If the apostles didn’t ask Jesus about such a coming in Mathew 24 and he didn’t teach about it, what about the judgment scene described in Matthew 25.31-46? This is the same judgment of the dead in Revelation 11:18, which is later referred to as the “first resurrection” (Rev. 20:5). It was going to “shortly come to pass” (Rev. 1:1-3), would immediately follow the fall of the great city where our Lord was crucified and would make possible the opening of the heavenly temple. It is certainly possible that Jesus is giving another time of judgment for which they need to be prepared, even though the disciples do not ask about it. But, it is more likely that the judgment scene is the purpose for his coming in that generation. The parables of the faithful and unfaithful servants (Matthew 24:45-51), the ten virgins (Matthew 25:1-13), and the talents (Matthew 25:14-30) emphasize the need for “watchfulness” and preparedness. This would be true of any judgment that has yet to take place. But, seeing that this judgment was an imminent event, there is no more evidence to treat Matthew 25 any different from chapter 24.
If we compare the language of Matthew 24-25 with other texts that address the coming of Christ, we discover a remarkable consistency. While Matthew 24 speaks of His coming in judgment, chapter 16, verses 27-28 speaks of Jesus coming in glory in his own generation. He predicts,
“For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then shall he render unto every man according to his deeds. Verily I say unto you, There are some of them that stand here, who shall in no wise taste of death, till they see the Son of man coming in his kingdom.”
Jesus speaks of his coming in glory in Matthew 25:31, also. Clearly, coming in the glory of his Father is a first-century coming, which brings us back to Matthew 24. Jesus’ coming in judgment was a coming in glory, where every man will be judged, according to his deeds. It marked the commencement of the saint’s rule with Him. Compare these passages to Luke 9:26-27, where Jesus speaks of His coming in glory in that generation.
“For whosoever shall be ashamed of me and my words, of him, shall the Son of man be ashamed when he cometh in his own glory, and the glory of the Father, and of the holy angels. But I tell you of a truth, There are some of them that stand here, who shall in no wise taste of death, till they see the kingdom of God.”
Comparing Matthew with Luke, it is clear that when they “see the Son of man coming in his kingdom,” they will “see the kingdom of God.” Add Matthew 24:30 reads:
…and then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory,
We will find remarkable consistency. Four verses later and with no change in topic, Jesus told them that all these things, including his coming in glory, will take place in that generation. The coming in glory and the judgment scene in Matthew 25:32-ff is not a new subject. As a matter of fact, Jesus had addressed the Jewish leadership who were under God’s wrath, in chapter twenty-three and chapter twelve with the same prediction that applied to his own generation. The men of Ninevah will rise up in the judgment with this generation and the queen of the South will rise up in the judgment with this generation (Matthew 12:42). When Jesus gives his scathing rebuke in Matthew 23, he says, “Verily I say to you, ‘All these things shall come upon this generation” (23:36). Therefore, to make sense of Matthew 23-25, we see Jesus teaching that he will soon return in judgment and offers signs of the fulfillment of “all these things.” Chapter 24 is nestled between his teaching of the judgment in Matthew 23 and 25. These were part of the same context that was given in the same conversation, to the same listeners, and on the same topic.