Matthew 24:19
How miserable those days will be for pregnant and nursing mothers!
How miserable
The phrase "how miserable" conveys a deep sense of distress and hardship. In the Greek, the word used is "οὐαί" (ouai), which is often translated as "woe" or "alas." This term is frequently used in prophetic literature to express lamentation or impending judgment. It is a call to attention, emphasizing the severity of the situation. In the context of Matthew 24, Jesus is speaking about the tribulations that will occur during the end times. The use of "how miserable" underscores the intense suffering and challenges that will be faced, particularly by vulnerable groups.

those days
"Those days" refers to a specific period of time characterized by great tribulation and upheaval. In the eschatological discourse of Matthew 24, Jesus is describing events that will precede His second coming. Historically, this has been interpreted as a reference to the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70, as well as a foreshadowing of future apocalyptic events. The phrase indicates a time of unprecedented difficulty, aligning with prophetic themes found throughout Scripture, such as in Daniel and Revelation.

will be
The phrase "will be" indicates a future certainty. In the Greek, the verb "ἔσται" (estai) is used, which is a form of "to be," denoting an assured occurrence. This prophetic certainty is a hallmark of biblical prophecy, where future events are spoken of with the same assurance as past events. It reflects the divine foreknowledge and sovereignty of God, who knows the end from the beginning.

for pregnant
The mention of "pregnant" women highlights a group that is particularly vulnerable during times of crisis. The Greek word "ἐν γαστρὶ" (en gastri) literally means "in the womb," emphasizing the condition of carrying a child. In times of distress, such as those described in Matthew 24, the natural challenges of pregnancy are exacerbated by external turmoil. This reflects a broader biblical theme of God's concern for the vulnerable and the innocent, as seen in various passages that call for the protection and care of women and children.

and nursing mothers
"Nursing mothers" refers to women who are breastfeeding their children. The Greek term "θηλαζούσαις" (thēlazousais) is used, which specifically denotes the act of nursing. This phrase further emphasizes the vulnerability of both mother and child during times of crisis. In the historical context, the destruction of Jerusalem and the subsequent hardships would have been particularly devastating for those with young children. This serves as a poignant reminder of the human cost of such events and the compassion of Christ, who acknowledges the specific struggles faced by these mothers.

Persons / Places / Events
1. Jesus Christ
The speaker of this prophecy, Jesus is addressing His disciples on the Mount of Olives, providing them with insights into future events, including the destruction of the temple and signs of the end times.

2. Disciples
The immediate audience of Jesus' discourse, they are seeking understanding about the future and the signs of His coming and the end of the age.

3. Mount of Olives
The location where Jesus delivers this prophetic discourse, a significant place in biblical prophecy and Jesus' ministry.

4. Pregnant and Nursing Mothers
Representing vulnerable groups during times of distress, highlighting the increased difficulty and suffering they will face during the prophesied tribulations.

5. The Great Tribulation
The period of intense suffering and distress that Jesus is describing, which will precede His second coming.
Teaching Points
Understanding Prophetic Warnings
Jesus' words serve as a warning to be spiritually prepared for times of tribulation. Believers should remain vigilant and steadfast in their faith.

Compassion for the Vulnerable
The mention of pregnant and nursing mothers highlights the need for compassion and support for those who are most vulnerable during difficult times.

Trust in God's Sovereignty
Despite the predicted hardships, believers are called to trust in God's ultimate plan and sovereignty, knowing that He is in control even in times of great distress.

Preparation for End Times
This passage encourages believers to live with an eternal perspective, preparing their hearts and lives for the return of Christ.

Community Support and Care
The church is called to be a community that supports and cares for one another, especially those who are most vulnerable, during times of crisis.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does Jesus' warning in Matthew 24:19 about the tribulation for pregnant and nursing mothers challenge us to think about our own preparedness for difficult times?

2. In what ways can the church provide support and care for vulnerable groups, such as pregnant and nursing mothers, during times of crisis?

3. How does the theme of suffering and tribulation in Matthew 24:19 connect with other biblical passages about the end times, and what can we learn from these connections?

4. What practical steps can we take to ensure that we are spiritually prepared for the challenges that may come in the future?

