Let’s finish up verses 6-8, starting with this:

“The Redeemer having thus described the temptation that will result from the sin of men, proceeds to depict certain terrible physical events. The advent of the Lord appears to be a time of ripeness in evil as well as in good (Matth. xiii. 30); all the afflictions and sorrows that have been poured out upon mankind during the course of the world’s history, then come forth in their mightiest and most aggravated form. 

Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of the harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.      (Matthew 13:30; KJV)

“But, like evil generally, this form of evil is only the external echo of internal discord and convulsion in the moral world; it is only on account of their having this moral source, and because of their possible salutary reaction, that these external circumstances are of any significance…

“(Rumors of wars, relate to wars that have not actually broken out, but the fearful rumors of which keep the mind in a state of alarm. It is better to understand ver. 7 as having reference to insurrections, than to take it as descriptive of wars which had just been spoken of. The dissolution of all political order is the main thought of the passage…)”     [from NEW TESTAMENT COMMENTARY – VOL 2 LUKE, JOHN, by Hermann Olshausen, translated by A.C. Kendrick, 1860]       

An interesting thought: that the evil in the world is an “external echo of internal discord and convulsion in the moral world”. A friend and I were talking yesterday about how difficult it’s getting to have any kind of discussion with non-Christians; our conclusion was that the morals and ethics of this country used to be based on Judeo-Christian concepts, making all of us have a basic underpinning of Judeo-Christian thought, so that we had common ground (and common definitions) for discussion. People are now diverging away from Judeo-Christian thought, morals and ethics, so that we no longer have that common ground. A lack of common ground keeps conversation superficial and very unsatisfying. 

More than that, I don’t see a unifying set of morals and ethics replacing what is being lost. Each person sees their morals and ethics as being unique, and does not see the value of sharing the morals and ethics of their nation, their faith, or their family. This will surely tear us apart faster than any thing else. When we have no common ground as a nation, then we are left with splinter groups and individuals who cannot coalesce into anything greater, and are ripe for use by evil.

I don’t agree with the second paragraph. I don’t think that “rumors of wars” should be thought of as “insurrections”. I think “rumors of wars” means what it says: either rumors about coming wars or rumors of actual wars happening at a distance. To assume that the “wars” talked about are all “insurrections” first of all suggests that the author is trying to fit the passage to a preterist-type belief system (that the main “war” was the Jews rising up against the Romans); and secondly, ignores the actual words of verse 7: “For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.”

And, I don’t think that “the dissolution of all political order is the main thought of the passage.” It takes a “political order” of some kind for kingdoms to go to war against kingdoms.

“Is. xix. 2 may be at the back of what follows: ‘They shall fight every one against his brother, and every one against his neighbor; city against city, and kingdom against kingdom.’ Comp. 2 Esdr. xv.14,15.

And I will set the Egyptians against the Egyptians: and they shall fight every one against his brother, and every one against his neighbor; city against city, and kingdom against kingdom.    (Isaiah 19:2; KJV)

Clearly, Isaiah is pronouncing against the Egyptians, not Israel and not the world. Several later commentaries copied this reference, and it still didn’t work. It’s just another ploy to get the reader to think that the Jewish rebellion is the “wars and rumor of wars” being talked about: brother against brother and neighbor against neighbor sounds more like an “insurrection”.

¹⁴ Woe to the world and them that dwell therein!  ¹⁵For the sword and their destruction draweth nigh, and one people shall stand up and fight against another, and swords in their hands.  

(2 Esdras 15:14-15)

“The ‘beginning of travail’ perhaps includes no thought of these things being the birth-pangs which precede a happier era. The word may mean ‘pangs,’ without any idea of birth. Indeed it is sometimes used of the pains of death (Ps. xviii. 5, cxvi. 3). What is meant here is acute sufferings which are likely to increase. Comp. Book of Jubilees, xxii. 18, 19; Apocalypse of Baruch [written in Greek ~2nd century AD, gnostic], xxvii.—xxix., where the travail-pains of the Messiah are described with details that in several respects resemble what is described here; and Book of Enoch, xcix. 4-7, C. I-9.”      [from EXEGETICAL COMMENTARY ON THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MATTHEW, by Alfred Plummer, 1909] 

I’m not sure why Plummer feels that he has to argue for “pangs” to be divorced from “birth-pangs.” He seems to be saying that the “acute sufferings” will increase in a never-ending kind of way, and that we will never get to the joy of the birth itself. As bad as the “pangs” are, I can’t believe that they go on forever.

