Matthew 24:22, commentary and pictures

Christ's words belong to His great discourse that joins the destruction of Jerusalem as a type of the final destruction by fire with the events of the whole Christian age to His coming in the clouds with power and glory to gather the elect. In their plain sense they foretell the long and bloody persecution of His followers through pagan and papal oppression, which would have destroyed every believer and left no flesh alive if God had not stretched out His hand to preserve His people and cut the days short for the sake of the elect. That tribulation is the 1260 years from 538 to 1798, whose affliction was brought to an end before 1798 by the Reformation, so that the darkening of the sun and moon on May 19, 1780 came after the tribulation of those days though the days themselves reached to 1798. The same mercy will meet the final crisis, when corruption, Satanic cruelty, and the withdrawal of God's restraining Spirit after Christ leaves the most holy place would depopulate the earth and destroy all human life unless the coming time of trouble were made very short for the elect's sake. Therefore the warnings around the verse must be studied again and again and heeded in practical watchfulness, for Satan will so closely personate Christ that even the elect would if possible be deceived, and the fulfilling signs are to rouse God's people from lethargy to discern the times, prepare for the conflict, and warn the world that the end is near.

Setting and Scope

The verse belongs to Christ's discourse that speaks together of the destruction of Jerusalem and of His own coming, with the two crises set forth in one prophecy that reaches beyond Jerusalem to the final judgment. It briefly covers the whole Christian era and frames the history of the church through to its final redemption. It outlines what is to come upon the world and its perils in the last days, and it is given for those living in the last scenes of earth's history.

Jerusalem's destruction stands in that prophecy as a type of the world's final destruction by fire, among the events leading to the coming of the Son of man. The chapter does not place Christ's second coming at the destruction of Jerusalem.

The verse stands within the portrayal of the second coming to this world, when the Son of man is revealed in the clouds of heaven and comes with power and great glory and sends His angels with a great sound of a trumpet to gather His elect. That coming is at a day and hour no man knows, as in the days of Noah when they ate and drank and married until the flood took them away, and it is not an invisible secret taking of the saints without anyone knowing. It requires watchfulness and readiness at an unthought hour, distinguishing the faithful and wise servant found giving meat in due season, who is made ruler over all goods, from the evil servant who says his lord delays his coming and smites his fellow servants and eats and drinks with the drunken and is cut asunder with the hypocrites, thereby showing the condition of the church at Christ's second coming.

Persecution Shortened for Elect

The verse foretells the long persecution of Christ's followers from the time He was taken from them in the apostolic age until His return to deliver them. It belongs to the outline of events between the first and second advents and concerns the great tribulation the church faced under pagan and papal persecution. It points beyond the destruction of Jerusalem to the long centuries to the coming of the Son of God in majesty and glory, foretelling more than a thousand years of darkness marked for the church by blood and tears and agony, when persecution such as the world had never known would come upon Christ's followers and millions upon millions of faithful witnesses would be slain. Believers thus followed the path of suffering their Master had trod, under the fierce suffering and persecution that rulers would bring upon God's people in the coming ages.

The sufferings of the early church testified to the fulfillment of that forecast, with Christians of every class driven from homes, imprisoned, mocked, scourged, and killed. The persecution described was meant to kill every true Christian, and later believers endured torture for their faith when persecution became so severe. Without God's stretched-out hand to preserve His people no flesh would be saved and all would have perished. The persecution of Christ's church under papal supremacy would have destroyed all believers if it had continued for its full period.

For the sake of His chosen people God cut short those days of tribulation to save them, shortening the time of trial and the days of suffering. The great persecution under papal supremacy therefore did not last the full 1260 years but was brought to an end by the Reformation before 1798. The tribulation is the 1260 years from 538 to 1798. The sun and moon were darkened after the tribulation of those days rather than after those days themselves, for the days themselves reached to 1798 but the tribulation of the days ceased before the dark day of May 19, 1780, and this shortening fixes the supernatural darkening of the sun and moon to the eighteenth century.

