Verse-by-Verse Commentary
The Book of Matthew
Chapter 24: They Shall See the Son of Man Coming in the Clouds
Matthew 24 is the Olivet Discourse, Jesus' great prophecy of things to come. Leaving the temple He foretells its ruin, 'there shall not be left here one stone upon another,' and on the Mount of Olives His disciples ask, 'when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?' He warns of deception, wars, famines, and persecution as 'the beginning of sorrows,' and calls His people to endure: 'he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.' He speaks of the abomination of desolation, a great tribulation, and false christs, and then of His own return in glory: 'they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.' No one knows the day or hour but the Father, so the great command is to watch: 'be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.' The chapter fixes the church's eyes on the certain, glorious return of Christ, and calls us to live faithful and ready.
About This Commentary
This is a verse-by-verse study of Matthew chapter 24. For each section you will find the KJV text, word studies that sharpen the meaning, plain explanation, and a Gospel Focus. Here Jesus foretells the fall of the temple, the signs of the age, His coming in glory, and the call to watch. Prophetic details are held with humility, fixing on the Christ- centered meaning. Every Scripture quotation is from the King James Version.
Setting the Stage
When Shall These Things Be?
Jesus foretells the temple's ruin, and the disciples ask about His coming.
The Beginning of Sorrows
Deception, wars, famines, and persecution mark the age; endure to the end.
In the Clouds with Glory
After tribulation, all shall see the Son of man come in power and great glory.
Watch, and Be Ready
No one knows the day; the faithful servant is found watching and working.
He That Shall Endure unto the End (Matthew 24:1-14)
Jesus foretells the temple's fall and the troubles of the age, warning against deception and calling His people to endure.
Take Heed That No Man Deceive You
"And Jesus went out, and departed from the temple: and his disciples came to him for to shew him the buildings of the temple. And Jesus said unto them, See ye not all these things? verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down. And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world? And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. All these are the beginning of sorrows. Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake. And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come."
Word Study
"the beginning of sorrows," Greek odinon (ὠδίνων). The word means birth pangs, the labor pains of a woman in travail. Jesus calls the wars, famines, and upheavals of the age "the beginning of sorrows", not random chaos but birth pangs, the painful contractions that precede a birth. They signal that something new is coming: the new age, the return of Christ, the birth of the kingdom in its fullness. Like labor pains, they grow more frequent and intense, and they are not meaningless suffering but the sign that deliverance draws near.
Explanation
As Jesus leaves the temple He foretells its total destruction -- "not one stone upon another" -- and on the Mount of Olives answers the disciples' questions about the end. He warns first against deception: false christs, wars, famines, and persecutions are "the beginning of sorrows," not the end itself. Love will grow cold and many will fall away, "but he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved." And before the end, "this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations" -- the mission drives history toward its appointed close.
Gospel Focus
As Jesus leaves the temple for the last time, the disciples admire its massive stones, and He stuns them: "There shall not be left here one stone upon another." Within a generation, in A.D. 70, Rome would raze it, exactly as He said. On the Mount of Olives they ask a threefold question, when the temple would fall, the sign of His coming, and the end of the age, and Jesus answers with a sweep of prophecy that reaches from that generation to the last. His first and most repeated word is a warning against deception: "Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many." The age between His two comings would be marked not by steady progress but by counterfeit messiahs, "wars and rumours of wars," "famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes," and the persecution of His people, "ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake." Yet He tells His own not to be "troubled": these are "the beginning of sorrows," birth pangs, not the end itself, and they are under God's hand. Two steadying words stand out. First, "he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved." In an age when "iniquity shall abound" and "the love of many shall wax cold," the mark of true faith is endurance; the saved are those who hold fast to Christ through it all. Second, "this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come." History is not drifting; it is moving toward a goal, the worldwide witness of the gospel, and then the end. For the believer this is not a message of fear but of hope and steadiness: do not be deceived, do not be troubled, endure to the end, and keep spreading the gospel, for the King is coming.
They Shall See the Son of Man Coming (Matthew 24:15-31)
Through great tribulation and the lure of false christs, the church looks for the one unmistakable event: the glorious, visible return of the Lord.
