Matthew 24
24
Destruction of the Temple Predicted
1As Jesus left and was going out of the temple,#Mk 13:1–37; Lk 21:5–36 his disciples#Mt 9:10; Mk 10:10; Lk 6:1; Jn 6:3; 12:16 came up and called his attention to its buildings. 2He replied to them, “Do you see all these things? Truly I tell you, not one stone will be left here on another that will not be thrown down.”
Signs of the End of the Age
3While he was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples approached him privately and said, “Tell us, when will these things happen? And what is the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?” #Mt 21:1; 24:27,37,39
4Jesus replied to them, “Watch out that no one deceives#Jr 29:8; Eph 5:6; Col 2:8; 2Th 2:3 you. 5For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and they will deceive many.#Mt 1:17; Eph 5:2 6You are going to hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, because these things must take place, but the end is not yet. 7For nation will rise up against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines#24:7 Other mss add epidemics#Ac 11:28; Rv 6:8 and earthquakes in various places.#2Ch 15:6; Is 19:2 8All these events are the beginning of labor pains.#Lk 21:12–24
Persecutions Predicted
9 “Then they will hand you over to be persecuted, and they will kill you. You will be hated by all nations because of my name. #
Mt 10:17,22; Jn 16:2 10Then many will fall away, betray one another, and hate one another. 11Many false prophets#Is 44:25; Mt 7:15; 24:24; Mk 13:22; Lk 6:26; Ac 13:6; 2Pt 2:1; 1Jn 4:1 will rise up and deceive many. 12Because lawlessness#Mt 13:41; 2Th 2:3 will multiply, the love of many will grow cold. 13But the one who endures to the end will be saved. 14This good news of the kingdom will be proclaimed in all the world#24:14 Or in all the inhabited earth as a testimony to all nations,#Mt 4:23; Rm 10:18; Col 1:6,23; 1Th 1:8 and then the end will come.#Lk 2:1; 4:5; Ac 11:28; 17:6; Rv 3:10; 16:14
The Great Tribulation
15 “So when you see the abomination of desolation, # 24:15 Dn 9:27 spoken of by the prophet Daniel,#Dn 9:27; 11:31; 12:11; Mk 13:14; Lk 21:20 standing in the holy place”#Ac 6:13; 21:28 (let the reader understand), 16“then those in Judea must flee to the mountains. 17A man on the housetop#24:17 Or roof must not come down to get things out of his house,#1Sm 9:25; Mt 10:27; Lk 5:19; 12:3; 17:31; Ac 10:9 18and a man in the field must not go back to get his coat. 19Woe to pregnant women and nursing mothers in those days! 20Pray that your escape may not be in winter or on a Sabbath. 21For at that time there will be great distress,#24:21 Or tribulation, also in v. 29#Dn 12:1; Jl 2:2; Mt 24:29; Rv 7:14 the kind that hasn’t taken place from the beginning of the world until now and never will again. 22Unless those days were cut short, no one would#24:22 Lit short, all flesh would not be saved. But those days will be cut short because of the elect.#Mt 22:14; 24:24,31; Mk 13:20,22,27; 1Tm 5:21; 2Tm 2:10; Rv 17:14
23 “If anyone tells you then, ‘See, here is the Messiah!’ #Lk 17:3; 21:28 or, ‘Over here!’ do not believe it.#Mk 11:24; Jn 6:64 24For false messiahs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders to lead astray,#Dt 13:1–3; Mt 24:11; Ac 8:9; 2Th 2:9–11; Rv 13:13–14; 16:14; 19:20 if possible, even the elect. 25Take note: I have told you in advance. 26So if they tell you, ‘See, he’s in the wilderness! ’ don’t go out; or, ‘See, he’s in the storerooms! ’ do not believe it. 27For as the lightning comes from the east and flashes as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.#Zch 9:14; Mt 8:20; 24:3,37,39; Lk 17:24 28Wherever the carcass is, there the vultures#24:28 Or eagles will gather.#Jb 39:30; Lk 17:37
The Coming of the Son of Man
29 “Immediately after the distress #
Is 13:10; 24:23; Ezk 32:7; Jl 2:10,31; 3:15; Zph 1:15; Rv 6:12–13 of those days, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not shed its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 30Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the peoples of the earth#24:30 Or all the tribes of the land will mourn;#24:30 Lit will beat; that is, beat their chests and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.#Dn 7:13; Zch 12:12; Mt 24:3; Rv 1:7 31He will send out his angels with a loud trumpet,#Is 27:13; 1Co 15:52; 1Th 4:16; Rv 8:2; 11:15 and they will gather his elect from the four winds,#Dn 7:2; Zch 2:6; Rv 7:1 from one end of the sky to the other.
