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"What Shall Be The Sign of Thy Coming, and of the End of the World?"
Matthew 24:3
In a continuing study of some of the great questions of the gospel age, today we consider a
question asked by the disciples of Jesus. The occasion of the question was on the last visit the
Lord Jesus Christ made to the temple in the city of Jerusalem. Evidently as they were leaving, the
disciples, simple Galileans that they were, were admiring the massive walls and fortifications
surrounding the temple. Jesus made a statement that astonished the disciples and left them
struck dumb. He said: "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" (ML 24:2). Afterwards, when Jesus
had climbed the slope up the Mount of Olives, and had taken a seat, looking back over the city,
the disciples (Peter, James, John and Andrew) asked him privately, "When shall these things be,
and what shall be the sign of thy coming and of the end of the world?"
Jesus had said nothing about his own coming or the end of the world, but they inferred that when
such a time came that all the stones of the temple were thrown down that it would be the end of
the world. Today I want to discuss these questions briefly.
It is certainly well to give some serious thought to the second coming of Christ, and the end of the
world. There are many passages in the New Testament which plainly teach that Jesus shall
return, and that this world, as we know it, shall certainly come to an end. "And unto them that look
for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation" (Heb. 9:28). Others are 2
Thessalonians 1:7-9, Acts 1:11, and John 14:1-3.
Two Dangerous Errors
There are two dangerous errors to be avoided in our thinking concerning the second coming of
Christ, and the end of the world. One dangerous error is indifference. In our time, many seem to
be unconcerned about the promise of the Savior to return "with his mighty angels, in flaming fire."
Many are careless and easy-going. They should remember the vivid impressive lessons of the
flood, and that the same word which unleashed the destruction of the flood in Noah's day, also
holds in check the heavens and the earth (2 Pet. 3:7).
Another dangerous error is sensationalism. The field of prophecy is a fertile field for speculation
and sensationalism, and many false teachers use wild prophecies and predictions to gain a
following, and many honest people are disillusioned when they fail to come to pass. In 1845, one
William Miller predicted that Jesus would come in that year. The followers of this man believed in
all his speculations and donned white robes on the predicted day, and climbed hills, trees,
barntops, and other high places so they would have a running start to meet Jesus. They waited
all day long, but when the shadows of evening fell, they left their places, many with hearts broken
and faith crushed. That is the great and grave danger of speculation. It has caused many to
disbelieve in religion and to lose their souls in infidelity.
Two Questions Considered in Matthew 24
You will notice that there were two entirely different questions asked in Matthew 24:3. (1) When
shall these things be? That is, the great stones of the temple being cast down. (2) What shall be
the sign of thy coming and of the end of the world?
In answer to the question, "What shall be the sign of thy coming?" Jesus told them plainly that
there would be none. Jesus said, "Of that day and that hour knoweth no man, not the angels of
heaven, but my Father only" (Mt. 24:36). The Lord cautioned further, "Therefore by ye also
ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh" (Mt. 24:44). Will there be signs
of the second coming of Christ, days, weeks, months, and even years before he returns? Jesus
said, "No." The signs of Matthew 24 are the signs of the destruction of Jerusalem, and not of the
second coming of Christ.