Matthew 24:1
Καὶ ἐξελθὼν ὁ Ἰησοῦς ἀπὸ τοῦ ἱεροῦ, ἐπορεύετο, καὶ προσῆλθον οἱ μαθηταὶ αὐτοῦ ἐπιδεῖξαι αὐτῷ τὰς οἰκοδομὰς τοῦ ἱεροῦ.
And Jesus, departing from the temple, went and His disciples came to show to Him the buildings of the temple.
Paraphrase: Then Jesus left the temple, with His disciples, and together, they made their way out of the city. As they left the city, they crossed the brook Kidron and began the ascent up the Mount of Olives. When they reached a turn in the road, the disciples looked back on the city. There stood the temple in all its massive beauty. The sun turned the marble and gold into a blaze of glory and wonder. The massive stones laying at the foundation of the temple were still visible. “Teacher,” they said, “Did you ever see such buildings as these? Was there ever a more majestic temple? a more beautiful edifice than this?”
Comments:
This paraphrase is heavily dependent on Edersheim (p431):
The last and most solemn denunciation of Jerusalem had been uttered, the last and most terrible prediction of judgment upon the Temple spoken, and Jesus was suiting the action to the word. It was as if He had cast the dust off His Shoes against ‘the House’ that was to be ‘left desolate.’ And so He quitted for ever the Temple and them that held office in it.
Matthew 24:2
ὁ δὲ ἀποκριθεὶς, εἶπεν αὐτοῖς, Οὐ βλέπετε ταῦτα πάντα; ἀμὴν λέγω ὑμῖν, οὐ μὴ ἀφεθῇ ὧδε λίθος ἐπὶ λίθον, ὃς οὐ καταλυθήσεται.
Then answering, He said to them, “Do you not see all these things? Verily, I say to you, stone on stone will not be left here, which will be demolished.
Paraphrase: Jesus also stopped and looked. His face was full of sorrow and terrible disappointment. “Listen men,” He said, “Do you see this city and this majestic temple? There is a day coming when not one of these stones will be left standing on another. It will all be completely destroyed and smashed to pieces.”
Comments:
Matthew 24:3
Καθημένου δὲ αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ τοῦ ὄρους τῶν Ἐλαιῶν, προσῆλθον αὐτῷ οἱ μαθηταὶ κατ’ ἰδίαν, λέγοντες, Εἰπὲ ἡμῖν, πότε ταῦτα ἔσται; καὶ τί τὸ σημεῖον τῆς σῆς παρουσίας καὶ συντελείας τοῦ αἰῶνος;
Then, while he was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him according to Himself, saying, “Tell us, when will these things be?” And what sign of Your coming and the end of the age?”
Paraphrase: As they climbed the mountain, the disciples looked at each other in disbelief. What did Jesus mean by this? What could possibly bring down a city like Jerusalem and destroy even the temple? Eventually, they all stopped to rest, and the disciples saw their opportunity. They approached Jesus, “Teacher,” they said, “You were just saying that this entire city, including the temple, would be utterly destroyed. This is a dark prophecy indeed! Tell us, when will this terrible catastrophe take place? Will there be some kind of sign or clue as to when this is about to happen, so we can fly for safety? Furthermore, You have also taught us about Your own arrest, trial, death, and resurrection. (Matthew 16:21; 17:22-23; 19:28; 20:17-19) You have even told us that after Your death, You will return again in great glory. (Matthew 16:27) Tell us, please, what is the timeline for all these events?
Comments:
Matthew 24:4
Καὶ ἀποκριθεὶς, ὁ Ἰησοῦς εἶπεν αὐτοῖς, Βλέπετε, μή τις ὑμᾶς πλανήσῃ.
And answering, Jesus said to them, “Watch lest someone might lead you astray.”
Paraphrase: “These are important questions,” Jesus replied, “It’s critical that you listen carefully because there are so many who will deceive you on these points and lead you down the wrong path.
