3 “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?” 4 And Jesus answered them, “See that no one leads you astray.” (Matthew 24:3–4 (ESV)
“A little while afterward Jesus is sitting on the Mount of Olives. We can imagine how, looking across the valley, a truly fascinating view disclosed itself to the eyes of the little company. There was the roof of the temple bathed in a sea of golden glory. There were those beautiful terraced courts and also those cloisters of snowy marble which seemed to shine and sparkle in the light of the setting sun. And then to think that all this glory was about to perish! The minds of the disciples reeled and staggered when they pondered that mysterious and awesome prediction.” – Dr. William Hendriksen
The disciples privately came to Jesus as He was sitting on the Mount of Olives. Mark’s Gospel indicates it was Peter, Andrew, James and John who approached the Lord (Mark 13:3). They began to continually ask Him when the destruction of the temple and the city of Jerusalem would occur (Matt. 24:1-2). They also asked Jesus what would be the sign of His coming and the end of the age? This reveals a clear distinction between the near, and the ultimate, fulfillment of these events.
The phrase “sign of your coming” is an event with special meaning. It may refer to a normal or miraculous sign (Matt. 12:38; Mark 8:11; Luke 2:12; 21:11, 25; John 2:11; Acts 2:19; 7:36; Rom. 15:19; 1 Cor. 1:22; 14:22; 2 Cor. 12:12; 2 Thess. 2:9; Heb. 2:4; Rev. 19:20). The event in question would be the second coming (παρουσίας; parousias) of the Lord. This would be the Lord Jesus Christ’s Second Advent.
“The very form in which the question is cast—the juxtaposition of the clauses—seems to indicate that, as these men (spokesmen for the rest of The Twelve) interpret the Master’s words, Jerusalem’s fall, particularly the destruction of the temple, would mean the end of the world. In this opinion they were partly mistaken, as Jesus is about to show. A lengthy period of time would intervene between Jerusalem’s fall and the culmination of the age, the second coming. Nevertheless, the disciples were not entirely wrong: there was indeed a connection between the judgment to be executed upon the Jewish nation and the final judgment on the day of the consummation of all things. As has already been indicated, the first was a type, a foreshadowing or adumbration, of the second,” explains Dr. Hendriksen.
Jesus answered the four men, and the other disciples, by saying ““See that no one leads you astray.” Jesus commanded them to personally take responsibility to not allow anyone to mislead or deceive them. The disciples were not to stray from the truth Jesus was about to communicate.
“Luke 19:11 records that the disciples still “supposed that the kingdom of God was to appear immediately.” The destruction of the temple (Matt. 24:2) did not fit the eschatological scheme they envisioned, so they asked for clarification. Jesus addressed their questions in reverse order, describing the prophetic sign of his coming (actually a series of signs) in vv. 4–35 and then addressing their question about the timing of these events beginning in v. 36,” explains Dr. John MacArthur.
“When they asked about his coming (Greek, parousia; lit., “presence”), they did not envision a second coming in the far-off future. They were speaking of his coming in triumph as Messiah, an event that they no doubt anticipated would occur presently. Even if they were conscious of his approaching death, which he had plainly prophesied to them on repeated occasions (see note on 20:19), they could not have anticipated his ascension to heaven and the long intervening church age. However, when Jesus used the term parousia in his discourse, he used it in the technical sense as a reference to his second coming.”
It is to these “series of signs” we will begin to unpack when next we meet. Until then, have a blessed day in the Lord.
Soli deo Gloria!
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