Matthew 24
24
1As Jesus was leaving the Temple his disciples came to him, pointing proudly to the Temple buildings. 2But Jesus replied, “You see all these buildings? I tell you the truth: there won't be one stone left upon another. Every last one will come crashing down!”
3As Jesus sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him in private, and asked, “Please tell us when this will happen. What will be the sign of your coming and the end of the world?”
4“Make sure no one misleads you,” Jesus replied. 5“Many will come claiming to be me, saying, ‘I'm the Messiah,’ and they will deceive many people. 6You'll hear about wars, and rumors about wars, but don't be anxious. These things have to happen, but this isn't the end. 7Nations will attack other nations, and kingdoms will fight against other kingdoms. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places, 8but all these things are just the beginnings of birth pains.
9Then they will arrest you, they will persecute you, and they will kill you. All people will hate you because of me. 10At that time many believers will give up believing. They will betray one another and hate one another. 11Many false prophets will come and deceive many people. 12The increasing evil will lead the love of many to grow cold, 13but those who hold out to the end will be saved. 14The good news of the kingdom will be proclaimed around the whole world so everyone will be able to hear it, and then the end will come.
15So when you see the ‘idolatry that causes devastation’#24:15. Or “desolating sacrilege,” referring back to Daniel 9:27, Daniel 11:31, Daniel 12:11. standing in the holy place that the prophet Daniel spoke about (those who read this please consider carefully), 16then the people living in Judea should run away to the mountains. 17Anyone who is on the housetop must not go down and fetch what's in the house. 18Anyone who is out in the fields must not go back to get a coat. 19How awful it will be for those who are pregnant, and those who are nursing babies at that time! 20Pray that you don't have to run away in winter, or on the Sabbath day. 21For at that time there will be terrible persecution—more terrible than anything that has happened from the beginning of the world up till now, and won't ever happen again. 22Unless those days are cut short, nobody will be saved, but for the sake of the chosen those days will be cut short.
23So if anyone tells you, ‘Look, here's the Messiah,’ or, ‘There he is,’ don't believe it. 24For false messiahs will appear, and false prophets too, and they will perform incredible signs and miracles in order to deceive the chosen, if that were possible. 25Notice that I've told you this before it even happens. 26So if they tell you, ‘Look, he's out in the desert,’ don't go looking there; or if they say, ‘Look, he's secretly here,’ don't believe it. 27For the coming of the Son of man will be like the lightning that flashes brightly from east to west. 28‘Vultures gather where the carcass is.’
29But right after those days of persecution the sun will be darkened, the moon will not shine, the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of heaven will be shaken. 30Then the sign of the Son of man will appear in heaven, and all the peoples of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and in brilliant glory.#24:30. See Daniel 7:13-14. 31With a blast from a trumpet he will send his angels to gather his chosen ones from every place, from one end of heaven and earth to the other.#24:31. Literally, “from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.”
32Learn an illustration from the fig tree. When its shoots become tender and leaves begin to sprout, you know that summer is coming. 33In the same way when you see all these things happening, you know that his coming is near, in fact it's right at the door! 34I tell you the truth: this generation won't pass away until all these things have happened. 35Heaven and earth may pass away, but my words won't pass away.
36But no one knows the day or hour when this will take place, not the angels in heaven, nor the Son. Only the Father knows. 37When the Son of man comes it will be like it was during the time of Noah. 38It will be as in the days before the flood, when they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, right up until the day that Noah went into the ark. 39They didn't realize what was going to happen until the flood came and swept them all away. That's how the coming of the Son of man will be.
40Two men will be working in the fields. One will be taken, the other left. 41Two women will be grinding grain with a mill. One will be taken, the other left. 42So stay alert, because you don't know what day your Lord is coming. 43But consider this: if the house-owner knew what time a thief was coming, he would keep watch. He would not allow his house to be broken into and robbed. 44You also need to be ready, because the Son of man is coming at a time when you're not expecting him.
45For who is the trustworthy and thoughtful servant? It's the one his master puts in charge of his household to provide them with food at the proper time. 46How good it will be for that servant to be found doing that when his master returns! 47I tell you the truth: the master will put that servant in charge over everything he has. 48But if he was evil, the servant would say to himself, ‘My master is taking a long time,’ 49and would start beating the other servants, feasting and drinking with the drunks. 50Then that servant's master will return when the man doesn't expect him, at a time he doesn't know. 51He'll cut him to pieces, and treat him in the same way as the hypocrites,#24:51. Those who claim to follow their Lord but in reality don't. sending him to a place where there's crying and gnashing of teeth.”
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Dr. Jonathan Gallagher. Released under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 Unported License. Version 4.3. For corrections send email to jonathangallagherfbv@gmail.com
Matthew 24
24
Signs of Christ’s Return
1Jesus left the temple area and was going on His way when His disciples came up to Him to call His attention to the [magnificent and massive] #The massive size and polished surfaces of the fitted stones that formed the temple structure created a magnificent sight (cf Luke 21:5). The refurbishing of the temple was begun by Herod the Great in 20 b.c. and was completed in a.d. 64 by Herod Agrippa II. The rabbis had a saying: “Whoever has not seen the temple of Herod has never seen a beautiful building” (as quoted from the Talmud). They also said that Herod built it of yellow, white, and perhaps blue marble; and that he intended to cover it with gold, but the rabbis advised him not to because it was beautiful just as it was, looking like the waves of the sea.buildings of the temple. 2And He said to them, “Do you see all these things? I assure you and most solemnly say to you, not one stone here will be left on another, which will not be torn down.”