5. How can we cultivate a deeper trust in God's sovereignty and plan, even when facing the uncertainties and difficulties described in prophetic scriptures like Matthew 24:19?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Luke 21:23
This verse parallels Matthew 24:19, emphasizing the distress for pregnant and nursing mothers during the tribulation, reinforcing the theme of increased vulnerability.

Revelation 12:12
This passage speaks of woe to the earth and sea, as the devil has come down with great wrath, knowing his time is short, connecting to the theme of tribulation and distress.

Isaiah 13:8
Describes the pain and anguish of people during the day of the Lord, using imagery of labor pains, which connects to the suffering mentioned in Matthew 24:19.
The Great JudgmentJ. A. Seiss, D. D.Matthew 24:15-19
Salutary WarningsJ.A. Macdonald Matthew 24:15-28
People
Daniel, Jesus, Noah, Noe
Places
Jerusalem, Judea, Mount of Olives
Topics
Alas, Babies, Breast, Child, Giving, Infants, Mothers, Nurse, Nursing, Pregnant, Suck, Wo, Woe, Women
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Matthew 24:19

     5140   breasts
     5199   womb

Matthew 24:3-24

     1450   signs, kinds of

Matthew 24:3-25

     9170   signs of times

Matthew 24:15-20

     5319   fugitives

Matthew 24:15-21

     5733   pregnancy
     6103   abomination

Matthew 24:15-22

     5978   warning

Matthew 24:15-25

     1424   predictions

Matthew 24:19-21

     9250   woe

Library
The Carrion and the Vultures
'Wheresoever the carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered together.'--MATT. xxiv. 28. This grim parable has, of course, a strong Eastern colouring. It is best appreciated by dwellers in those lands. They tell us that no sooner is some sickly animal dead, or some piece of carrion thrown out by the way, than the vultures--for the eagle does not prey upon carrion--appear. There may not have been one visible a moment before in the hot blue sky, but, taught by scent or by sight that their banquet
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

Two Forms of one Saying
'He that endureth to the end, the same shall be saved.' --Matt. xxiv. 13, R.V. 'In your patience possess ye your souls.'--Luke xxi. 19. These two sayings, different as they sound in our Version, are probably divergent representations of one original. The reasons for so supposing are manifold and obvious on a little consideration. In the first place, the two sayings occur in the Evangelists' reports of the same prophecy and at the same point therein. In the second place, the verbal resemblance is
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

Watching for the King
'Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come. 43. But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up. 44. Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of Man cometh. 45. Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season! 46. Blessed is that servant, whom his lord
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

March the Twentieth the Lord is at Hand!
"Ye know not what hour your Lord doth come." --MATTHEW xxiv. 42-51. Then let me always live as though my Lord were at the gate! Let me arrange my affairs on the assumption that the next to lift the latch will be the King. When I am out with my friend, walking and talking, let me assume that just round the corner I may meet the Lord. And so let me practise meeting Him! Said a mother to me one day concerning her long-absent boy: "I lay a place for him at every meal! His seat is always ready!" May
John Henry Jowett—My Daily Meditation for the Circling Year

What Lasts, and what Passes Away.
25th Sunday after Trinity. S. Matthew xxiv., 35. "Heaven and earth shall pass away, but My word shall not pass away." INTRODUCTION.--Yes! all will pass away! This beautiful world and all that is on it. Our houses, our churches, our cities, will crumble away; the very earth with its mountains and rivers, and plains, and seas, will pass away. The stars will fall from heaven, the sun will have exhausted its fires, the moon will sink into night. But the words of Christ will last. SUBJECT.--Incessant
S. Baring-Gould—The Village Pulpit, Volume II. Trinity to Advent

"And Watch unto Prayer. "
1 Pet. iv. 7.--"And watch unto prayer." "Watch." A Christian should watch. A Christian is a watchman by office. This duty of watchfulness is frequently commanded and commended in scripture, Matt. xxiv. 42, Mark xiii. 33, 1 Cor. xvi. 13, Eph. vi. 18, 1 Pet. v. 8, Col. iv. 2; Luke xii. 37. David did wait as they that did watch for the morning light. The ministers of the gospel are styled watchmen in scripture and every Christian should be to himself as a minister is to his flock, he should watch over
Hugh Binning—The Works of the Rev. Hugh Binning