The sorrows of hell compassed me about: the snares of death prevented me.   
(Psalm 18:5; KJV)

The sorrows of death compassed me, and the pains of hell gat hold upon me: I found trouble and sorrow.  
(Psalm 116:3; KJV)

¹⁸They have no heart to understand And their eyes do not see what their works are, And how they err in saying to a piece of wood: ‘Thou art my God,’ And to a stone: ‘Thou art my Lord and thou art my deliverer.’ (And they have no heart.) ¹⁹And as for thee, my son Jacob, May the Most High God help thee And the God of heaven bless thee And remove thee from their uncleanness and from all their error.    (Book of Jubilees 22:18-19)

XXVII And He [a “voice from Heaven”] answered and said unto me: “Into twelve parts is that time divided, and each one of them is reserved for that which is appointed for it. ²In the first part there will be the beginning of commotions. ³And in the second part (there will be) slayings of the great ones. ⁴And in the third part (there will be) the fall of many by death. ⁵And in the fourth part the sending of desolation. ⁶And in the fifth part famine and the withholding of rain. ⁷And in the sixth part earthquakes and terrors. ⁸[Wanting.] ⁹And in the eighth part a multitude of portents and incursions of the Shedim [spirits or demons; also, the gods of foreigners]. ¹⁰And in the ninth part the fall of fire. ¹¹And in the tenth part rapine and much oppression. ¹²And in the eleventh part wickedness and unchastity. ¹³And in the twelfth part confusion from the mingling together of all those things aforesaid. ¹⁴For these parts of that time are reserved, and will be mixed one with another and will minister one to another. ¹⁵For some will of themselves be of service, and they will receive from others, and from themselves and others they will be perfected, so that those may not understand who are upon the earth in those days of this consummation of the times.    

[The Apocalypse of Baruch, 27]

⁴In those days the nations shall be stirred up, And the families of the nations shall arise on the day of destruction. ⁵And in those days the destitute shall go forth and carry off their children, And they shall abandon them, so that their children shall perish through them: Yea, they shall abandon their children (that are still) sucklings, and not return to them, And shall have no pity on their beloved ones. ⁶And again I swear to you, ye sinners, that sin is prepared for a day of unceasing bloodshed. ⁷And they who worship stones, and grave images of gold and silver and wood (and stone) and clay, and those who worship impure spirits and demons, and all kinds of idols not according to knowledge, shall get no manner of help from them.     (Book of Enoch 99:4-7)

 ¹And in those days in one place the fathers together with their sons shall be smitten And brothers one with another shall fall in death Till the streams flow with their blood. ²For a man shall not withhold his hand from slaying his sons and his sons’ sons, And the sinner shall not withhold his hand from his honored brother: From dawn till sunset they shall slay one another. ³And the horse shall walk up to the breast in the blood of sinners, And the chariot shall be submerged to its height…⁹Woe to you, ye sinners, on account of the words of your mouth, And on account of the deeds of your hands which your godliness has wrought, In blazing flames burning worse than fire shall ye burn.   (Book of Enoch 100:1-3,9)

