Perhaps no one passage of Scripture has suffered more at the hands of expositors than Matthew Chapter 24. Amillennialists generally insist upon a figurative interpretation of the passage, or claim that almost every event described transpired in AD 70. They tend to want to explain Luke’s account rather than Matthew’s or Mark’s. To them verses 1-28 found their fulfillment in the first century with the destruction of Jerusalem by Titus. Because of the problem presented in verses 29 to 31 where it distinctly said that Jesus Christ comes immediately after the tribulation of those days, some of them even go so far as to say that these words do not mean a literal, personal coming of Christ, but a judicial coming by the instrumentality of the Romans.

Postmillennialists have a very serious problem with this passage. Since they believe the gospel must triumph before the return of Christ, they are forced by theological necessity to spiritualize away these words even more than amillennialists. Personally, I feel that Matthew 24 delivers a death-blow to the postmillennial teaching as it indicates that evil will increase and finally be judged at Christ’s return. This is the opposite of what they teach.

Premillennialists generally agree that verses 4 to 14 refer primarily to events of this age which will increase and become more prominent in the first three and a half years of the seven-year tribulation. They believe that the last three and half years of the tribulation, or the Great Tribulation, is seen in verses 15 to 26. This is to be followed by the return of Christ in glory as can be seen in verses 27-31. This is the view which I hold.

I believe that it is wrong to try to separate Mark 15 and Matthew’s accounts from Luke’s account. All three accounts differ a bit, but they are all the accounts of what Jesus spoke in the Olivet Discourse. Premillennialists stress Matthew’s account; amillennialists Luke’s account. These passages must be harmonized. I concede in some verses this is most difficult, but the difficulty does not abrogate our responsibility to do so. Verily I shall try to do so in this exposition.