Final Crisis and Readiness

Just before the Lord soon comes there will be a time of turning and overturning when faith on the earth is scarce, and unless as Ruler and Judge He shortens those days no flesh could survive, so clinging to God is the only way to be saved. Widespread corruption and moral ruin will reach such a point, with corruption and disregard for God's law grown to such an extent, that unless the days are shortened no one will survive, and God will shorten them to prevent that destruction. Unless the time of Satan's cruel work were cut short the earth would be depopulated, but the Lord's soon return will bring that work to an end. Temptations in the last days will be more severe than in any other age, as human power of resistance weakens while Satan's skill and power to tempt increase.

After Jesus leaves the most holy place His restraining Spirit is withdrawn from rulers and people and they are left to the control of evil angels, and laws then made by the counsel and direction of Satan will be so destructive that no human life would survive unless the time were made very short. Until then God restrains rulers and sets bounds beyond which they cannot go, holding back Satan's propositions through His own agents even among the rulers so the work of the third message can go on to the loud cry. The coming time of trouble will be shortened for the elect's sake so that humanity is not destroyed. The delay before deliverance strengthens God's people by leading them to exercise faith, hope, and patience, and the end comes sooner than people expect.

Something great and decisive must soon take place, otherwise no human being would survive, for the character of God will not be compromised and under the wrath of God universal desolation will soon reach all parts of the known world. Lightnings and earthquakes, fires and floods, and calamities by sea and by land are warnings of this coming desolation, but the world does not read them and makes no change in attitude. It remains as ardent in games, horse racing, and love of amusement as the inhabitants of the Noachic world who knew not until the flood came and took them all away, refusing heaven-sent warnings, declaring they want their own way and will and not God's way, mad with an insanity that hurries them to eternal ruin through every species of indulgence and infatuation with vice that will not listen to warnings or appeals, while all are now deciding their eternal destiny and human probation is about to end.

The warnings around this verse against last-day deception mean something practical and must be heeded as prior warning given beforehand. Satan will work with all deceivableness of unrighteousness to personate Jesus Christ, and the counterfeit will so closely resemble the genuine that if possible even the very elect would be deceived. Therefore believers must be on guard that no one deceives them, must not rest faith on uncertain things or place confidence in human agents claiming new revelation as God's mouthpiece.

The predictions of this chapter are waymarks showing that Jesus' prophecies about His second coming will come to pass, and this verse is one of them to be studied again and again and brought to the attention of all. Ministers and teachers must present them to those they instruct, explaining them as part of the sure word of prophecy that is the foundation of faith, studied together with the prophecies of Daniel and Revelation and with Jesus as the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, leaving out matters of minor consequence and matters of lesser consequence and presenting the truths that decide the eternal destiny of souls. They are being fulfilled today, and their unmistakable fulfilment is to arouse the church because it shows that Christ's coming is at hand.

Fulfillment of these signs should rouse from lethargy and spur to work for God, giving instruction for those who would afterward believe in this age of the world so they can discern the times and prepare for the great conflict, which requires reaching a higher standard. This verse belongs to the outline of what is to come upon the world, now being lived amid the perils of the last days, and to Christ's warning of judgments on Jerusalem whose warnings also apply to impenitent cities, urging study of the chapter as warning that judgment comes when people reject God's messages and His patience no longer turns them back, supporting the call to warn the world that the end is near. It shows tribulation through which the Christian enters the kingdom by constantly warring the good warfare without laying down weapons until Christ bids rest, and it calls for those perishing in sin to be warned with the last message of mercy. That warning is to be sustained by treating money as a treasure lent by the Lord to be invested in opening doors for gospel work, such as in New York City, rather than spent in self-gratification and effort to gain worldly riches that will crumble to dust, bringing eternal loss for selfish use and eternal life and eternal riches through self-denial, sacrifice of earthly riches, and giving all to Christ. The nearness shown by the fig tree and the command to watch because the hour of the Son of man's coming is unknown require readiness, faithful service giving meat in due season, and rejection of the evil servant's delay, smiting of fellow servants, and eating and drinking with the drunken that ends in being cut asunder with hypocrites where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth.