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
The Temple Will Be Destroyed
1As Jesus left the Temple and was walking away, his followers came up to show him the Temple’s buildings. 2Jesus asked, “Do you see all these buildings? I tell you the truth, not one stone will be left on another. Every stone will be thrown down to the ground.”
3Later, as Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, his followers came to be alone with him. They said, “Tell us, when will these things happen? And what will be the sign that it is time for you to come again and for this age to end?”
4Jesus answered, “Be careful that no one fools you. 5Many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and they will fool many people. 6You will hear about wars and stories of wars that are coming, but don’t be afraid. These things must happen before the end comes. 7Nations will fight against other nations; kingdoms will fight against other kingdoms. There will be times when there is no food for people to eat, and there will be earthquakes in different places. 8These things are like the first pains when something new is about to be born.
9“Then people will arrest you, hand you over to be hurt, and kill you. They will hate you because you believe in me. 10At that time, many will lose their faith, and they will turn against each other and hate each other. 11Many false prophets will come and cause many people to believe lies. 12There will be more and more evil in the world, so most people will stop showing their love for each other. 13But those people who keep their faith until the end will be saved. 14The Good News about God’s kingdom will be preached in all the world, to every nation. Then the end will come.
15“Daniel the prophet spoke about ‘a blasphemous object that brings destruction.’ You will see this standing in the holy place.” (You who read this should understand what it means.) 16“At that time, the people in Judea should run away to the mountains. 17If people are on the roofs of their houses, they must not go down to get anything out of their houses. 18If people are in the fields, they must not go back to get their coats. 19At that time, how terrible it will be for women who are pregnant or have nursing babies! 20Pray that it will not be winter or a Sabbath day when these things happen and you have to run away, 21because at that time there will be much trouble. There will be more trouble than there has ever been since the beginning of the world until now, and nothing as bad will ever happen again. 22God has decided to make that terrible time short. Otherwise, no one would go on living. But God will make that time short to help the people he has chosen. 23At that time, someone might say to you, ‘Look, there is the Christ!’ Or another person might say, ‘There he is!’ But don’t believe them. 24False Christs and false prophets will come and perform great wonders and miracles. They will try to fool even the people God has chosen, if that is possible. 25Now I have warned you about this before it happens.
26“If people tell you, ‘The Christ is in the desert,’ don’t go there. If they say, ‘The Christ is in the inner room,’ don’t believe it. 27When the Son of Man comes, he will be seen by everyone, like lightning flashing from the east to the west. 28Wherever the dead body is, there the vultures will gather.
29“Soon after the trouble of those days,
‘the sun will grow dark,
and the moon will not give its light.
The stars will fall from the sky.
And the powers of the heavens will be shaken.’ #Isaiah 13:10; 34:4
30“At that time, the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky. Then all the peoples of the world will cry. They will see the Son of Man coming on clouds in the sky with great power and glory. 31He will use a loud trumpet to send his angels all around the earth, and they will gather his chosen people from every part of the world.
32“Learn a lesson from the fig tree: When its branches become green and soft and new leaves appear, you know summer is near. 33In the same way, when you see all these things happening, you will know that the time is near, ready to come. 34I tell you the truth, all these things will happen while the people of this time are still living. 35Earth and sky will be destroyed, but the words I have said will never be destroyed.
When Will Jesus Come Again?
36“No one knows when that day or time will be, not the angels in heaven, not even the Son. Only the Father knows. 37When the Son of Man comes, it will be like what happened during Noah’s time. 38In those days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving their children to be married, until the day Noah entered the boat. 39They knew nothing about what was happening until the flood came and destroyed them. It will be the same when the Son of Man comes. 40Two men will be in the field. One will be taken, and the other will be left. 41Two women will be grinding grain with a mill. One will be taken, and the other will be left.
42“So always be ready, because you don’t know the day your Lord will come. 43Remember this: If the owner of the house knew what time of night a thief was coming, the owner would watch and not let the thief break in. 44So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at a time you don’t expect him.
45“Who is the wise and loyal servant that the master trusts to give the other servants their food at the right time? 46When the master comes and finds the servant doing his work, the servant will be blessed. 47I tell you the truth, the master will choose that servant to take care of everything he owns. 48But suppose that evil servant thinks to himself, ‘My master will not come back soon,’ 49and he begins to beat the other servants and eat and get drunk with others like him? 50The master will come when that servant is not ready and is not expecting him. 51Then the master will cut him in pieces and send him away to be with the hypocrites, where people will cry and grind their teeth with pain.
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The Holy Bible, New Century Version, Copyright © 2005 Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved.