By Marvin Duncan
Matthew 24:32-44
One verse of Scripture that seems to be quoted by many Bible students is Second Timothy 2:15. In this verse, Paul tells the young pastor, Timothy, to “study to show thyself approved of God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed.” Most Bible students will agree the man of God must be a student of the Word if he is to have God’s approval. Yet, few of these students will go further and quote the last part of this Second Timothy 2:15 verse. This last part of this verse tells the man of God HOW he is to study the Word of Truth so that he will be approved of God. Paul’s instructions for the study of the Word of Truth is to “rightly divide” it.
To “rightly divide” the Scriptures suggests that not all Scripture speaks about the same thing. Therefore, we must keep those Scriptures that address a given subject together and separate from other Scripture that addresses a different subject.
Some students of the Word of God have tried to follow this admonition to divide the scriptures by separating the Bible between the Old and the New Testaments. This attempt not only misses the point Paul was making, these individuals even missed the division between the two testaments. The New Testament doesn’t begin with the birth of Christ as the division between Malachi and Matthew would suggest. It is quite evident that Christ was an Old Testament personality for He worshipped on the Sabbath Day, went to the Temple and observed the Religious Holidays. The New Testament could not have started before the death of Christ, for when He offered the cup to His disciples at the Last Supper He said, “this cup …is my blood of the new testament” (Mark 14:24). Until the Law of Moses was taken out of the way, the nation of Israel was still under the Old Testament. Paul makes it clear the Law wasn’t taken out of the way until the Cross of Christ (Colossians 2:14). Thus, the division between Malachi and Matthew is not what Paul meant by his admonition to “rightly divide the word of truth.”
How To Rightly Divide The Word Of Truth
A basic principle of Bible study is that the Scriptures are to be their own interpreter. When God instructs His people to do something, He always gives them all they need to know in order to fulfill His commands .
In Acts 3:21 and Romans 16:25, we have the key to Rightly Dividing the Word of Truth. Acts 3:21 tells us there was a body of truth that was “spoken by the mouth of all the Holy prophets, since the world began.” This body of truth which had been made known was God’s prophetic program. This program dealt with the earth and the Kingdom God was to establish here upon the earth over the nation of Israel.
In his Epistle to the Romans, Paul speaks of “the revelation of the mystery which was kept secret, since the world began” (Romans 16:25).
From these two Scriptures/ we learn that God has two messages in His Word. By His design these two messages are exclusive of each other and should be kept separate from each other. One body of truth had been “made known” while the other body of truth had been “kept secret.” If, in our Bible study, we keep those Scriptures that speak of God’s Prophetic Program (the Scriptures about the nation of Israel and the kingdom to be established over this nation) separate from the Scriptures dealing with the Mystery Program (the Body of Christ and its heavenly calling), we will have a clearer understanding of what the Word of God teaches and what God has for us who are living in this present age.
Israel’s Hope
God’s Prophetic Program (that program that has been made known since the world began) recognizes the nation of Israel as the channel through which God will work to bless all the families of the earth. God had promised Abraham that his family would become a great nation (Genesis 12:2) and through this nation all the families of the world would be blessed (Genesis 12:3). God also promised Abraham his “seed” would receive the land of Canaan as an everlasting possession (Genesis 12:5,7). Israel was the nation that came through Abraham’s seed. Later in Israel’s history, God promised David that one of his “seed” would sit upon his throne and reign over Israel forever and ever (Second Samuel 7:12-13).
When Jesus Christ was born, He was identified as “the son of David, the son of Abraham” (Matthew 1:1). This identification with these two men was to connect Him with the promises God made to these men. Christ is the “seed” of David who will sit upon the throne and reign over Israel till the end of time and He is the “seed” of Abraham through whom all the families of the earth will be blessed.
Everything that happened to Christ was in fulfillment of some promise made by one of the Prophets. This fulfillment of these promises proved that Christ was the promised seed of the Abrahamic and the Davidic Covenants. (Notice Scriptures like Matthew 2:17, 23; 3; 3, etc.).
The Hope Of The Body Of Christ
In contrast to Israel’s hope, which was the subject of all the Prophets, Paul speaks of the hope of the Church today – the Body of Christ (Ephesians 1:22-23). The hope of the Body of Christ is to be caught up to meet our Lord in the clouds of the air (1 Thessalonians 4:17) and then to be escorted by Him into the heavens where we will dwell in His presence for all eternity (Ephesians 2:6-7).
An Exercise In Rightly Dividing The Word Of Truth
With this background of Israel’s hope and the hope of the Body of Christ in mind, let us read Matthew 24:32-44 and see if we can fit this Scripture into its proper place as we rightly divide the Word of Truth.
As we read Matthew 24:32-44, let us ask ourselves, “Does this sound like the Rapture of the Church, or does it sound like the beginning of the Kingdom that was to be established here on earth?” Next, let us ask, “Who are the ones “taken” in this context and where were they taken?” When we have answered these questions accurately, we will be far more able to place this section of Scripture into its proper place in our division of the Scriptures and we will have a better understanding of what is being spoken of in this portion of the Word of God.
To understand any passage of Scripture, we must know four things: Who is speaking? To whom he is speaking? At what time in history he is speaking? And, What is he speaking about?
As we answer these questions for Matthew 24:32-44, we see that it is Christ who is speaking to His disciples during His earthly ministry. He is answering one of the questions asked by His disciples in verse three of this twenty-fourth chapter. The disciples had” asked Him three questions. First, “When would the Temple be destroyed? Second, “What shall be the “sign” of your coming?” And, third, “What will be the “sign” of the end of the age?”
The first of these questions is answered in verses four through twenty-six of this same chapter. The second question is answered in verses twenty-seven through thirty-one. The third question is answered in the section we have chosen for consideration this morning – verses thirty-two through forty-four. As we read our text verses, we must keep in mind that they speak of the sign that will usher in the end of the age the disciples had asked about. Our next question should be, which age is in view here? What age were the disciples concerned about? To help us answer these questions about what age the disciples were concerned with, let us consider the parable in Matthew 13:24-30.
Before we look at this parable, let us be reminded that we must never read future revelation into any portion of Scripture. By this statement I mean we are never to anticipate future revelation. Instead, let us place ourselves into any portion of Scripture and ask, what did the hearers know at that time? When we read Matthew 24:32-44, let us not read the Rapture of the Body of Christ into this section of Scripture, because the Mystery had not been revealed to anyone yet. The Mystery was still a secret “hid in God” (Ephesians 3:9) when Christ was talking to His disciples in this Matthew twenty-four passage.
The Parable Of The Wheat And The Tares
The parable of the Wheat and the Tares (Matthew 13:24-30) need not be hard to understand because our Lord explains this parable in Matthew 13:36-43. As we read the explanation of this parable, let us note the events that take place; who is pictured by the different elements used, and, the order in which these events take place.
Christ is the “man” of this parable (v. 37). The “field” is the world (v. 38). The “good seed” are the Children of the kingdom while the “tares” are the Children of the Wicked one (John 8:44). The “enemy” is the Devil and the “harvest” is the end of the age (v. 39). The “reapers” are the Angels (v.39) who will cast the “tares” into the fire to be burned at the end of the age (v. 42).
The reaping and burning of the “tares” take place before the kingdom is established (compare Revelation 14:14-20 with this parable). The “tares” are to be removed from the earth so the kingdom can be set up where the “tares” once grew (v. 41). When the kingdom is established, the children of God will shine in the kingdom and reflect their Father’s image.
The Ones Taken
In our Matthew 24:32-44 passage, the end of the age is the same end of the age spoken of in the parable of Matthew thirteen. The end of that age in which the disciples were living was the one in question. That age was to end with the Tribulation Period (also called “The Time of Jacob’s Trouble – Jeremiah 30:7).
Keeping in mind that the disciples knew nothing about anyone being caught up to heaven, and having already been told the parable of the Wheat and the Tares, what do you think they understood when our Lord told them the “sign” of the end of the age would be like it was in the days of Noah before the flood? When Christ said that one would be taken as the flood took some in Noah’s day, who did the disciples understand was taken? It couldn’t have been the saved of Noah’s day for they were all safe in the Ark. I’m sure the disciples understood the ones taken by the flood were taken in death and removed from the/earth. Is this not the same thing the parable of Matthew 13:24-30 teaches? The ones taken in this Matthew twenty-four passage are the unsaved – the “tares” of the Matthew thirteen parable. They are taken in death and removed from the land so the kingdom can be established over this nation of Israel and there will be none in the land to defile or cause iniquity (Matthew 13:41).
The Rapture Of The Church
The Rapture of the Church (First Thessalonans 4:13-18) will come at the end of this age in which we are now living. At that time there will also be two individuals together. One will be taken, the other is left. But, at the Rapture of the Church, it will be the saved one who is taken. He will be taken up to meet our Lord in the clouds of the air (First Thessalonians 4:17). Then, Christ will personally escort the Body of Christ into the heavenlies where the saints of this dispensation of the “Grace of God will dwell in His presence for all eternity.
If we ask ourselves questions as we study the Scriptures, we will be better able to place those Scriptures in their right dispensation and thus be rightly dividing the Word of Truth.