As the Lightning Cometh Out of the East
"When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:) Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains: Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house: Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes. And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days! But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day: For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened. Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not. For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect. Behold, I have told you before. Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not. For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. For wheresoever the carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered together. Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other."
Word Study
"coming," Greek parousia (παρουσία). The word means presence or arrival, and was used of the visit of a king or emperor to a city, a public, unmistakable event, not a secret. Jesus insists His parousia will be exactly that: not hidden "in the desert" or "in the secret chambers," but sudden, universal, and visible "as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west." No one will need to be told the King has come; "all the tribes of the earth" will see Him "coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory." This guards the church against every false, secret "christ."
Explanation
Jesus points to "the abomination of desolation" spoken of by Daniel as the signal of unequaled tribulation, urging immediate flight, and again warns against false christs performing signs to deceive "if it were possible... the very elect." His own coming will need no rumor to announce it: it will be as unmistakable and universal as lightning flashing across the whole sky. After the tribulation the heavens are shaken, "and then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven," who sends His angels to gather His elect from the four winds. The King who was rejected will return in undeniable, cosmic glory.
Gospel Focus
Here Jesus speaks of days of unequaled distress, "great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world." He points to "the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet," and urges sudden flight, words that had an immediate reference to the horrors surrounding Jerusalem's fall, yet reach forward to the final tribulation before His coming. These are matters faithful believers have read in more than one way, and we hold the precise timetable with humility; what Jesus makes unmistakably plain is the danger and the hope. The danger is deception: in such days "false Christs, and false prophets" will "shew great signs and wonders," so persuasive that "if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect." So He says plainly, when they claim the Christ is here or there, "believe it not." Why can the church be sure? Because the real coming of Christ will be impossible to miss. "As the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be", sudden, blazing, seen by all. "They shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory." The same Jesus who left in lowliness will return in open majesty, and "all the tribes of the earth" will behold Him. And He will "gather together his elect from the four winds", His scattered people gathered home at last. For the believer, this section is a shield and a comfort. It shields us from every counterfeit, every secret messiah, every date-setting deceiver, no such thing is the true Christ, for His coming will be public and glorious. And it comforts us: however dark the tribulation, it will not have the last word. The Lord Himself will appear, in power and great glory, and gather His own. Keep your eyes on the sky, not on the whispers of the secret chambers.
Of That Day and Hour Knoweth No Man (Matthew 24:32-51)
Because the day is certain but its hour unknown, the King calls His servants to constant watchfulness and faithful work.
Watch Therefore
"Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh: So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors. Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled. Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away. But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only. But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come. But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up. Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh. Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season? Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing. Verily I say unto you, That he shall make him ruler over all his goods. But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; And shall begin to smite his fellowservants, and to eat and drink with the drunken; The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of, And shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth."
Word Study
"Watch," Greek gregoreite (γρηγορεῖτε). The word means to stay awake, to be alert and on guard, like a watchman through the night. It is not anxious fretting over dates, which Jesus forbids, "of that day and hour knoweth no man", but a settled, wakeful readiness. Because the Lord will come "in such an hour as ye think not," the servant must live always prepared, as one who could meet his Master at any moment. To watch is not to stare at the calendar but to keep one's life and work in such order that His coming, whenever it is, would be welcome and not a dread.
Explanation
The fig tree teaches discernment -- when its branch is tender, summer is near -- yet the day and hour remain unknown, "no, not the angels," so the disciple lives in readiness, not calculation. As in the days of Noah, life will go on heedless until the flood of judgment falls, and two in a field will be divided, one taken and one left. The command that governs it all is "Watch": the faithful and wise servant is the one found doing his master's work when the Lord returns, while the servant who says "my lord delayeth" and grows cruel is cut off. Readiness is faithfulness in the ordinary, sustained because the Master may come at any hour.