The Parable of the Fig Tree
32 “Learn this lesson #
Mt 13:3,34–36; 15:15; 21:33,45; 22:1 from the fig tree: As soon as its branch becomes tender and sprouts leaves, you know that summer is near. 33In the same way, when you see all these things, recognize#24:33 Or things, you know that he#24:33 Or it; that is, summer is near — at the door.#Jms 5:9; Rv 3:20 34Truly I tell you, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things take place.#Mt 10:23; 16:28; 23:36 35Heaven and earth will pass away,#Ps 102:26; Is 51:6; Mt 5:18; Heb 12:27; 2Pt 3:10 but my words will never pass away.#Ps 119:89; Is 40:8; Mk 13:31; Lk 21:33; 1Pt 1:23,25
No One Knows the Day or Hour
36 “Now concerning that day and hour no one knows — neither the angels of heaven nor the Son # 24:36 Other mss omit nor the Son — except the Father alone.#Zch 14:7; Mt 25:13; Mk 13:32; Ac 1:7; 1Th 5:1–2 37As the days of Noah were, so the coming of the Son of Man will be. 38For in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day Noah boarded the ark.#Gn 6:5; 7:6–23; Mt 22:30; Lk 17:26 39They didn’t know until the flood came and swept them all away. This is the way the coming of the Son of Man will be. 40Then two men will be in the field; one will be taken and one left. 41Two women will be grinding grain with a hand mill; one will be taken and one left.#Ex 11:5; Is 47:2; Lk 17:35 42Therefore be alert, since you don’t know what day#24:42 Other mss read hour; = time your Lord is coming.#Mt 25:13; Lk 12:40; 21:36 43But know this: If the homeowner had known what time#24:43 Lit watch; a division of the night in ancient times the thief was coming, he would have stayed alert and not let his house be broken into.#Lk 12:39; 1Th 5:2; Rv 3:3 44This is why you are also to be ready, because the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.#Mt 25:10; 1Th 5:6
Faithful Service to Christ
45 “Who then is a faithful and wise servant, #
Lk 12:42–46
whom his master has put in charge of his household, to give them food at the proper time?#Mt 7:24; 10:16; 25:2,21 46Blessed is that servant whom the master finds doing his job when he comes.#Jn 13:17; Rv 16:15 47Truly I tell you, he will put him in charge of all his possessions. 48But if that wicked servant says in his heart, ‘My master is delayed,’ 49and starts to beat his fellow servants, and eats and drinks with drunkards,#Ac 2:15; 1Co 11:21; 1Th 5:7; Rv 17:6 50that servant’s master will come on a day he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know. 51He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
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Matthew 24: CSB
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© 2017 Holman Bible Publishers
Matthew 24
24
Routine History
1-2Jesus then left the Temple. As he walked away, his disciples pointed out how very impressive the Temple architecture was. Jesus said, “You’re not impressed by all this sheer size, are you? The truth of the matter is that there’s not a stone in that building that is not going to end up in a pile of rubble.”
3Later as he was sitting on Mount Olives, his disciples approached and asked him, “Tell us, when are these things going to happen? What will be the sign of your coming, that the time’s up?”
4-8Jesus said, “Watch out for doomsday deceivers. Many leaders are going to show up with forged identities, claiming, ‘I am Christ, the Messiah.’ They will deceive a lot of people. When reports come in of wars and rumored wars, keep your head and don’t panic. This is routine history; this is no sign of the end. Nation will fight nation and ruler fight ruler, over and over. Famines and earthquakes will occur in various places. This is nothing compared to what is coming.