Of Meditation Upon Death
Very quickly will there be an end of thee here; take heed therefore how it will be with thee in another world. To-day man is, and to-morrow he will be seen no more. And being removed out of sight, quickly also he is out of mind. O the dulness and hardness of man's heart, which thinketh only of the present, and looketh not forward to the future. Thou oughtest in every deed and thought so to order thyself, as if thou wert to die this day. If thou hadst a good conscience thou wouldst not greatly
Thomas A Kempis—Imitation of Christ

Warning.
"Take heed that no man deceive you."--Matt. xxiv: 4. "Christ in you, the hope of glory, whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus."--Col. i: 27, 28. To give a warning is a sign of love. Who warns like a mother, and who loves like a mother? Your mother, perhaps, is gone, and your father is gone. Let me take the place of those who have departed, and lift up a warning voice. With Paul I would say: "I write not these
Dwight L. Moody—Sowing and Reaping

Destruction of Jerusalem Foretold.
^A Matt. XXIV. 1-28; ^B Mark XIII. 1-23; ^C Luke XXI. 5-24. ^a 1 And Jesus went out from the temple [leaving it to return no more], and was going on his way; and his disciples came to him ^b as he went forth ^a to show him the buildings of the temple. ^b one of his disciples saith unto him, Teacher, behold, what manner of stones and what manner of buildings! ^c 5 And as some spake of the temple, how it was adorned with goodly stones and offerings, he said [The strength and wealth of the temple roused
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

The Second Coming of Christ.
^A Matt. XXIV. 29-51; ^B Mark XIII. 24-37; ^C Luke XXI. 25-36. ^b 24 But in those days, ^a immediately after the { ^b that} ^a tribulation of those days. [Since the coming of Christ did not follow close upon the destruction of Jerusalem, the word "immediately" used by Matthew is somewhat puzzling. There are, however, three ways in which it may be explained: 1. That Jesus reckons the time after his own divine, and not after our human, fashion. Viewing the word in this light, the passage at II. Pet.
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

The Christian Conception of Life Has Already Arisen in Our Society, and Will Infallibly Put an End to the Present Organization of Our Life Based On
The Condition and Organization of our Society are Terrible, but they Rest only on Public Opinion, and can be Destroyed by it-- Already Violence is Regarded from a Different Point of View; the Number of those who are Ready to Serve the Government is Diminishing; and even the Servants of Government are Ashamed of their Position, and so often Do Not Perform their Duties--These Facts are all Signs of the Rise of a Public Opinion, which Continually Growing will Lead to No One being Willing to Enter Government
Leo Tolstoy—The Kingdom of God is within you

The Evening of the Third Day in Passion-Week - on the Mount of Olives: Discoures to the Disciples Concerning the Last Things.
THE last and most solemn denunciation of Jerusalem had been uttered, the last and most terrible prediction of judgment upon the Temple spoken, and Jesus was suiting the action to the word. It was as if He had cast the dust of His Shoes against the House' that was to be left desolate.' And so He quitted for ever the Temple and them that held office in it. They had left the Sanctuary and the City, had crossed black Kidron, and were slowly climbing the Mount of Olives. A sudden turn in the road, and
Alfred Edersheim—The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah

A Key to the Knowledge of Church History
A KEY TO THE KNOWLEDGE OF CHURCH HISTORY [Ancient] Edited by JOHN HENRY BLUNT, M.A. Editor of "The Dictionary of Theology," "The Annotated Book of Common Prayer;" Author of "Household Theology," Etc. Etc. "This Gospel of the Kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations."--St. Matt. xxiv. 14 Rivingtons Waterloo Place, London Oxford, and Cambridge MDCCCLXXVII [New Edition]
John Henry Blunt—A Key to the Knowledge of Church History

Our Lord's Olivet Discourse Shows that There is no Universal Triumph of the Gospel Before his Second Advent.
The Olivet Discourse of our Lord is recorded in Matthew 24, Mark 13, and Luke 21. We cannot now attempt a detailed exposition of these highly interesting and important chapters, but would simply single our from them a few things which throw light upon our present inquiry. At the beginning of Matt. 24 we find that three of His disciples asked our Lord, "Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of Thy coming, and of the end of the age?" (vs. 3). What then was the answer which
Arthur W. Pink—The Redeemer's Return