“In general it may be said that it seems appropriate and probable that Jesus on this occasion delivered such a discourse just before his death and after the final break with the rulers. It is improbable that the Gospels would incorporate into the words of Jesus a Jewish apocalypse…Inasmuch as several subjects are raised in the query of the disciples, they are treated more or less together in the reply of Jesus. He may not have kept them separate. They are certainly blended in the report. It is not possible always to separate them. In one sense the destruction of Jerusalem was a coming of Christ with power and was a symbol of the judgment at the end of the world. The first part of the discourse mainly refers to the destruction of Jerusalem; the last part is wholly about the end of the world and the second coming; the middle portion is now about one and now about the other. It may be said further that Jesus used the current apocalyptic language…in order to be understood. But his language is free from the gross and materialistic ideas in some of the Jewish apocalypses of the time. Jesus spiritualized the language of the time and used it for a moral purpose. He wishes to warn the disciples and early Christians and urge them to holy living. As in all apocalyptic language, it is highly figurative and not meant to be taken in literal detail. A general and tentative analysis of the discourse is all that can be here attempted.”    [COMMENTARY ON THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MATTHEW, by A.T. Robertson, 1911]     

This is pretty sad. First of all, referring to the Sadducees as the “rulers” during this time period is a bit over the top. The Sadducees had been corrupted by Herod, so they were not fully considered “rulers” by the Jews at that point. The Romans were the “rulers” and everyone knew that.

Of course, I don’t agree that this passage of Matthew is talking about the destruction of the Temple; I’ve talked about that earlier. 

Comparing Matthew 24 to a Jewish apocalypse in form is outrageous. Just because Jesus spoke of things that make you uncomfortable doesn’t make them “an apocalypse”, or “highly figurative” even. To say that all Jesus wanted to convey in this passage was to “urge them to holy living” is to minimize the Christian message into nothingness. If this passage is about “holy living” then the whole Gospel must be nothing more than a recipe for ‘a productive life’.

Robertson says that only a “general and tentative analysis of the discourse is all that can be here attempted”, but he doesn’t even attempt that much. He follows this quote with a paragraph about how Jesus “accepted” the two ages idea…”this age and the coming age”, and that the end of “this age” would happen with the “triumph of the Messiah”. The “coming age” would be “born” at the death of the “old age”. Then he moves on to verse 14.

“First we have the opening of the first and second seals; which denote war (national and civil), symbolized by the ‘white and the red horses’. See Revelation 6:2,4.

²And I saw, and behold a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer…⁴And there went out another horse that was red: and power was given to him that sat thereon to take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another: and there was given unto him a great sword.    (Revelation 6:2,4; KJV)

“Then famine, symbolized by the ‘black horse’ (the third seal). Revelation 6:5,6.

⁵And when he had opened the third seal, I heard the third beast say, Come and see. And I beheld, and lo a black horse; and he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand. ⁶And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine.   (Revelation 6:5,6; KJV)

“Then pestilence, symbolized by the ‘pale horse’ (the fourth seal). Revelation 6:7,8.

⁷And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and see. ⁸And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth.
 (Revelation 6:7,8; KJV)

“Then the earthquake of the sixth seal. Revelation 6:12…     [from CHRIST’S PROPHETIC TEACHING, by E. W. Bullinger, 1892]              

And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood     
(Revelation 6:12; KJV)

I think I would have said “national OR civil” war rather than “and”, but a case could be made for either. Also, so far I am of the school that says the white horse represents the revelation of the Antichrist, and the red horse is “war”.

I am not surprised that Bullinger is making the Revelation comparison, he does seem to be the one who would put things together to improve understanding.  I do think it is very interesting that Matthew 24 mirrors Revelation so closely in this section.

“‘The end is not yet.’ Ever since He ascended to heaven wars and rumors of wars have been constant reminders of man’s folly in rejecting the Prince of Peace; but these are not evidences of the closing up of the age. It is a mistake to look upon the conflicts of nations as being in themselves signs that the second advent is close at hand.

“Verse seven depicts a series of great wars in which many nations and kingdoms will be engaged. Such conflicts have been frequent during the past nineteen hundred years and have increased in intensity and frightfulness during the last century; so that the World Wars of 1914-18 and 1930-1945 have been the worst mankind has ever known. As the aftermath of widespread warfare there invariably succeed famines and pestilences. To these plagues are added here earthquakes in many places, which would seem to imply a great increase in natural convulsions as the end draws nigh.