Gospel Focus
Jesus draws the discourse toward its practical point. Like the fig tree whose tender leaves announce that "summer is nigh," the signs He has given show "that it is near, even at the doors." His word is utterly sure: "Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away." Yet the exact time is deliberately hidden: "of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only." This double truth, certain event, unknown hour, is the ground of everything that follows. Because the day is certain, we must be serious; because the hour is unknown, we must be always ready. He warns that the world will be caught unaware, as "in the days of Noe" people carried on "eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage" until the flood swept them away. His coming will divide: "the one shall be taken, and the other left." So the great command rings out: "Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come... be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh." He drives it home with the parable of two servants. The "faithful and wise servant" keeps doing his master's work, "to give them meat in due season," and is "blessed" and rewarded when the master comes. The "evil servant" says "in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming," and turns to abusing others and self-indulgence, and is caught and judged when the master returns unexpectedly. The difference is not knowing the hour, neither servant knows it, but how each lives in the not-knowing. This is the heart of the whole discourse for us: the surest response to Christ's return is not date-setting or speculation but faithfulness. Do your Master's work, care for His household, keep your life ready, and you need not fear the day. Watch, and be found "so doing."
Chapter 24 in Review
Matthew 24 is the Lord's prophecy of the age and His coming. Foretelling the temple's ruin, He answers the disciples' question about "the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world." He warns against deception by false christs, and describes wars, famines, persecution, and cooling love as "the beginning of sorrows," calling His people to endure: "he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved," while "this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world." He speaks of the abomination of desolation and a "great tribulation," and insists His coming will be no secret but sudden and universal, "as the lightning cometh out of the east," so that all "shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory," gathering His elect. And because "of that day and hour knoweth no man," He commands, "Watch therefore... be ye also ready," rewarding the faithful servant and judging the one who says "My lord delayeth his coming."
For the Apostolic reader the chapter fixes the church's hope on the certain return of Christ. Much of the prophetic detail, the timing, the tribulation, the abomination, has been read in more than one way by godly believers, and we hold those details with humility. But the central truths are plain and unshakable, and they are what Jesus most wants us to carry: do not be deceived by counterfeits, for the real coming will be seen by all; do not be troubled by the birth pangs of the age, for they are under God's hand and point to deliverance; endure to the end and keep spreading the gospel; and above all, watch and be ready. The same Jesus who ascended will return "in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory", the visible, victorious Lord, coming to gather His own. No one knows the hour, so the whole weight falls on how we live now. Be the faithful and wise servant, doing the Master's work and caring for His people, so that whenever He comes He finds you "so doing." He is coming. Watch, endure, and be ready.
- Beware deception; many false christs will come, but the real coming is unmistakable (24:4-5, 23-27).
- The troubles of the age are "the beginning of sorrows," birth pangs under God's hand (24:8).
- Endure to the end and preach the gospel to all nations (24:13-14).
- Christ will return visibly and gloriously, gathering His elect (24:30-31).
- No one knows the day or hour but the Father; certainty of event, hiddenness of time (24:36).
- The command is to watch and be ready, found faithfully doing the Master's work (24:42-46).
Questions for Reflection
- Are you guarding against the deceptions and counterfeits Jesus warned of?
- Do the troubles of the age trouble you, or do you see them as birth pangs pointing to Christ?
- Are you enduring in faith and helping spread the gospel while there is time?
- If the Lord came today, would He find you the faithful servant, "so doing"?
References & Sources
Scripture is quoted from the King James Version (KJV). Supporting passages are listed so every claim can be verified in its own setting. The abomination and Daniel's prophecy: Daniel 9:27; 11:31; 12:11. The coming of the Son of man in the clouds: Daniel 7:13-14; Acts 1:11; Revelation 1:7. The days of Noah: Genesis 6-7. The certainty of Christ's words: Matthew 5:18; 1 Peter 1:25. The call to watch: Mark 13:33-37; 1 Thessalonians 5:2-6. If anything here does not look right, a verse, a reference, or a wording, please tell us at info@FruitBearers.net. Thank you for helping us keep Bible Learning error free.
- The beginning of sorrows and the call to endure: Matthew 24:1-14; Mark 13:1-13; Luke 21:5-19.
- The tribulation and the coming of the Son of man: Matthew 24:15-31; Mark 13:14-27; Luke 21:20-28; Daniel 7:13-14.
- The unknown hour and the call to watch: Matthew 24:32-51; Mark 13:28-37; Luke 21:29-36; 1 Thessalonians 5:1-6.