Matthew 24
24
The Signs of the End
1Jesus left the temple and was walking away when his disciples came up to him. They wanted him to admire the temple buildings. 2“Do you see all this?” Jesus asked. “Truly I tell you, there won’t be one stone left here on top of another. Every building will be torn down, to the last stone.”
3As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately and asked, “Tell us, when will this happen? And what will be the sign of your coming? What will be the sign of the end of the age?”
4Jesus answered, “Don’t let anyone trick you! 5Many people will come claiming to be me and saying, ‘I’m the Messiah!’ They’ll get many people to follow them. 6You’ll hear about wars, and you’ll hear people saying there are going to be wars. Don’t be afraid. Those things will happen, but that won’t be the end. 7Nation will fight against nation, and kingdom will fight against kingdom. People won’t have enough food, and there will be earthquakes in many places. 8But all of this will be only the beginning of the birth pains.
9“Then people will hand you over to be oppressed and killed, and all nations will hate you because of me. 10At that time, many will turn away from the faith. They will hate one another and hand each other over to their enemies. 11Many false prophets will appear, and they will trick many people. 12Wickedness will increase and many people’s love will grow cold. 13But anyone who remains strong in the faith will be saved. 14This good news of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a witness to all nations, and then the end will come.
15“The prophet Daniel spoke about ‘the detestable thing that brings desolation.’ One day you’ll see it standing in the holy place.” (Let the one who reads this be sure to understand.) 16“When that happens, those who are in Judea should escape to the mountains. 17No one who’s on a housetop should go down into the house to take anything out. 18No one who’s out in the field should go back home to get their coat. 19How awful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers! 20Pray that you won’t have to run away in the winter or on a Sabbath day. 21There will be terrible suffering in those days, worse than any other time from the beginning of the world until now, and there will never be anything like it again.
22“If that time were not cut short, no one would survive. But because of God’s chosen people, it will be shortened. 23At that time someone may say to you, ‘Look! Here’s the Messiah!’ Or, ‘He’s over there!’ Don’t believe it. 24False messiahs and false prophets will appear, and they’ll do great signs and miracles. They’ll even try to trick God’s chosen people if they can. 25See, I’ve told you ahead of time.
26“So if anyone tells you, ‘He’s out in the desert,’ don’t go out there. And if anyone says, ‘He’s deep inside the house,’ don’t believe it. 27Lightning that comes from the east can be seen in the west. It will be the same when the Son of Man comes. 28You know where a dead body is when you see vultures circling in the sky.
29“Right after the terrible suffering of those days,
“ ‘The sun will go dark,
the moon won’t shine,
the stars will fall from the sky,
and the planets will be shaken.’
30“Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven. Then all the peoples of the earth will mourn, when they see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. 31He will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his chosen people from the north, south, east, and west—from one end of the sky to the other.
32“Learn a lesson from the fig tree. As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. 33In the same way, when you see all these things happening, you’ll know that the end is near, right at the door. 34Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all these things have happened. 35Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.
The Day and Time Are Not Known
36“But no one knows what day or time this will happen. The angels in heaven don’t even know, and the Son doesn’t know either—only the Father knows. 37When the Son of Man comes, it will be the same as it was in the days of Noah. 38In the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, getting married and arranging marriages, right up to the day when Noah entered the ark. 39They didn’t know anything about what was going to happen until the flood came and took them all away. That’s how it will be when the Son of Man comes. 40Two men will be out in the field; one will be taken and the other will be spared. 41Two women will be grinding together with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other will be left.
42“So keep watch, because you don’t know on what day your Lord is coming. 43But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the robber was coming, he would have kept watch. He wouldn’t have let his house be broken into. 44So you must also be ready, because the Son of Man will come at a time when you aren’t expecting him.