Comments:
For μή here, see p995.
Matthew 24:5
πολλοὶ γὰρ ἐλεύσονται ἐπὶ τῷ ὀνόματί μου, λέγοντες, Ἐγώ εἰμι ὁ Χριστός, καὶ πολλοὺς πλανήσουσιν.
For many will come in My Name saying, “I am the Messiah, and they will deceive many.”
Paraphrase: Here’s how they will do it. They will claim to be the long looked for and expected Messiah. They will even claim to be sent by Me or to be on a mission from God Himself. Unfortunately, these imposters will gain many followers and many will fall for their lies.
Comments:
Matthew 24:6
μελλήσετε δὲ ἀκούειν πολέμους καὶ ἀκοὰς πολέμων. ὁρᾶτε, μὴ θροεῖσθε· δεῖ γὰρ γενέσθαι, ἀλλ’ οὔπω ἐστὶν τὸ τέλος.
Then you will be destined to hear of wars and rumors of wars. See to it that you are not alarmed, for it is necessary to happen, but not yet is the end.
Paraphrase: Here are some things that you will see and hear that do not signal the end. First, there will always be wars taking place, both nearby and far away. Armies will be on the move, and nations will be looking for conquest and plunder. Don’t be alarmed at this; such things have always been happening in the history of the world, and God is orchestrating all these events to achieve His divine purpose. God causes even the evil plans of men to work out for His glory. (Psalm 76:10) Such wars are not a sign that the end has arrived.
Comments:
Matthew 24:7
ἐγερθήσεται γὰρ ἔθνος ἐπὶ ἔθνος, καὶ βασιλεία ἐπὶ βασιλείαν· καὶ ἔσονται λιμοὶ καὶ σεισμοὶ κατὰ τόπους.
For nation will rise up against nation and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places.
Paraphrase: Yes, all the usual events, which we associate with history, will continue to take place. Nations will try to capture territory from another; they will find all sorts of pretexts for going to war with each other. There will be natural disasters as well, famines, earthquakes, fires, hurricanes, etc.
Comments:
Matthew 24:8
πάντα δὲ ταῦτα ἀρχὴ ὠδίνων.
But all these are the beginning of labor pains.
Paraphrase: These sorrows and disasters, however, are not yet the end. Think of them as the first of the labor pains which a woman experiences before she goes into full labor. Do not be alarmed; the end is not yet.
Comments:
Matthew 24:9
Τότε παραδώσουσιν ὑμᾶς εἰς θλῖψιν, καὶ ἀποκτενοῦσιν ὑμᾶς, καὶ ἔσεσθε μισούμενοι ὑπὸ πάντων τῶν ἐθνῶν διὰ τὸ ὄνομά μου.
Then they will give you over to persecution and will kill you, and you will be hated by all nations on account of My Name.
Paraphrase: During this time, everyone will hate you. They will hate you because they identify you with Me, and you know how they hate Me. (John 15:18) Since you are My disciples, they will arrest you, drag you to rigged courts, and sentence you to death. When that time comes, do not fear what you are about to suffer. You will have tribulation for ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you a crown of life. (Revelation 2:10)
Comments:
Matthew 24:10
καὶ τότε σκανδαλισθήσονται πολλοὶ, καὶ ἀλλήλους παραδώσουσιν, καὶ μισήσουσιν ἀλλήλους·
And then many will be offended, and they will give one another over, and they will hate one another.
Paraphrase: Because of this reproach and ridicule from the world around you, many will fold. They won’t be able to bear the laughter and mockery from the cultural elite, and they will go over to the other side. They will deny Me, join the persecution, and start handing you over to the authorities. Not only will they hate you, but they will begin to hate each other. They know nothing of the love of God; and therefore, they know nothing of love to their neighbor.
Comments:
Matthew 24:11
καὶ πολλοὶ ψευδοπροφῆται ἐγερθήσονται καὶ πλανήσουσιν πολλούς.
