toward his brother, toward the wife of his bosom, and toward the rest of his children whom he leaves behind, 55 "so that he will not give any of them the flesh of his children whom he will eat, because he has nothing left in the siege and desperate straits in which your enemy shall distress you at all your gates. 56 "The tender and delicate woman among you, who would not venture to set the sole of her foot on the ground because of her delicateness and sensitivity, will refuse to the husband of her bosom, and to her son and her daughter, 57 "her placenta which comes out from between her feet and her children whom she bears; for she will eat them secretly for lack of everything in the siege and desperate straits in which your enemy shall distress you at all your gates.

And Jesus also warns in Matthew 24:19

Matthew 24:19

19 "But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days!

As Christ was approaching His death, he runs into women who weep for Him. Christ responds as thus:

Luke 23:28-29

28 But Jesus, turning to them, said, "Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for Me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. 29 "For indeed the days are coming in which they will say, 'Blessed are the barren, wombs that never bore, and breasts which never nursed!'

But this was to come, as the Jews testified against themselves at Jesus's trial before Pilate:

Matthew 27:25

25 And all the people answered and said, "His blood be on us and on our children."

Earthquakes

We have several historical records telling of severe earthquakes in this time in several places where Jews dwelled, including Crete, Smyrna, Miletus, Chios, Samos, Laodicea, Hieropolis, Collosse, Campania, Judea, and several at Rome. Josephus accounts for the earthquake in Judea:

For by night there broke out a most dreadful tempest, and violent strong winds with the most vehement showers, and continual lightnings, and horrid thunderings, and prodigious bellowings of the shaken earth: and it was manifest, that the constitution of the universe was confounded for the destruction of men; and any one might conjecture, that these things portended no common calamity [with the past].The War of the Jews by Flavius Josephus (Bk. 4, ch. 4, sec 5)/em>

Persecution and the Gospel Spreading

Matthew 24:9-14

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. 13 "But he who endures to the end shall be saved. 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.

Persecution

We have many accounts of Christians under persecution in the book of Acts, and even martyrdom. The persecution after the Scriptural accounts were even more intense.

• Philip was crucified by the Jews for spreading the gospel in 52 AD.
• Bartholomew was crucified for giving Philip a proper burial the same year.
• Matthew was slain by the sword in 60 AD.
• Mark had his feet tied, and dragged through the streets by horse. He was then left to bleed to death in a dungeon, and then they burned his remains.
• James (the less) was stoned to death.
• Matthias was first stoned and then beheaded.
• Andrew was crucified on a cross. He was tied to the cross instead of nailed, and was left there three days before he finally died.
• Peter was crucified upside down.
• Paul was beheaded by the sword.
• Jude was crucified in 72 AD.
• Thomas was slain by a spear.
• Luke was said to have been crucified.

Christians under Nero's reign were tied to posts, doused in oil, and then set aflame to light Nero's garden parties. They were fed to wild beasts, and some (male and female) were raped by Nero, himself.

Nero was said to have been evil incarnate, and totally mad. He was renowned for setting the city of Rome on fire, sit upon his parapet, and play a stringed instrument while watching his city burn. He later blamed the fire on the Christians and began a persecution that was never to be seen like it, afterwards, upon God's people.

The Spreading of the Gospel

Jesus said that the gospel must go throughout the world before the end comes. But did it? According to Scripture, it went out before Nero's reign.

Colossians 1:5b-6

. . . the word of the truth of the gospel, which has come to you, as it has also in all the world, and is bringing forth fruit, as it is also among you since the day you heard and knew the grace of God in truth;

Colossians 1:23

23 if indeed you continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast, and are not moved away from the hope of the gospel which you heard, which was preached to every creature under heaven, of which I, Paul, became a minister.

Romans 1:8

8 First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, that your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world.

Romans 10:18

18 But I say, have they not heard? Yes indeed: "Their sound has gone out to all the earth, And their words to the ends of the world."

Titus 2:11

11 For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men

So, the gospel had gone throughout the world, then the end comes.