Matthew 24
24
The temple’s fate
1Now Jesus left the temple and was going away. His disciples came to point out to him the temple buildings. 2He responded, “Do you see all these things? I assure that no stone will be left on another. Everything will be demolished.”
Beginning of troubles
3Now while Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately and said, “Tell us, when will these things happen? What will be the sign of your coming and the end of the age?”
4Jesus replied, “Watch out that no one deceives you. 5Many will come in my name, saying, ‘I’m the Christ.’ They will deceive many people. 6You will hear about wars and reports of wars. Don’t be alarmed. These things must happen, but this isn’t the end yet. 7Nations and kingdoms will fight against each other, and there will be famines and earthquakes in all sorts of places. 8But all these things are just the beginning of the sufferings associated with the end. 9They will arrest you, abuse you, and they will kill you. All nations will hate you on account of my name. 10At that time many will fall away. They will betray each other and hate each other. 11Many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. 12Because disobedience will expand, the love of many will grow cold. 13But the one who endures to the end will be delivered. 14This gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the world as a testimony to all the nations. Then the end will come.
The great suffering
15 “When you see the disgusting and destructive thing that Daniel talked about standing in the holy place (the reader should understand this), 16then those in Judea must escape to the mountains. 17Those on the roof shouldn’t come down to grab things from their houses. 18Those in the field shouldn’t come back to grab their clothes. 19How terrible it will be at that time for women who are pregnant and for women who are nursing their children. 20Pray that it doesn’t happen in winter or on the Sabbath day. 21There will be great suffering such as the world has never before seen and will never again see. 22If that time weren’t shortened, nobody would be rescued. But for the sake of the ones whom God chose, that time will be cut short.
23 “Then if somebody says to you, ‘Look, here’s the Christ,’ or ‘He’s over here,’ don’t believe it. 24False christs and false prophets will appear, and they will offer great signs and wonders in order to deceive, if possible, even those whom God has chosen. 25Look, I’ve told you ahead of time. 26So if they say to you, ‘Look, he’s in the desert,’ don’t go out. And if they say, ‘Look, he’s in the rooms deep inside the house,’ don’t believe it. 27Just as the lightning flashes from the east to the west, so it will be with the coming of the Human One.#24.27 Or Son of Man 28The vultures gather wherever there’s a dead body.
Coming of the Human One
29 “Now immediately after the suffering of that time the sun will become dark, and the moon won’t give its light. The stars will fall from the sky and the planets and other heavenly bodies will be shaken. 30Then the sign of the Human One#24.30 Or Son of Man will appear in the sky. At that time all the tribes of the earth will be full of sadness, and they will see the Human One#24.30 Or Son of Man coming in the heavenly clouds#24.30 Dan 7:13 I suddenly saw one like a human being (Aram kebar enash) coming with the heavenly clouds. with power and great splendor. 31He will send his angels with the sound of a great trumpet, and they will gather his chosen ones from the four corners of the earth, from one end of the sky to the other.
A lesson from the fig tree
32 “Learn this parable from the fig tree. After its branch becomes tender and it sprouts new leaves, you know that summer is near. 33In the same way, when you see all these things, you know that the Human One#24.33 Or Son of Man is near, at the door. 34I assure you that this generation won’t pass away until all these things happen. 35Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will certainly not pass away.
Day and hour
36 “But nobody knows when that day or hour will come, not the heavenly angels and not the Son. Only the Father knows. 37As it was in the time of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Human One.#24.37 Or Son of Man 38In those days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day Noah entered the ark. 39They didn’t know what was happening until the flood came and swept them all away. The coming of the Human One#24.39 Or Son of Man will be like that. 40At that time there will be two men in the field. One will be taken and the other left. 41Two women will be grinding at the mill. One will be taken and the other left. 42Therefore, stay alert! You don’t know what day the Lord is coming. 43But you understand that if the head of the house knew at what time the thief would come, he would keep alert and wouldn’t allow the thief to break into his house. 44Therefore, you also should be prepared, because the Human One#24.44 Or Son of Man will come at a time you don’t know.
Faithful and unfaithful servants
45 “Who then are the faithful and wise servants whom their master puts in charge of giving food at the right time to those who live in his house? 46Happy are those servants whom the master finds fulfilling their responsibilities when he comes. 47I assure you that he will put them in charge of all his possessions. 48But suppose those bad servants should say to themselves, My master won’t come until later. 49And suppose they began to beat their fellow servants and to eat and drink with the drunks? 50The master of those servants will come on a day when they are not expecting him, at a time they couldn’t predict. 51He will cut them in pieces and put them in a place with the hypocrites. People there will be weeping and grinding their teeth.
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Matthew 24: CEB
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2011 Common English Bible. All rights reserved.
Matthew 24
24
Jesus Speaks of the Destruction of the Temple
(Mk 13.1–2; Lk 21.5–6)
1Jesus left and was going away from the Temple when his disciples came to him to call his attention to its buildings. 2“Yes,” he said, “you may well look at all these. I tell you this: not a single stone here will be left in its place; every one of them will be thrown down.”
Troubles and Persecutions
(Mk 13.3–13; Lk 21.7–19)
3As Jesus sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him in private. “Tell us when all this will be,” they asked, “and what will happen to show that it is the time for your coming and the end of the age.”