And many false prophets will rise up and deceive many.
Paraphrase: Also during this time, you will see many men step up and announce that they are prophets of God. They will claim to speak for God and to bear messages from the Most High. They are frauds; but in spite of this, they will still succeed in deceiving many.
Comments:
Matthew 24:12
Καὶ διὰ τὸ πληθυνθῆναι τὴν ἀνομίαν, ψυγήσεται ἡ ἀγάπη τῶν πολλῶν.
And because lawlessness will multiply, the love of many will cool.
Paraphrase: Lawbreaking and crime will skyrocket; mutual love and respect for others will gradually disappear from society. Everyone will suspect everyone. These will not be happy times.
Comments:
See infinitive.
Matthew 24:13
ὁ δὲ ὑπομείνας εἰς τέλος, οὗτος σωθήσεται.
And because lawlessness will multiply, the love of many will cool.
Paraphrase: Lawbreaking and crime will skyrocket; mutual love and respect for others will gradually disappear from society. Everyone will suspect everyone; these will not be happy times.
Comments:
Matthew 24:14
Καὶ κηρυχθήσεται τοῦτο τὸ εὐαγγέλιον τῆς βασιλείας ἐν ὅλῃ τῇ οἰκουμένῃ, εἰς μαρτύριον πᾶσιν τοῖς ἔθνεσιν· καὶ τότε ἥξει τὸ τέλος.
And this gospel of the kingdom shall be proclaimed in all the world for a witness to all nations and then the end will come.
Paraphrase: During this time, the good news of My kingdom will be proclaimed to all people and will spread throughout the entire land. It will be a witness to all the nations that God did not desire their death and destruction but rather that they would turn from their sin and live. (Ezekiel 18:23) Thus, God’s gospel offer still stands (Hebrews 4:1); but when this day of grace is finished (Luke 19:44; 1 Peter 2:12), then the end will come.
Comments:
Matthew 24:15
Ὅταν οὖν ἴδητε Τὸ βδέλυγμα τῆς ἐρημώσεως, τὸ ῥηθὲν διὰ Δανιὴλ τοῦ προφήτου, ἑστὸς ἐν τόπῳ ἁγίῳ— ὁ ἀναγινώσκων νοείτω—
When, therefore, you might see the detestable thing of destruction, being spoken by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand)
Paraphrase: Now you have asked me how you can know when the end is coming. All the things, which I have mentioned, are events which will continue to happen as always but will grow increasingly more severe as the end approaches. They themselves, however, are not the end. Now listen carefully because now I am going to tell you the one event which will signal to you that the end has come. This event is what Daniel the prophet spoke of when he spoke of an abomination which causes desolation” (Daniel 9:27) Then you will see the army of Rome marching through the land, over which I have called My Name and which I promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. This army will make its way to Jerusalem, the holy city. It will destroy everything in its path; no people or city will be able to slow it’s relentless progress to the holy city. Finally, the dread day will arrive, when it will take its stand before the city of David, the place where My Name dwells between the cherubim. Listen carefully, and let everyone who hears or reads these words, pay careful attention to My instructions here.
Comments:
Matthew’s reference to Daniel here shows his aim of speaking to Jewish Christians.
Matthew 24:16
τότε οἱ ἐν τῇ Ἰουδαίᾳ, φευγέτωσαν εἰς τὰ ὄρη·
Then, those in Judea, let them flee to the mountains.
Paraphrase: When you see this, you will know the end has come, and it’s time to take alarm. Gather up your family and get out of the city. Flee to the nearby mountains and set up a refuge there for all who will flee from the coming destruction.
Comments:
See chapter 20 in Josephus.
Matthew 24:17
ὁ ἐπὶ τοῦ δώματος, μὴ καταβάτω ἆραι τὰ ἐκ τῆς οἰκίας αὐτοῦ·
The one on the roof, let him not descend to take things from His house.
Paraphrase: Do not delay for a single moment. When you hear of the dreaded army approaching, flee for safety. Is someone relaxing on his roof when he hears the news? There’s no time to be lost; don’t even go downstairs to your house to gather up your things. Get out of the city as fast as you can!
Comments:
Matthew 24:18
καὶ ὁ ἐν τῷ ἀγρῷ, μὴ ἐπιστρεψάτω ὀπίσω ἆραι τὸ ἱμάτιον αὐτοῦ.
And the one in the field, let him not return after to take his clothes.
Paraphrase: Is another laboring in the field when someone brings him the news? There’s no time to return to your house for your clothing. Get out of the city before it’s too late!
Comments:
Matthew 24:19
Οὐαὶ δὲ ταῖς ἐν γαστρὶ ἐχούσαις, καὶ ταῖς θηλαζούσαις ἐν ἐκείναις ταῖς ἡμέραις.
And woe to those having in the womb and to those nursing in those days.
Paraphrase: I feel pity for women who are pregnant at this time and for those women who are nursing babies. They will suffer greatly as they flee the city and have to live in a desolate place. May God have mercy on them!
Comments:
Matthew 24:20
προσεύχεσθε δὲ ἵνα μὴ γένηται ἡ φυγὴ ὑμῶν χειμῶνος, μηδὲ σαββάτῳ.
And pray that your escape might not be in the rainy season or on the sabbath.
Paraphrase: Pray that God would favor you with not having to flee the city in the rainy season when the weather will make travel so difficult and bring you many additional hardships. Pray too that your flight does not fall on a sabbath when it will be nearly impossible to leave the city because the gates will be closed, and it will be impossible to purchase food or to obtain help from anyone in your time of need.
Comments:
Matthew 24:21
ἔσται γὰρ τότε θλῖψις μεγάλη, οἵα οὐ γέγονεν ἀπ’ ἀρχῆς κόσμου ἕως τοῦ νῦν, οὐδ’ οὐ μὴ γένηται.
For then will be great suffering such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, neither will it be.
Paraphrase: Oh the dreadful sufferings of that day. There will be atrocities such as have never been seen before and will never be seen again. From the time of creation until now, history has never heard of such carnage and destruction. Never will the annals of history ever record an event so dreadful as what is about to take place in Jerusalem on that day.
Comments:
For οἵα, see the bottom of the right column p548.
Josephus (p800 §5) was an eyewitness of the destruction of Jerusalem:
It is therefore impossible to go distinctly over every instance of these men’s [those defending Jerusalem] iniquity. I shall therefore speak my mind here at once briefly:—That neither did any other city ever suffer such miseries, nor did any age ever breed a generation more fruitful in wickedness than this was, from the beginning of the world.
Matthew 24:22
καὶ εἰ μὴ ἐκολοβώθησαν αἱ ἡμέραι ἐκεῖναι, οὐκ ἂν ἐσώθη πᾶσα σάρξ· διὰ δὲ τοὺς ἐκλεκτοὺς, κολοβωθήσονται αἱ ἡμέραι ἐκεῖναι.
and unless those days were shortened, not any flesh would be saved, but on account of the elect, those days will be shortened.
Paraphrase: Yes, if a limit was not put to the carnage and bloodshed of those days, then not a single Jew would have been left. They all would have perished in the city at the hands of the foreign invader. (Luke 21:20) But also amongst the Jewish people, God has His chosen remnant. (Romans 9:6) For their sake, God has placed a limit on the killing. It will stop, and some will survive this terrible day and live to see their sins forgiven in the blood of Christ.
Comments:
Matthew 24:23
Τότε ἐάν τις ὑμῖν εἴπῃ, Ἰδοὺ, ὧδε ὁ Χριστός, ἤ Ὧδε, μὴ πιστεύσητε.
Then, when anyone might say to you, “Behold, here the Messiah or here!” Do not believe.
Paraphrase: Now then, be on your guard. When a person announces that he is the Messiah or that he has found the Messiah, don’t fall for it. He’s a liar and a fraud.