3While Jesus was seated on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, and said, “Tell us, when will this [destruction of the temple] take place, and what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end (completion, consummation) of the age?”
4Jesus answered, “Be careful that no one misleads you [deceiving you and leading you into error]. 5For many will come in My name [misusing it, and appropriating the strength of the name which belongs to Me], saying, ‘I am the Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed),’ and they will mislead many. 6You will continually hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not frightened, for those things must take place, but that is not yet the end [of the age]. 7For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. 8But all these things are merely the beginning of birth pangs [of the intolerable anguish and the time of unprecedented trouble].
9 “Then they will hand you over to [endure] tribulation, and will put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of My name. 10At that time many will be offended and repelled [by their association with Me] and will fall away [from the One whom they should trust] and will betray one another [handing over believers to their persecutors] and will hate one another. 11Many false prophets will appear and mislead many. 12Because lawlessness is increased, the love of most people will grow cold. 13But the one who endures and bears up [under suffering] to the end will be saved. 14This good news of the kingdom [the gospel] will be preached throughout the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end [of the age] will come.
Perilous Times
15 “So when you see the # I.e. the Antichrist (2 Thess 2:4), “the prince who is to come” who will make a covenant with Israel, then break it in the middle of the tribulation (the seven-year period of Dan 9:27). abomination of desolation [the appalling sacrilege that astonishes and makes desolate], spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the Holy Place (let the #I.e. the reader of the book of Daniel (cf 24:15). Jesus is indicating that the final fulfillment of this prophecy is yet to come.reader understand), 16then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains [for refuge]. 17Whoever is on the housetop must not go down to get the things that are in his house [because there will not be enough time]. 18Whoever is in the field must not turn back to get his coat. 19And woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! 20Pray that your flight [from persecution and suffering] will not be in winter, or on a Sabbath [when Jewish laws prohibit travel]. 21For #The most obvious sign during the tribulation, prior to the second coming of Jesus, is when the abomination that causes desolation (the Antichrist) sets his image in the temple.at that time there will be a great tribulation (pressure, distress, oppression), such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will [again]. 22And if those days [of tribulation] had not been cut short, no human life would be saved; but for the sake of the elect (God’s chosen ones) those days will be shortened. 23Then if anyone says to you [during the great tribulation], ‘Look! Here is the Christ,’ or ‘There He is,’ do not believe it. 24For false Christs and false prophets will appear and they will provide great signs and wonders, so as to deceive, if possible, even the elect (God’s chosen ones). 25Listen carefully, I have told you in advance. 26So if they say to you, ‘Look! He is in the wilderness,’ do not go out there, or, ‘Look! He is in the inner rooms [of a house],’ do not believe it. 27For just as the lightning comes from the east and flashes as far as the west, so will be the coming [in glory] of the Son of Man [everyone will see Him clearly]. 28Wherever the corpse is, there the #The Greek for “vultures” can also be translated “eagles,” but the reference is most likely to the vulture, which the Greek word includes with eagles as a class. The meaning of this much discussed verse is either that the corpse represents the returning Christ, whose appearance will attract the attention of the entire world, that is, the vultures; or that the corrupt world is the corpse, about to be judged by the returning Christ (Rev 19:18).vultures will flock together.
The Glorious Return
29 “Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not provide its light, and the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 30And at that time the sign of the Son of Man [coming in His glory] will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth [and especially Israel] will mourn [regretting their rebellion and rejection of the Messiah], and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory [in brilliance and splendor]. 31And He will send His angels with a loud trumpet and they will gather together His elect (God’s chosen ones) from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.
Parable of the Fig Tree
32 “Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its young shoots become tender and it puts out its leaves, you know that summer is near; 33so you, too, when you see all #I.e. false christs, wars, famines, earthquakes.these things [taking place], know for certain that He is near, right #I.e. the return of the Christ is imminent.at the door. 34I assure you and most solemnly say to you, this generation [the people living when these signs and events begin] will not pass away until all these things take place. 35Heaven and earth [as now known] will pass away, but My words will not pass away.
36 “But of that [exact] day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son [in His humanity], but the Father alone. 37For the coming of the Son of Man (the Messiah) will be just like the days of Noah. 38For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the [very] day when Noah entered the ark, 39and they did not know or understand until the flood came and swept them all away; so will the coming of the Son of Man be [unexpected judgment]. 40At that time two men will be in the field; one will be #This is not the removal of the church described in 1 Thess 4:13-18 and Rev 3:10. The one taken is taken for judgment just as the wicked were taken by the flood in Noah’s day. The one left is left to enter the kingdom that Christ will establish.taken [for judgment] and one will be left. 41Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken [for judgment] and one will be left.
Be Ready for His Coming
42 “So be alert [give strict attention, be cautious and active in faith], for you do not know which day [whether near or far] your Lord is coming. 43But understand this: If the head of the house had known what time of the night the thief was coming, he would have been on the alert and would not have allowed his house to be broken into. 44Therefore, you [who follow Me] must also be ready; because the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not expect Him.
45 “Who then is the faithful and wise servant whom his master has put in charge of his household to give the others [in the house] their food and supplies at the proper time? 46Blessed is that [faithful] servant when his master returns and finds him doing so. 47I assure you and most solemnly say to you that he will put him in charge of all his possessions. 48But if that servant is evil and says in his heart, ‘My master is taking his time [he will not return for a long while],’ 49and begins to beat his fellow servants and to eat and drink with drunkards; 50the master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour of which he is not aware, 51and will cut him in two and put him with the hypocrites; in that place there will be weeping [over sorrow and pain] and grinding of teeth [over distress and anger].
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