Third Sunday Before Lent
Text: First Corinthians 9, 24-27; 10, 1-5. 24 Know ye not that they that run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? Even so run; that ye may attain. 25 And every man that striveth in the games exerciseth self-control in all things. Now they do it to receive a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible. 26 I therefore so run, as not uncertainly; so fight I, as not beating the air: 27 but I buffet my body, and bring it into bondage: lest by any means, after that I have preached to others,
Martin Luther—Epistle Sermons, Vol. II

The vineyard and Its Keepers
'Hear another parable: There was a certain householder, which planted a vineyard, and hedged it round about, and digged a winepress in it, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen, and went into a far country: 34. And when the time of the fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the husbandmen, that they might receive the fruits of it. 35. And the husbandmen took his servants, and beat one, and killed another, and stoned another. 36. Again, he sent other servants more than the first: and they
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

Watching the Horizon
"Thy Kingdom Come." "Thou art coming! We are waiting With a hope that cannot fail; Asking not the day or hour, Resting on Thy word of power, Anchored safe within the veil. Time appointed may be long, But the vision must be sure: Certainty shall make us strong, Joyful patience must endure. "O the joy to see Thee reigning, Thee, my own beloved Lord! Every tongue Thy name confessing, Worship, honour, glory, blessing, Brought to Thee with glad accord! Thee, my Master and my Friend, Vindicated and enthroned!
by S. D. Gordon—Quiet Talks on the Crowned Christ of Revelation

Another Shorter Evening Prayer.
O eternal God and heavenly Father, if I were not taught and assured by the promises of thy gospel, and the examples of Peter, Mary Magdalene, the publican, the prodigal child, and many other penitent sinners, that thou art so full of compassion, and so ready to forgive the greatest sinners, who are heaviest laden with sin, at what time soever they return unto thee with penitent hearts, lamenting their sins, and imploring thy grace, I should despair for mine own sins, and be utterly discouraged from
Lewis Bayly—The Practice of Piety

There is a Blessedness in Reversion
Blessed are the poor in spirit. Matthew 5:3 Having done with the occasion, I come now to the sermon itself. Blessed are the poor in spirit'. Christ does not begin his Sermon on the Mount as the Law was delivered on the mount, with commands and threatenings, the trumpet sounding, the fire flaming, the earth quaking, and the hearts of the Israelites too for fear; but our Saviour (whose lips dropped as the honeycomb') begins with promises and blessings. So sweet and ravishing was the doctrine of this
Thomas Watson—The Beatitudes: An Exposition of Matthew 5:1-12

An Analysis of Augustin's Writings against the Donatists.
The object of this chapter is to present a rudimentary outline and summary of all that Augustin penned or spoke against those traditional North African Christians whom he was pleased to regard as schismatics. It will be arranged, so far as may be, in chronological order, following the dates suggested by the Benedictine edition. The necessary brevity precludes anything but a very meagre treatment of so considerable a theme. The writer takes no responsibility for the ecclesiological tenets of the
St. Augustine—writings in connection with the donatist controversy.

The Completion of Our Saviour's Prophecies Confirmed Pagans in their Belief of the Gospel.
I. The completion of our Saviour's Prophecies confirmed Pagans in their belief of the gospel. II. Origen's observation on our Saviour's disciples being brought before kings and governors; III. On their being persecuted for their religion; IV. On their preaching the gospel to all nations. V. On the destruction of Jerusalem, and ruin of the Jewish oeconomy. VI. These arguments strengthened by what has happened since Origen's time. I. THE second of these extraordinary means, of great use to the learned
Joseph Addison—The Evidences of the Christian Religion, with Additional Discourses

Dogmatic.
I. (i) Against Eunomius. The work under this title comprises five books, the first three generally accepted as genuine, the last two sometimes regarded as doubtful. Gregory of Nazianzus, [303] Jerome, [304] and Theodoret [305] all testify to Basil's having written against Eunomius, but do not specify the number of books. Books IV. and V. are accepted by Bellarmine, Du Pin, Tillemont, and Ceillier, mainly on the authority of the edict of Justinian against the Three Chapters (Mansi ix., 552),
Basil—Basil: Letters and Select Works

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