45“Suppose a master puts one of his slaves in charge of the other slaves and tells him to give them their food at the right time. The master would want to choose a faithful and wise slave to do that. 46It will be good for this slave if the master finds him doing his job when he returns. 47Truly I tell you, the master will put that slave in charge of everything he owns. 48But suppose the slave is a bad person and he says to himself, ‘My master is staying away a long time. I can do whatever I want.’ 49Suppose he then starts to beat the other slaves and to eat and drink with people who drink too much. 50The master of that slave will come back on a day when he isn’t expecting him and at a time when he isn’t watching. 51Then the master will cut him to pieces and send him to the same place where hypocrites go, where people will weep and grind their teeth.
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Matthew 24: RAD
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Matthew 24
24
Jesus Foretells Destruction of the Temple
1 # [ch. 21:23]; For ver. 1-51, see Mark 13:1-37; Luke 21:5-36 Jesus left the temple and was going away, when his disciples came to point out to him the buildings of the temple. 2But he answered them, “You see all these, do you not? Truly, I say to you, #Luke 19:44there will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.”
Signs of the End of the Age
3As he sat on #See ch. 21:1 the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him #[Mark 4:34] privately, saying, “Tell us, #[Acts 1:6, 7] when will these things be, and what will be the sign of your #ver. 27, 37, 39; See 1 Thess. 2:19 coming and of #See ch. 13:39the end of the age?” 4And Jesus answered them, #Jer. 29:8; Eph. 5:6; Col. 2:8; 2 Thess. 2:3; 1 John 3:7“See that no one leads you astray. 5For #ver. 11, 24; Jer. 14:14; 1 John 2:18 many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am #See ch. 1:17the Christ,’ and they will lead many astray. 6And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you #2 Thess. 2:2 are not alarmed, for this #Rev. 1:1must take place, but the end is not yet. 7For #2 Chr. 15:6; [Rev. 6:4] nation will rise against nation, and #Isa. 19:2 kingdom against kingdom, and there will be #Acts 11:28; Rev. 6:8, 12famines and earthquakes in various places. 8All these are but the beginning of #John 16:21; Acts 2:24 (Gk.); Rom. 8:22the birth pains.
9 “Then # ch. 10:17, 21 they will deliver you up # ver. 21, 29; Rev. 2:10 to tribulation and # ch. 23:34; John 16:2 put you to death, and # See ch. 10:22 you will be hated by all nations for my name’s sake. 10And then many will fall away#24:10 Or stumble and #ch. 10:21betray one another and hate one another. 11And many #See ch. 7:15 false prophets will arise #ver. 5, 24and lead many astray. 12And because lawlessness will be increased, #[Rev. 2:4]the love of many will grow cold. 13#See ch. 10:22But the one who endures to the end will be saved. 14And this gospel of the kingdom #Rom. 10:18; Col. 1:6, 23; [Mark 14:9] will be proclaimed throughout the whole world #ch. 10:18 as a testimony #ch. 28:19 to all nations, and #[ver. 6]then the end will come.
The Abomination of Desolation
15 “So when you see the abomination of desolation #
Dan. 9:27; 11:31; 12:11 spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in # [John 11:48; Acts 6:13; 21:28] the holy place ( # [Dan. 9:22, 23, 25; Rev. 1:3] let the reader understand), 16then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. 17#Luke 17:31 Let the one who is on #See Luke 5:19the housetop not go down to take what is in his house, 18and let the one who is in the field not turn back to take his cloak. 19And #Luke 23:29alas for women who are pregnant and for those who are nursing infants in those days! 20Pray that your flight may not be in winter or on a Sabbath. 21For then there will be #ver. 29; Dan. 12:1; [Rev. 7:14] great tribulation, #Rev. 16:18such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be. 22And if those days had not been cut short, no human being would be saved. But for #ver. 24, 31; Isa. 65:8, 9; Luke 18:7; [ch. 22:14]the sake of the elect those days will be cut short. 23#Luke 17:23; [ver. 5, 26]Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There he is!’ do not believe it. 24For #[1 John 2:18] false christs and #ver. 11 false prophets will arise and #Deut. 13:1-3; 2 Thess. 2:9-11; Rev. 13:13, 14; 16:14; 19:20; [Acts 8:9]perform great signs and wonders, #ver. 11 so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect. 25See, #John 13:19; 14:29; [2 Pet. 3:17]I have told you beforehand. 26So, if they say to you, ‘Look, #Acts 21:38he is in the wilderness,’ do not go out. If they say, ‘Look, he is in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it. 27#Luke 17:24 For as the lightning comes from the east and shines as far as the west, so will be #ver. 3, 37, 39the coming of the Son of Man. 28#Luke 17:37; [Job 39:30]Wherever the corpse is, there the vultures will gather.
