Matthew 19:3-25:46 = Official Presentation and Rejection of the King
19:3-20:34 = Jesus’ instruction of His disciples in preparation for their future
21:1-17 = Jesus formal presentation to Israel as her King with His triumphal entry
21:18-22:46 = Israel’s leader’s rejection of Jesus offer
23 = Jesus rejection of Israel
24-25 = Jesus revelation to His disciples that He would return to Israel and establish His kingdom
Matthew 24
Key to content in chapter 24 and 25 is found in 24:3, “When (shall the temple be destroyed), What signs (will precede your return) which will mark the end of this age (or world)?”
24:4-51 details events which will unfold in the Tribulation period.
Note: this is not for believers in the Church Age, because the Church will be raptured before the tribulation period (cf. 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11)
Note: God has not appointed the Church to wrath, i.e the Tribulation. That time is for the fulfillment of Daniel 9:25.
Note: From Constable: “Seven sevens plus sixty-two sevens equals 483 years. Gabriel predicted that after 483 years, Messiah would be cut off. Detailed chronological studies have been done that show that Jesus Christ’s death occurred then. If one calculates 483 years from 444 B.C., one might conclude that the date for Messiah being cut off is A.D. 39. However, both the Jews and the Babylonians observed years of 360, rather than 365 days per year. If one calculates the number of days involved in the Jewish and Babylonian calendar year, the year Messiah would be cut off comes out to A.D. 33 with a 365-day year, the modern Julian calendar year.”
Note: Any call for endurance, like 24:13, is a call for endurance to be physically spared at the return of the Lord. This means that there will be believers at the Second Coming of the Lord, who had physically endured to the end, which will result in the physical salvation. They are still saved by faith in Jesus Christ, but they did not physically die because they endured the Tribulation. Many believers will not have this privilege in the Tribulation (cf. Revelation 6:9-10).
Matthew 25
It is vital to understand that there has been no change of context from the end of chapter 24 and the beginning of chapter 25. Jesus is still answering the question asked in 24:3, “When (shall the temple be destroyed), What signs (will precede your return) which will mark the end of this age (or world)?”
This chapter has two parables (lessons). One is a call for the Jew to be spiritually prepared for Jesus Second Advent, and the other is to be spiritually serving at His return.
25:1-13 = Parable of the Ten Virgins
These are illustrations of Jews, five of them had accepted Jesus as the Messiah and the others had not (25:3).
Note: I think the oil reference is a comment of the Holy Spirit, but that could be wrong.
The lesson here is that the Jew who is not SPIRITUALLY prepared, which would be accomplished by belief in Jesus Christ, will not be known by the Messiah when He returns, “I know you not”.
Note: Matthew 7 describes Jesus using the same phrase to the one’s who claimed Him as Lord but had not done the will of the Father (cf. Matthew 7:21-23; John 6:39-40). This means that the Jew who asks to be let in because He was at the Second Coming will not be let in because He did not believe on Jesus Christ, not because He was lazy.
The interpretation of this passage is for the ethnic Jew to be ready for the Kingdom by believing on the King. The application of this parable can be for Christians to be ready for the Lord by being found faithful (cf. 1 Corinthians 4:2).
25:14-30 = Parable of the Talents
This lesson is for the Jew to be faithful in His service to the Lord by sharing the message of the Kingdom, which I believe is directly linked to the gospel message. No one will walk into the Kingdom at Jesus’ return and be in the state of unbelief. Everyone who enters that Kingdom will have had placed their faith in Jesus Christ.
25:26 – This is the description of servant who does not believe Jesus is the Messiah, and furthermore believes He is an unreasonable and hard man. This cannot be an unfaithful believer because the punishment in 25:30 is only for those who are unsaved. Ethnic Jews who are in the state of unbelief and make it through the Tribulation period are still a part of corporate Israel, but they are not a part of the Israeli remnant that will get to the Kingdom. Why? They have rejected Jesus Christ as the Messiah and have not placed their faith in Him. The are a servant (a part of corporate Israel) but they are unprofitable (not a part of the believing remnant).
25:31-46 = Judgment of the Sheep and the Goats
Note: Some will use this passage as support that saving faith evidences itself in humanitarian efforts like feeding the poor and helping the homeless. However, the context of Jesus’ response in 25:31-46 is still based off 24:3. This is about the judgment of tribulation believers and tribulation unbelievers, not all believers and unbelievers.
Note: the works Jesus observes in 25:31-40 are works done by people who believed the message of Jesus brethren, which are the 144k (cf. Revelation 7:1-8)
Note: From Cucuzza: “This happens at the Second Coming to earth at the end of the Tribulation period. This is often called the Judgment of the Nations, or the Judgment of the Sheep and Goats. This takes place right before the 1,000-year reign of Christ. Those who have trusted Christ as Saviour will go into the kingdom age and reign with Him for 1,000 years on this planet. It is a judgment of the Gentile believers and unbelievers who come out of the Tribulation. It is not a judgment based on their deeds, but their deeds manifest their character and soul condition. During the Tribulation it will be very difficult to hide what you believe and who you belong to.”