4Jesus answered, “Be on your guard, and do not let anyone deceive you. 5Many men, claiming to speak for me, will come and say, ‘I am the Messiah!’ and they will deceive many people. 6You are going to hear the noise of battles close by and the news of battles far away; but do not be troubled. Such things must happen, but they do not mean that the end has come. 7Countries will fight each other, kingdoms will attack one another. There will be famines and earthquakes everywhere. 8All these things are like the first pains of childbirth.
9 #
Mt 10.22
“Then you will be arrested and handed over to be punished and be put to death. All nations will hate you because of me. 10Many will give up their faith at that time; they will betray one another and hate one another. 11Then many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. 12Such will be the spread of evil that many people's love will grow cold. 13#Mt 10.22But whoever holds out to the end will be saved. 14And this Good News about the Kingdom will be preached through all the world for a witness to all nations; and then the end will come.
The Awful Horror
(Mk 13.14–23; Lk 21.20–24)
15 #
Dan 9.27; 11.31; 12.11 “You will see ‘The Awful Horror’ of which the prophet Daniel spoke. It will be standing in the holy place.” (Note to the reader: be sure to understand what this means!) 16“Then those who are in Judea must run away to the hills. 17#Lk 17.31Someone who is on the roof of his house must not take the time to go down and get his belongings from the house. 18Someone who is in the field must not go back to get his cloak. 19How terrible it will be in those days for women who are pregnant and for mothers with little babies! 20Pray to God that you will not have to run away during the winter or on a Sabbath! 21#Dan 12.1; Rev 7.14For the trouble at that time will be far more terrible than any there has ever been, from the beginning of the world to this very day. Nor will there ever be anything like it again. 22But God has already reduced the number of days; had he not done so, nobody would survive. For the sake of his chosen people, however, God will reduce the days.
23 “Then, if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Messiah!’ or ‘There he is!’ — do not believe it. 24For false Messiahs and false prophets will appear; they will perform great miracles and wonders in order to deceive even God's chosen people, if possible. 25Listen! I have told you this before the time comes.
26 #
Lk 17.23–24
“Or, if people should tell you, ‘Look, he is out in the desert!’ — don't go there; or if they say, ‘Look, he is hiding here!’ — don't believe it. 27For the Son of Man will come like the lightning which flashes across the whole sky from the east to the west.
28 #
Lk 17.37
“Wherever there is a dead body, the vultures will gather.
The Coming of the Son of Man
(Mk 13.24–27; Lk 21.25–28)
29 #
Is 13.10; 34.4; Ezek 32.7; Joel 2.10, 31; 3.15; Rev 6.12–13 “Soon after the trouble of those days, the sun will grow dark, the moon will no longer shine, the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers in space will be driven from their courses. 30#Dan 7.13; Zech 12.10–14; Rev 1.7Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky; and all the peoples of earth will weep as they see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. 31The great trumpet will sound, and he will send out his angels to the four corners of the earth, and they will gather his chosen people from one end of the world to the other.
The Lesson of the Fig Tree
(Mk 13.28–31; Lk 21.29–33)
32 “Let the fig tree teach you a lesson. When its branches become green and tender and it starts putting out leaves, you know that summer is near. 33In the same way, when you see all these things, you will know that the time is near, ready to begin.#24.33 the time is near, ready to begin; or he is near, ready to come. 34Remember that all these things will happen before the people now living have all died. 35Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.
No One Knows the Day and Hour
(Mk 13.32–37; Lk 17.26–30, 34–36)
36 “No one knows, however, when that day and hour will come — neither the angels in heaven nor the Son; # 24.36 Some manuscripts do not have nor the Son . the Father alone knows. 37#Gen 6.5–8The coming of the Son of Man will be like what happened in the time of Noah. 38In the days before the flood people ate and drank, men and women married, up to the very day Noah went into the boat; 39#Gen 7.6–24yet they did not realize what was happening until the flood came and swept them all away. That is how it will be when the Son of Man comes. 40At that time two men will be working in a field: one will be taken away, the other will be left behind. 41Two women will be at a mill grinding meal: one will be taken away, the other will be left behind.
42 “Be on your guard, then, because you do not know what day your Lord will come. 43#Lk 12.39–40If the owner of a house knew the time when the thief would come, you can be sure that he would stay awake and not let the thief break into his house. 44So then, you also must always be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you are not expecting him.
The Faithful or the Unfaithful Servant
(Lk 12.41–48)
45 “Who, then, is a faithful and wise servant? It is the one that his master has placed in charge of the other servants to give them their food at the proper time. 46How happy that servant is if his master finds him doing this when he comes home! 47Indeed, I tell you, the master will put that servant in charge of all his property. 48But if he is a bad servant, he will tell himself that his master will not come back for a long time, 49and he will begin to beat his fellow-servants and to eat and drink with drunkards. 50Then that servant's master will come back one day when the servant does not expect him and at a time he does not know. 51The master will cut him in pieces#24.51 cut him in pieces; or throw him out. and make him share the fate of the hypocrites. There he will cry and grind his teeth.
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Good News Bible. Scripture taken from the Good News Bible (r) (Today's English Version Second Edition, UK/British Edition). Copyright © 1992 British & Foreign Bible Society. Used by permission.