The Coming of the Son of Man
29 “Immediately after # ver. 21 the tribulation of those days #
Isa. 13:10; 24:23; Ezek. 32:7; Joel 2:10, 31; 3:15; Acts 2:20; [Amos 5:20; 8:9; Zeph. 1:15; Rev. 6:12; 8:12] the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and #
Rev. 6:13; [Isa. 14:12; 34:4] the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 30Then #Dan. 7:13 will appear in heaven #[ver. 3] the sign of the Son of Man, and then #Rev. 1:7; [Zech. 12:12] all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and #See ch. 16:27 they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven #ch. 26:64; Mark 9:1; [ch. 25:31]with power and great glory. 31And #ch. 13:41 he will send out his angels with a loud #1 Cor. 15:52; 1 Thess. 4:16 trumpet call, and they will #[ch. 23:37; 2 Thess. 2:1] gather #ver. 22, 24 his elect from #Dan. 7:2; Zech. 2:6; Rev. 7:1 the four winds, #Deut. 4:32; 30:4from one end of heaven to the other.
The Lesson of the Fig Tree
32 “From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts out its leaves, you know that summer is near. 33So also, when you see all these things, you know that he is near, #James 5:9; Rev. 3:20at the very gates. 34#See ch. 16:28Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. 35#Ps. 102:26; Isa. 51:6; 2 Pet. 3:10; [ch. 5:18; Heb. 12:27] Heaven and earth will pass away, but #Ps. 119:89; Isa. 40:8; 1 Pet. 1:23, 25my words will not pass away.
No One Knows That Day and Hour
36 “But concerning that day and hour # ch. 25:13; 1 Thess. 5:1, 2 no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, # [Phil. 2:6, 7] nor the Son, # 24:36 Some manuscripts omit nor the Son # [Zech. 14:7; Acts 1:7] but the Father only. 37#Luke 17:26, 27 For as were the days of Noah, #ver. 27so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 38#[See ver. 37 above] For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, #ch. 22:30 marrying and giving in marriage, until #Gen. 7:7-16the day when Noah entered the ark, 39and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, #[See ver. 37 above]so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 40Then two men will be in the field; one will be taken and one left. 41#Luke 17:35 Two women will be grinding #Ex. 11:5; Isa. 47:2at the mill; one will be taken and one left. 42Therefore, #Mark 14:34-38; Luke 12:37; 21:36; Acts 20:31; 1 Thess. 5:6 stay awake, for you do not know on what day #John 13:13your Lord is coming. 43#For ver. 43-51, [Luke 12:39-46] But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what part of the night #[1 Thess. 5:2; 2 Pet. 3:10; Rev. 3:3]the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. 44Therefore you also must be #ch. 25:10 ready, for #ver. 27the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.
45 “Who then is # ch. 25:21; 1 Cor. 4:2; Heb. 3:5 the faithful and # ch. 7:24; 10:16; 25:2 wise servant, # 24:45 Or bondservant ; also verses 46, 48, 50 whom his master has set over his household, to give them their food at the proper time? 46#John 13:17; Rev. 16:15Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes. 47Truly, I say to you, #ch. 25:21, 23he will set him over all his possessions. 48But if that wicked servant says to himself, ‘My master #ch. 25:5is delayed,’ 49and begins to beat his fellow servants#24:49 Or bondservants and eats and drinks with #1 Thess. 5:7drunkards, 50the master of that servant will come #2 Pet. 3:12; [ch. 25:13]on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know 51and will cut him in pieces and put him with the hypocrites. In that place #See ch. 8:12there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
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