Comments:
Matthew 24:24
ἐγερθήσονται γὰρ ψευδόχριστοι καὶ ψευδοπροφῆται, καὶ δώσουσιν σημεῖα μεγάλα, καὶ τέρατα, ὥστε πλανῆσαι, εἰ δυνατὸν, καὶ τοὺς ἐκλεκτούς.
For false messiahs and false prophets will rise up and will give great signs and wonders so that, if possible, even the elect might be deceived.
Paraphrase: You will need to be very careful with these men. Some of them will perform such feats of magic and wonders that it will seem as though they are performing real miracles. Don’t fall for it! Some of their miracles will seem so real, that even the very elect of God would be deceived if it were possible. You will need to be on your guard against these frauds; they claim to be the messiah but they are false messiahs. Others claim that God has spoken to them; again, they are false prophets. God has not spoken to them.
Comments:
I do not believe these were real miracles performed by these false Christs and false prophets. Lightfoot writes (p300) about this:
There were hardly any people in the whole world that more used, or were more fond of, amulets, charms, mutterings, exorcisms, and all kinds of enchantments.
False Christs broke out, and appeared in public with their witchcrafts, so much the frequenter and more impudent, as the city and people drew nearer to its ruin; because the people believed the Messias should be manifested before the destruction of the city; and each of them pretended to be the Messias by these signs.
Matthew 24:25
ἰδοὺ, προείρηκα ὑμῖν.
Behold, I have forewarned you.
Paraphrase: Pay attention; you’ve been warned!
Comments:
Matthew 24:26
Ἐὰν οὖν εἴπωσιν ὑμῖν, Ἰδοὺ, ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ ἐστίν, μὴ ἐξέλθητε· Ἰδοὺ, ἐν τοῖς ταμείοις, μὴ πιστεύσητε.
Matthew 24:27
ὥσπερ γὰρ ἡ ἀστραπὴ ἐξέρχεται ἀπὸ ἀνατολῶν καὶ φαίνεται ἕως δυσμῶν, οὕτως ἔσται ἡ παρουσία τοῦ Υἱοῦ τοῦ ἀνθρώπου.
Matthew 24:28
ὅπου ἐὰν ᾖ τὸ πτῶμα, ἐκεῖ συναχθήσονται οἱ ἀετοί.
Matthew 24:29
Εὐθέως δὲ μετὰ τὴν θλῖψιν τῶν ἡμερῶν ἐκείνων· Ὁ ἥλιος σκοτισθήσεται, Καὶ ἡ σελήνη οὐ δώσει τὸ φέγγος αὐτῆς, Καὶ οἱ ἀστέρες πεσοῦνται ἀπὸ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ, Καὶ αἱ δυνάμεις τῶν οὐρανῶν σαλευθήσονται.
And immediately, after the trouble of those days, the sun will become dark and the moon will not give her light, and the stars will fall from heaven and the powers of the heavens will be toppled.
Paraphrase: Yes, the trouble, pain, and horror of those days will be unparalleled. It will be as if the sun stopped shining, and the moon went dark. The very stars of heaven will fall out of their courses; the heavens will descend into chaos. Yes, the judgments coming on My people for their constant unfaithfulness will be unlike anything ever seen before.
Comments:
Matthew 24:30
Καὶ τότε φανήσεται τὸ σημεῖον τοῦ Υἱοῦ τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ, καὶ τότε κόψονται πᾶσαι αἱ φυλαὶ τῆς γῆς, καὶ ὄψονται τὸν Υἱὸν τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ἐρχόμενον ἐπὶ τῶν νεφελῶν τοῦ οὐρανοῦ μετὰ δυνάμεως καὶ δόξης πολλῆς.
And then will appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven; and then, all the tribes of the country will weep and will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
Paraphrase: Then, there will be a clear sign that the Son of Man is in heaven and that He has all power and authority in His hands. Everyone living in Israel will see it and will cry out in terror and sorrow. They will beat their chests in grief. (Zechariah 12:10) A foreign army will move relentlessly through the land with nothing to stop it or even slow its advance. Then, My people will know and see that what I have spoken is the truth. They will remember what I said here and will know that the Son of Man has all authority in heaven and on earth. (Matthew 26:64) They will acknowledge that I am the One coming on the clouds of heaven with a rod of iron in My hand to do justice to the nations. On My robe is written this title, “King of all kings and Lord of all lords.” (Revelation 19:15-16)
Comments:
“in heaven” is modifying Son of Man, not giving us the location of the sign.
That the sign here is the arrival of the Roman army in Judea is clear from v28 which speaks of the Jews as the corpse and the Roman army or the eagles (the eagle was the most sacred ensign of the Roman military) gathering to eat the corpse. See Signa Militaria.
The expression “coming on the clouds of heaven” does not necessarily refer to the second coming of Christ. It is used in the Bible whenever God is coming in judgment. A clear example of this is in David’s song where he cries out to God for help (2 Samuel 22:7), and God comes to His help (2 Samuel 22:17-18). Note all the references in 2 Samuel 22:8-17 to heavenly imagery. See the same imagery in Psalm 97:1-3 and Nahum 1:3-5. Joel also uses this imagery in describing the day of YHWH. (Joel 2:1-2)
Matthew 24:31
καὶ ἀποστελεῖ τοὺς ἀγγέλους αὐτοῦ μετὰ σάλπιγγος μεγάλης, καὶ ἐπισυνάξουσιν τοὺς ἐκλεκτοὺς αὐτοῦ, ἐκ τῶν τεσσάρων ἀνέμων, ἀπ’ ἄκρων οὐρανῶν ἕως τῶν ἄκρων αὐτῶν.
And he will send His messengers with a great trumpet and they will gather His elect out of the four winds from the ends of the heavens unto the ends.
Paraphrase: My Father will commission and send messengers to proclaim the Jubilee year. They will shout and proclaim it from the housetops! The Jubilee trumpet (Leviticus 25:9) will sound a mighty blast (Isaiah 58:1; Jeremiah 6:17; Ezekiel 33:3-6), and the great atonement will be held up as the only sacrifice sufficient to take away the sins of the worst sinner. (John 3:14-16) All those whom My Father has chosen, will hear the gospel trumpet. (John 10:16) They will come from the east and the west, from the north and the south. There will be one flock and one Shepherd. (Ezekiel 34:23; John 10:16) They will come with joy and great gladness and will rejoice in Me, their Savior.
Comments:
Matthew 24:32
Ἀπὸ δὲ τῆς συκῆς μάθετε τὴν παραβολήν· ὅταν ἤδη ὁ κλάδος αὐτῆς γένηται ἁπαλὸς καὶ τὰ φύλλα ἐκφύῃ, γινώσκετε ὅτι ἐγγὺς τὸ θέρος.
Matthew 24:33
οὕτως καὶ ὑμεῖς, ὅταν ἴδητε πάντα ταῦτα, γινώσκετε ὅτι ἐγγύς ἐστιν, ἐπὶ θύραις.
Matthew 24:34
ἀμὴν λέγω ὑμῖν ὅτι οὐ μὴ παρέλθῃ ἡ γενεὰ αὕτη ἕως ἂν πάντα ταῦτα γένηται.
Verily I say to you, “This generation will not pass will certainly not pass until all these things might be.”
Paraphrase: Listen closely now. I’m telling you the truth; all of you standing here today (Matthew 11:16; 12:42, 45; 23:36; Mark 8:12; Acts 2:40) will not pass from this life until all these things have happened.
Comments:
Lightfoot (p320): Hence it appears plain enough, that the foregoing verses are not to be understood of the last judgment, but, as we said, of the destruction of Jerusalem. There were some among the disciples (particularly John), who lived to see these things come to pass. And there were some Rabbins alive at the time when Christ spoke these things, that lived till the city was destroyed, viz. Rabban Simeon, who perished with the city, R. Jochanan Ben Zaccai, who outlived it, R. Zadoch, R. Ismael, and others.
