Chronological Guide to Matthew 24 End Time Events

Matthew 24

1 And Jesus went out, and departed from the temple: and his disciples came to him for to show him the buildings of the temple.

2 And Jesus said to them, See you not all these things? truly I say to you, There shall not be left here one stone on another, that shall not be thrown down.

3 And as he sat on the mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of your coming, and of the end of the world?

4 And Jesus answered and said to them, Take heed that no man deceive you.

5 For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.

6 And you shall hear of wars and rumors of wars: see that you be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.

7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.

8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.

9 Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and you shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake.

10 And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another.

11 And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.

12 And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.

13 But he that shall endure to the end, the same shall be saved.

14 And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness to all nations; and then shall the end come.

15 When you therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoever reads, let him understand:)

16 Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains:

17 Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house:

18 Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes.

19 And woe to them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days!

20 But pray you that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day:

21 For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.

22 And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened.

23 Then if any man shall say to you, See, here is Christ, or there; believe it not.

24 For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders; so that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.

25 Behold, I have told you before.

26 Why if they shall say to you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not.

27 For as the lightning comes out of the east, and shines even to the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.

28 For wherever the carcass is, there will the eagles be gathered together.

29 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:

30 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.

31 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.

32 Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near:

33 So likewise you, when you shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors.

34 Truly I say to you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.

35 Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.

36 But of that day and hour knows no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.

37 But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.

38 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,

39 And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.

40 Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left.

41 Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left.

42 Watch therefore: for you know not what hour your Lord does come.

43 But know this, that if the manager 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.

44 Therefore be you also ready: for in such an hour as you think not the Son of man comes.

45 Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord has made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season?

46 Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he comes shall find so doing.

47 Truly I say to you, That he shall make him ruler over all his goods.

48 But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delays his coming;

49 And shall begin to smite his fellow servants, and to eat and drink with the drunken;

50 The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looks not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of,

51 And shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

The events of Matthew 24 provide a comprehensive prophetic chain extending from the apostolic age to the second coming of Christ Matthew 24:1-31ARSH June 9, 1853, page 9.9. This timeline begins with the physical destruction of Jerusalem, progresses through the long era of papal persecution, and concludes with the signs in nature that signal the immediate return of the Son of Man Matthew 24:2, 21, 29-30SITI November 21, 1900, page 4.11+1.

🏛️ The Destruction of Jerusalem

The prophecy opens with the warning that the magnificent buildings of the temple would be utterly thrown down Matthew 24:2ARSH June 9, 1853, page 9.9. Christ identified the Roman armies as the "abomination of desolation" spoken of by Daniel, instructing His followers to flee to the mountains the moment they saw the city encompassed by these forces Matthew 24:15-16+1SITI November 21, 1900, page 4.11+1. This event took place in A.D. 70, roughly forty years after the crucifixion, and served as a localized type of the destruction that will eventually come upon the whole world Matthew 24:15-21SC1 25.2+1.

⚖️ The Era of Great Tribulation

Following the fall of Jerusalem, a long period of "great tribulation" was predicted for the people of God Matthew 24:21ARSH June 9, 1853, page 9.9.

• Papal Persecution: This tribulation primarily represents the centuries of papal supremacy, during which the "man of sin" wore out the saints of the Most High Daniel 7:25EMTF 45.2+1.

• Shortened Days: To prevent the total extinction of the elect, God promised that these days of persecution would be shortened Matthew 24:22+1BDOC 51.29+1.

• Timeline: While the civil power of the papacy was exercised for 1260 years, the active persecution essentially ceased a few years before the 1260-year period officially ended in 1798MWV2 113.2+2.

🌟 Signs in the Natural World

Immediately after the tribulation of those days, specific celestial markers were given to reveal the nearness of Christ's return Matthew 24:29ADRE September 1850, page 5.6+1.

• The Dark Day: On May 19, 1780, the sun was darkened and the moon did not give her light, an event so significant that it caused birds to disappear and the fowls to retire to roost Matthew 24:29+1ST186x 11.2.

• The Falling Stars: In 1833, the stars of heaven fell, fulfilling the next great prophetic waymark Matthew 24:29ADRE September 1850, page 5.6+1.

• The Final Generation: These events placed the world in the "last days," indicating that the generation witnessing these signs would not pass away until all things were fulfilled Matthew 24:32-34TMR 32.2+1.

🎺 The Appearance of the Son of Man

The climax of the prophecy is the visible, glorious return of Jesus Christ Matthew 24:30BDOC 51.29+1.

• The Sign in Heaven: After the shaking of the powers of heaven, the sign of the Son of Man will appear, and all tribes of the earth will mourn Matthew 24:30BDOC 51.29+1.

• The Gathering of the Elect: Christ will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet to gather His chosen ones from every corner of the earth Matthew 24:31+1BDOC 51.29.

• The Final Separation: This return brings a total end to the reign of wickedness and marks the moment when the saints finally inherit the kingdom prepared for them Matthew 25:31-34MMM 207.2+1.

⚠️ The Final Warning

As these movements are rapid and impending, the most vital instruction is to watch and be ready, for the Son of Man comes in an hour when many do not expect Him Matthew 24:42-44LDE 11.2+1. While the wicked remain in darkness and are overtaken as a thief, the children of light are commanded to study these waymarks and maintain a living connection with God to stand through the final crisis 1 Thessalonians 5:4-5LDE 14.5+2.