We have already seen that the Lord’s action after this address to the Scribes and Pharisees in Matthew 23 is highly symbolic in nature. He just told the leaders of the Jewish people that they would see Him no more. The Lord then withdraws and goes out of the temple to the Mount of Olives. In verse 3 we read that the disciples came to Him in isolation. This is a picture of our time when the Jewish people stand aside and the Lord gathers a select company around Him, to whom He makes known the secret of His will (Eph. 1:9; 1 Sam. 22:1-2).
first pericope
The Lord’s speech to His disciples in Matthew 24, which follows, can be divided into a number of parts. The first part of verses 1 to 14 concerns a general description until the end of the aeon. The emphasis here is on the final phase of this aeon.
The second part concerns verses 15 to 30 and describes the beginning of the great tribulation for Israel, which starts with the setting up of an idol in the holy place and continues until the restoration of Israel.
1 And Jesus went out from the temple. And his disciples came to him to show him the buildings of the temple.
46 years
Jesus’ disciples come to Him and point out the temple buildings to Him. We know from John 2:20 that this temple took 46 years to build. King Herod of Judea was responsible for this construction project. According to historians, this temple was one of the architectural masterpieces of the Roman Empire.
2 and Jesus said to them: “Are you not observing all these? Verily I say to you, there may not be left here a stone upon a stone, that shall not be thrown down.
not one stone upon another
What Jesus says to His disciples here was fulfilled in the year 70 AD. Then the Roman Emperor Titus destroyed the city of Jerusalem and the temple and reduced it to ashes. If these words of the Lord were literally fulfilled (and why should we doubt them?), then what is now called the Wailing Wall is not a remnant of this temple.
future temple
The temple was destroyed almost two thousand years ago. In the future another temple will be built and it too will be destroyed. The questions the disciples ask in the next verse concern the future, and the destruction of the temple thus takes on a double fulfillment.
3 And he sat on the mount of Olives, and the disciples came to him privately, and said, Tell us, when shall these things be, and what is the sign of your presence, and of the end of the age?
the Mount of Olives
The Mount of Olives symbolizes the Second Coming of the Lord (Zech. 14:4) and it is in this place that the Lord gives the speech in which His return is central. The disciples ask three questions and the Lord answers these questions below.
The first question is: when will these things be, when will Jerusalem and the temple be destroyed? Jesus answers this question without of course mentioning the year, but He tells what events will take place surrounding the destruction of the city and temple. We can now know that when we see these things happening, when it will be, because we know the sequence and context of the events.
For example, in verse 15 the Lord speaks about the moment when an abomination (>idol) of desolation is placed in the holy place. This moment ushers in the great tribulation, which will culminate in the destruction of Jerusalem.
parousia
The second question is: what is the sign of your presence? The word translated as presence is translated as (future) coming in the Statenvertaling and NBG translation.
The study Bible comments on the word parousia that it is a term indicating the official arrival of a king. It speaks of coming with authority and power (compare Matt.24:30).
It is about the Lord’s (second) coming, but not only about the moment of His arrival, but also about His presence afterwards. Just as this also applies to His “first coming”, we also count from His birth to His ascension.
end of the world?
The third and final question raises the most problems, because almost all common translations have it here: the end of the world. But that’s not what it says. It concerns the end of the aeon. Elsewhere this word is translated as century, in the sense of an era.
I cannot think of an example of a word more poorly translated and inconsistent than this Greek word aion. And it is precisely with this word that it has major consequences. Aion is translated as age, but also as eternity. An era and a timeless concept, which is contradictory and impossible. A fatal mistake, because, for example, a temporary judgment from God is now read as an endless judgment, which means that the gospel is no longer a gospel (> good news). But the representation of aion as world is also an incorrect translation. There is another Greek word for the concept of world: cosmos.
era
An aeon is an age and we are currently living in the evil aeon (Gal.1:4). This age is controlled by Satan, the god of this eon (2 Cor.4:4). In the aeon to come (Mark 10:30; Luke 18:30), Satan will be bound for a thousand years and will no longer be able to lead the nations astray (Rev.20:2-3). That is why this era of the thousand years is also called: the thousand-year kingdom of peace. Matthew 24 describes the transition from this evil aeon to the aeon to come.