Matthew 24:35
ὁ οὐρανὸς καὶ ἡ γῆ παρελεύσεται, οἱ δὲ λόγοι μου οὐ μὴ παρέλθωσιν.
The heaven and the earth will pass away, but My words shall never pass away.
Paraphrase: This then, My dear children, is the answer to the question you gave me. (Matthew 24:3) You had asked Me when My judgments would fall on this city and temple such that not a stone would be left standing on another. I trust I have now answered this question. Look for the signs which I have given you, and you will know when I am coming. You know that My words are sure and trustworthy; heaven and earth may pass away but My words will never fail. You can be sure of it. That being said, I must tell you that your question about My coming is an entirely different question than your question about the end of the age. (Matthew 24:3) You might not realize this, but these are very different questions with entirely different answers. When you ask about the end of the age, you are asking about My leaving you and returning again and especially about the time when I will summon all the nations for judgment. (Matthew 7:21-23; 13:49-50)
Comments:
Matthew 24:36
Περὶ δὲ τῆς ἡμέρας ἐκείνης καὶ ὥρας, οὐδεὶς οἶδεν, οὐδὲ οἱ ἄγγελοι τῶν οὐρανῶν, οὐδὲ ὁ Υἱός, εἰ μὴ ὁ Πατὴρ μόνος.
Now concerning that day and hour, no one knows, neither the angels of heaven, neither the Son, except the Father only.
Paraphrase:
Listen carefully now, and I will address that question. With regards to the end of the age, there are no such signs which I can give you as I did for My coming for the judgment of Israel. The day and hour of the end of the age is not known by anyone, not even Myself or the angels in heaven. Only My Father in heaven knows when that will be.
Comments:
Watson understands (p352) this text to be teaching that no one makes known or reveals (as in 1 Corinthians 2:2) the day and hour except the Father. “for He is speaking, not of the kind of knowledge he determined to acquire, but of that which he resolved alone to communicate. The meaning will then be, that by none of the three means of communication by which God has been pleased to reveal his purposes, neither inspired men nor angels, nor even the Son himself, was the exact time of that visitation MADE KNOWN or revealed.” Others understand this text to be a reference to kenosis (Philippians 2:8) and part of Christ’s humiliation. Schaff writes (p181):
Christ could, of course, not lay aside, in the incarnation the metaphysical attributes of His Divine nature, such as eternity, but He could, by an act of His will, limit His attributes of power and His knowledge and refrain from their use as far as it was necessary for His humiliation.
Tillotson (p171):
Some—and those of no small account—have understood these words as if our Savior only intended to put off his disciples from a more particular enquiry about this matter; not that he was ignorant of the Day of Judgment, but that he did not know it so as to reveal it to them. Which is by no means to be admitted, not only because it looks too like the equivocation of the Jesuits, but likewise because the same may be said of the angels—since it is no otherwise denied of the angels that they know this time than it is of the Son. Others say that his human nature was not ignorant of the Day of Judgment, but that it did not know this of itself, but by virtue of its union with the divine nature. But our Savior absolutely says that the Son did not know it. And therefore, others more reasonably have distinguished between his human nature and divine; and though as God he could not be ignorant of anything, yet his human understanding did not know it. And it is not unreasonable to suppose that the divine wisdom which dwelt in our Saviour did communicate itself to his human soul according to his pleasure, and so his human nature might at some times not know some things. And if this be not admitted, how can we understand that passage concerning our Savior (Luke 2:52) that “Jesus grew in wisdom and stature“—or, as the word ἡλικία may more fitly be translated, “in age“—”and in favour with God and man“? For if the human nature of Christ did necessarily know all things by virtue of its union with the divinity, he could not then as man be said to grow in wisdom.