9-10“They are going to throw you to the wolves and kill you, everyone hating you because you carry my name. And then, going from bad to worse, it will be dog-eat-dog, everyone at each other’s throat, everyone hating each other.
11-12“In the confusion, lying preachers will come forward and deceive a lot of people. For many others, the overwhelming spread of evil will do them in—nothing left of their love but a mound of ashes.
13-14“Staying with it—that’s what God requires. Stay with it to the end. You won’t be sorry, and you’ll be saved. All during this time, the good news—the Message of the kingdom—will be preached all over the world, a witness staked out in every country. And then the end will come.
The Monster of Desecration
15-20“But be ready to run for it when you see the monster of desecration set up in the Temple sanctuary. The prophet Daniel described this. If you’ve read Daniel, you’ll know what I’m talking about. If you’re living in Judea at the time, run for the hills; if you’re working in the yard, don’t return to the house to get anything; if you’re out in the field, don’t go back and get your coat. Pregnant and nursing mothers will have it especially hard. Hope and pray this won’t happen during the winter or on a Sabbath.
21-22“This is going to be trouble on a scale beyond what the world has ever seen, or will see again. If these days of trouble were left to run their course, nobody would make it. But on account of God’s chosen people, the trouble will be cut short.
The Arrival of the Son of Man
23-25“If anyone tries to flag you down, calling out, ‘Here’s the Messiah!’ or points, ‘There he is!’ don’t fall for it. Fake Messiahs and lying preachers are going to pop up everywhere. Their impressive credentials and bewitching performances will pull the wool over the eyes of even those who ought to know better. But I’ve given you fair warning.
26-28“So if they say, ‘Run to the country and see him arrive!’ or, ‘Quick, get downtown, see him come!’ don’t give them the time of day. The Arrival of the Son of Man isn’t something you go to see. He comes like swift lightning to you! Whenever you see crowds gathering, think of carrion vultures circling, moving in, hovering over a rotting carcass. You can be quite sure that it’s not the living Son of Man pulling in those crowds.
29“Following those hard times,
Sun will fade out,
moon cloud over,
Stars fall out of the sky,
cosmic powers tremble.
30-31“Then, the Arrival of the Son of Man! It will fill the skies—no one will miss it. Unready people all over the world, outsiders to the splendor and power, will raise a huge lament as they watch the Son of Man blazing out of heaven. At that same moment, he’ll dispatch his angels with a trumpet-blast summons, pulling in God’s chosen from the four winds, from pole to pole.
32-35“Take a lesson from the fig tree. From the moment you notice its buds form, the merest hint of green, you know summer’s just around the corner. So it is with you: When you see all these things, you’ll know he’s at the door. Don’t take this lightly. I’m not just saying this for some future generation, but for all of you. This age continues until all these things take place. Sky and earth will wear out; my words won’t wear out.
36“But the exact day and hour? No one knows that, not even heaven’s angels, not even the Son. Only the Father knows.
37-39a “The Arrival of the Son of Man will take place in times like Noah’s. Before the great flood everyone was carrying on as usual, having a good time right up to the day Noah boarded the ark. They knew nothing—until the flood hit and swept everything away.
39b-44 “The Son of Man’s Arrival will be like that: Two men will be working in the field—one will be taken, one left behind; two women will be grinding at the mill—one will be taken, one left behind. So stay awake, alert. You have no idea what day your Master will show up. But you do know this: You know that if the homeowner had known what time of night the burglar would arrive, he would have been there with his dogs to prevent the break-in. Be vigilant just like that. You have no idea when the Son of Man is going to show up.
45-47“Who here qualifies for the job of overseeing the kitchen? A person the Master can depend on to feed the workers on time each day. Someone the Master can drop in on unannounced and always find him doing his job. A God-blessed man or woman, I tell you. It won’t be long before the Master will put this person in charge of the whole operation.
48-51“But if that person only looks out for himself, and the minute the Master is away does what he pleases—abusing the help and throwing drunken parties for his friends—the Master is going to show up when he least expects it, and it won’t be pretty. He’ll end up in the dump with the hypocrites, out in the cold shivering, teeth chattering.”
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THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson. All rights reserved. Used by permission of NavPress. Represented by Tyndale House Publishers.