“‘All these are the beginning of sorrows.’ They are to be succeeded by far worse and more startling conditions ere the Son of Man appears in person to bring in the kingdom which was rejected when He was here the first time.

“The secret of the rapture of the Church, prior to the end-time is not introduced here in this great prophetic discourse. That was still a hidden mystery when Jesus spoke there words. There is no time set for it, nor are there any signs indicated. The signs here all have to do with His revelation from heaven as the King who is to return to take His great power and reign. The coming of the Son of Man refers always to this event, never the to Rapture.”               [from EXPOSITORY NOTES ON THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW, by H. A. Ironside, 1948]        

I suspect that Ironside is correct in at least one sense: this last one hundred years has seen increasing wars, starting with the World Wars. The problem is, the Antichrist has not yet been revealed, and, the Tribulation has not started yet, so these wars we’ve seen so far are not part of the red horse. I think that when the red horse rides we will see war on an entirely new scale. But that doesn’t mean that these increasing wars aren’t a sign of things to come.

I agree that there is no hint of the rapture in this passage. There are some that argue that Matthew speaks of the Rapture in 24:38-42; I haven’t made up my mind about that yet. I’m hoping that this study will nail that down for me.

“6-8. Similarly, wars and natural disasters could be interpreted, and often were in the ancient world, as ‘signs of the end’. But these things are, and always have been, part of human history; they must take place as part of God’s overarching purpose, not in any specific connection with the end. Verse 7 makes the point by echoing Isaiah 19:2, which foretold similar events in Old Testament times. The beginning of the sufferings (lit. ‘birth-pangs’, a technical term in apocalyptic for the period of suffering which must lead up to the new age) suggests that, while all such events have an ultimate connection with the final consummation, they are far from being its immediate precursors, and so cannot  be used to plot its nearness. All that is mentioned in vv. 5-8 then, is presented precisely as not being ‘signs of the end.’”              [from THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MATTHEW: AN INTRODUCTION AND COMMENTARY, by R. T. France, 1985]         

Let me get this straight…these “signs of the end” are specifically not signs of the end? They are just things that always happen, and must happen, but really have nothing to do with the end? Or, rather, are “connected” to the end, but not “precursors”? Why, then, did Jesus speak of these things when asked about “the end of the world”? This quote makes Jesus sound obtuse and tricky. I don’t think He was either.

Oh, and remember, Isaiah 19:2 was about the Egyptians. Those events really didn’t have anything to do with “end times”, except, perhaps, as an “echo”.

“6. Those difficult days will see happenings that will include wars and rumors of wars, but apparently Jesus’ followers will not be caught up in these conflicts, for he says only that they will hear of them. The rumors point to a very disturbed populace; even when there is no actual conflict people will still be talking as though hostilities were occurring…

I have to break in here. This sounds like today. Not that there aren’t Christians caught up in real, bomb-dropping wars at this time, there are. But it’s not worldwide yet, at least not kinetically. But this line caught me: “even when there is no actual conflict people will still be talking as though hostilities were occurring”. We are, as of this moment, still not in a kinetic war here in the west. Yet the internet pundits are telling us that we are in a war, WWIII, right now. They talk about a war fought with viruses, health care, “lawfare”, power lines, food, water, trade, censorship, brainwashing and politics…”as though hostilities were occurring”. They understand this to be a war; yet this is not a war that the people of Jesus’ time would have understood at all. This type of war was barely the theme of science fiction stories when this commentary was written, but obviously some people were already planning this.