See also Lightfoot p425.
Matthew 24:37
ὥσπερ γὰρ αἱ ἡμέραι τοῦ Νῶε, οὕτως ἔσται ἡ παρουσία τοῦ Υἱοῦ τοῦ ἀνθρώπου.
Matthew 24:38
ὡς γὰρ ἦσαν ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις ἐκείναις ταῖς πρὸ τοῦ κατακλυσμοῦ, τρώγοντες καὶ πίνοντες, γαμοῦντες καὶ γαμίζοντες, ἄχρι ἧς ἡμέρας εἰσῆλθεν Νῶε εἰς τὴν κιβωτόν.
Matthew 24:39
καὶ οὐκ ἔγνωσαν, ἕως ἦλθεν ὁ κατακλυσμὸς καὶ ἦρεν ἅπαντας· οὕτως ἔσται καὶ ἡ παρουσία τοῦ Υἱοῦ τοῦ ἀνθρώπου.
Matthew 24:40
τότε ἔσονται δύο ἐν τῷ ἀγρῷ· εἷς παραλαμβάνεται, καὶ εἷς ἀφίεται.
Matthew 24:41
δύο ἀλήθουσαι ἐν τῷ μύλῳ· μία παραλαμβάνεται, καὶ μία ἀφίεται.
Matthew 24:42
Γρηγορεῖτε οὖν, ὅτι οὐκ οἴδατε ποίᾳ ἡμέρᾳ ὁ κύριος ὑμῶν ἔρχεται.
Matthew 24:43
ἐκεῖνο δὲ γινώσκετε, ὅτι εἰ ᾔδει ὁ οἰκοδεσπότης ποίᾳ φυλακῇ ὁ κλέπτης ἔρχεται, ἐγρηγόρησεν ἂν καὶ οὐκ ἂν εἴασεν διορυχθῆναι τὴν οἰκίαν αὐτοῦ.
Matthew 24:44
διὰ τοῦτο καὶ, ὑμεῖς γίνεσθε ἕτοιμοι, ὅτι ᾗ οὐ δοκεῖτε ὥρᾳ, ὁ Υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ἔρχεται.
Matthew 24:45
Τίς ἄρα ἐστὶν ὁ πιστὸς δοῦλος, καὶ φρόνιμος, ὃν κατέστησεν ὁ κύριος ἐπὶ τῆς οἰκετείας αὐτοῦ, τοῦ δοῦναι αὐτοῖς τὴν τροφὴν ἐν καιρῷ;
Matthew 24:46
μακάριος ὁ δοῦλος ἐκεῖνος, ὃν ἐλθὼν, ὁ κύριος αὐτοῦ εὑρήσει οὕτως ποιοῦντα.
Matthew 24:47
ἀμὴν λέγω ὑμῖν ὅτι ἐπὶ πᾶσιν τοῖς ὑπάρχουσιν αὐτοῦ καταστήσει αὐτόν.
Matthew 24:48
Ἐὰν δὲ εἴπῃ ὁ κακὸς δοῦλος ἐκεῖνος ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ αὐτοῦ, Χρονίζει μου ὁ κύριος,
Matthew 24:49
καὶ ἄρξηται τύπτειν τοὺς συνδούλους αὐτοῦ, ἐσθίῃ δὲ καὶ πίνῃ μετὰ τῶν μεθυόντων,
Matthew 24:50
ἥξει ὁ κύριος τοῦ δούλου ἐκείνου ἐν ἡμέρᾳ ᾗ οὐ προσδοκᾷ, καὶ ἐν ὥρᾳ ᾗ οὐ γινώσκει,
Matthew 24:51
καὶ διχοτομήσει αὐτὸν, καὶ τὸ μέρος αὐτοῦ μετὰ τῶν ὑποκριτῶν θήσει· ἐκεῖ ἔσται ὁ κλαυθμὸς καὶ ὁ βρυγμὸς τῶν ὀδόντων.