Albert Barnes Commentary Matthew 24:3

"And as he sat on the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what [shall be] the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?" — Matthew 24:3 (ASV)

He sat upon the Mount of Olives. (See Barnes on Matthew 21:1).

From that mount there was a magnificent view of the whole city.

The disciples came unto him privately. Not all of them, but Peter, James, John, and Andrew (Mark 13:3). The prediction that the temple would be destroyed (Matthew 24:2) had been made in the presence of all the apostles. A part of them now came privately to know more particularly when this would be.

When shall these things be? There are three questions here:

1. When those things should take place.
2. What should be the signs of his coming.
3. What should be the signs that the end of the world was near.

To these questions he replies in this and the following chapters. He does this not by addressing them distinctly, but by intermingling the descriptions of the destruction of Jerusalem and the end of the world; consequently, it is sometimes difficult to determine to which particular subject his remarks apply.

The principle on which this combined description of two events was spoken appears to be that they could be described in the same words, and therefore, the accounts are intermingled.

A similar use of language is found in some parts of Isaiah, where the same language describes both the return from the Babylonian captivity and deliverance by the Messiah, and therefore was used by the prophet. (See Barnes on Isaiah 1:1, paragraph 7).

Sign of thy coming. This means evidence that you are coming. By what token shall we know that you are coming?