“In those troubled times Jesus’ followers are to see to it that they are not troubled…They have one thing going for them that the general public has not: they know that God is over all and that his purpose will in the end be worked out. This is the significance of it is necessary. Although in a time when people are caught up in war and when other wars are rumored it seems that evil is in control, this is illusory. God is in control, and all apparent triumphs of wrong, will in the end be seen to fit into his perfect plan. The wars and the like of which Jesus speaks are events that must happen, but they do not mean the end of all things. That end will take place in the way and time that God wills, but the conflicts of which Jesus speaks are no more than part of the preliminaries. The end is not yet…Among the Jews there was a widespread expectation that before the Messiah came to set up the kingdom of God in a form that would last forever there would be trouble on the largest possible scale. The powers of evil will not give up without a struggle, and thus there will be disaster after disaster. Jesus is pointing to this period which was so widely expected and speaking of it in traditional language.”                 [from  THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MATTHEW, by Leon Morris, 1992]                           

There are some good points in here. I especially agree that God is in control. Evil may be running things right now, but it’s God’s plan that is being worked out, so yes, these things must happen. God does not do evil, yet evil is eventually turned to good in His plan. 

The powers of evil will not give up without a fight; God knows that, and it is also part of His plan.

I’m not sure about “the end of all things” here. “The end” can mean “the end of time”, “the end of the world”, “the end of the age”, or, even I suppose, “the end of all matter.”  I think that “the end of the age” is probably the safest understanding. “The end of the world as we know it” could also serve as a fairly safe understanding. I think that by the end of Revelation we will find ourselves going further out on the limb.

“When Matthew’s church read these words, they surely thought of their own situation. Not many years before, in A.D. 70, the Jewish people had mounted an armed resistance against Rome (“nation will rise against nation,” Matt. 24:7), and they had paid the price for it…”

This isn’t good. This author is implying that Matthew was written after 70 A.D.  I agree with those who have put the writing of Matthew in the 30’s, not the 70’s or 80’s.  Also, Israel would not have been considered a “nation” while under the rule of Rome. The “armed resistance” was a rebellion, not technically a war. Jesus did not expect us to do mental or linguistic gymnastics to understand what He said. 

The BIG implication here, however, is that Matthew was written after the fact. The author is saying that we have to take Matthew’s word that Jesus was prophesying, because this was not committed to paper (papyrus?) before it actually happened.

“In fact, the truest sign of the end of the world is not an earthquake in Japan, a famine in the Sudan, a bombing Oklahoma, or an outbreak of war in the Middle East, but the rising flood tide of the gospel across the landscape of history as the church preaches and teaches and serves with mercy…”             [from MATTHEW, by Thomas G. Long, 1997] 

This sounds really nice, referring to:“This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come.”(Matthew 24:14; NASB). But, how can you imply that Matthew was written after the events described, and then put this out as a believable, stand-alone prophecy? To me, this line sounds like it says: While all that other stuff is happening, the gospel will be spread…and then the end will come; not: Forget all that other stuff, just wait for the gospel to be spread. When Jesus gives you a list of things to watch for, He doesn’t expect you to just pick out the things you like.

“v.6… For the disciples, the coming ‘Church Age’, the ‘Age of Grace’ will be characterized by human conflicts, which, however, only distantly herald the end, and disciples should not succumb to alarm.

“v.7… These different phases for conflict, coupled with the mention of earthquakes and famines indicates a transition from a distant to a more immediate expectation of the end as creation now begins to be gripped by labor pains. These signs, therefore, probably correspond to the opening of the seals in Revelation 6.1-8 & 12. The (false) ‘covenant’ has by now been ‘confirmed’ initiating the last of Daniel’s ‘sevens’ (Da.9.27) and the first half of the tribulation has begun.”          [from MATTHEW, by Chris Prater, 2018]   

And he will confirm a covenant with the many for one week, but in the middle of the week he will put a stop to sacrifice and grain offering; and on the wing of abominations will come the one who makes desolate, until a complete destruction, one that is decreed, gushes forth on the one who makes desolate.  (Daniel 9:27; NASB)

I’m not sure what Prater means by “human conflicts”. This could certainly refer to persecution, but I’m not sure it’s a great synonym for “war”.  I think it’s pretty clear that “these signs” are corresponding to the opening of the seals in Revelation, as we looked at earlier.

A few short years ago I would have agreed pretty much with Prater’s comment about Daniel and the Tribulation. Now that I can see things lining up, and know that we are starting to see some of these signs, I can’t quite agree with his timing.

That finishes up our look at verses 6-8 of Matthew 24.