Matthew 24 - Part 2

I have begun a new series on Matthew, chapter 24. We have been investigating verse 29 for some time now, and I thought it would be a good idea to examine the entire chapter, beginning with verse 1, as it is such a relevant chapter, containing much end-time information. We read in Matthew 24:1, “And Jesus went out, and departed from the temple: and his disciples came to [him] for to shew him the buildings of the temple.”

In Part 1 we discussed how Jesus physically leaving the temple in the historical setting, points to the Holy Spirit abandoning all churches worldwide, and without exception at the start of the Great Tribulation, on May 21, 1988 (* Correction: in the December edition, I mistakenly wrote 2011) - precisely after using that divine institution for 1955 years, as 1 Peter 4:17 acknowledges, “For the time [is come] that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if [it] first [begin] at us, what shall the end [be] of them that obey not the gospel of God?” As we continue looking at this chapter we recognize that this event is one of the most significant in the last 2000 years, and we will be learning more information that will substantiate that this did indeed take place, according to God’s express will. In our investigation of verse 1, we left off at the last half of the verse, “...and his disciples came to [him] for to shew him the buildings of the temple.”

We have to keep in mind that the term “disciples” can refer to God’s elect, but it can also include those who, while giving the appearance of being a child of God, are not one in reality. This would be the case with Judas Iscariot initially, or with the “many disciples” that forsook the Lord in John 6, when they did not understand the spiritual implications of Jesus’ teachings regarding “eating his flesh” and “drinking his blood,” which in their carnal thinking might have conjured up images of cannibalism, even though that notion would have been the farthest thing from Jesus’ mind.

The Buildings [oikodome:G3619] Of The Temple [hieron:G2411]

The two Greek words, “the buildings and “of the Temple” are only found together again in Mark 13:1-2, which is the parallel verse to Matthew 24:1, “And as he went out of the temple [hieron:G2411], one of his disciples saith unto him, Master, see what manner of stones and what buildings [oikodome:G3619] [are here]! {2} And Jesus answering said unto him, Seest thou these great buildings? there shall not be left one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.” In light of that, let’s consider how God utilizes these two terms separately:

The Buildings [oikodome:G3619]

The term “the buildings” can refer to the physical structures that made up the Temple in Jesus’ day, of which He stated that none would be left standing, which has to be understood spiritually to indicate that judgment must begin  at “the house of God,” (1 Peter 4:17), since part of that Temple wall is still in existence today. Again we see that this opening statement in Mark 13 is setting the tone for that chapter as well as Matthew 24. This particular word can also denote the spiritual “building” or “temple” that includes all the members of the Body or Bride of Christ, as 1 Corinthians 3:9, and Ephesians 2:21 reveal respectively as God was gathering His elect from the nations of the elect, during the day of salvation:

“For we are labourers together with God: ye are God's husbandry, [ye are] God's building.” [oikodome:G3619]

“In whom all the building [oikodome:G3619] fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord:”

Please note the usage of the word, “husbandry” (georgion:H1091) in connection with God’s “building,” which has to do with farming, and stems from the word, “Husbandman,” (georgios:H1092) - pointing to God Himself. Indeed, the Lord was very interested in this “field,” in which were found both “wheat and tares,” during the 1955 years of the church age.

One other major connotation of this term, “building,” involves the “edification” of God’s saints, as we see from a passage like Romans 14:19, in which this expression is translated as “may edify”: “Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify [oikodome:G3619] another.”

Lord willing we will proceed to verse two of Matthew 24 next month, and the curious statement that Christ makes in that verse: “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.”

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