Matthew 24
24
The Temple Will Be Destroyed
(Mark 13.1,2; Luke 21.5,6)
1After Jesus left the temple, his disciples came over and said, “Look at all these buildings!”
2Jesus replied, “Do you see these buildings? They will certainly be torn down! Not one stone will be left in place.”
Warning about Trouble
(Mark 13.3-13; Luke 21.7-19)
3 #
2 Esd 4.51—5.19. Later, as Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, his disciples came to him in private and asked, “When will this happen? What will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the world?”
4Jesus answered:
Don't let anyone fool you. 5Many will come and claim to be me. They will say they are the Messiah, and they will fool many people.
6You will soon hear about wars and threats of wars, but don't be afraid. These things will have to happen first, but that isn't the end. 7#2 Esd 13.31. Nations and kingdoms will go to war against each other. People will starve to death, and in some places there will be earthquakes. 8But this is just the beginning of troubles.
9 #
Mt 10.22. You will be arrested, punished, and even killed. Because of me, you will be hated by people of all nations. 10Many will give up and will betray and hate each other. 11Many false prophets will come and fool a lot of people. 12Evil will spread and cause many people to stop loving others. 13#Mt 10.22. But if you keep on being faithful right to the end, you will be saved. 14When the good news about the kingdom has been preached all over the world and told to all nations, the end will come.
The Horrible Thing
(Mark 13.14-23; Luke 21.20-24)
15 #
Dn 9.27; 11.31; 12.11; 1 Macc 1.54; 6.7. Someday you will see that “Horrible Thing” in the holy place, just as the prophet Daniel said. Everyone who reads this must try to understand! 16If you are living in Judea at that time, run to the mountains. 17#Lk 17.31. If you are on the roof#24.17 roof: In Palestine the houses usually had a flat roof. Stairs on the outside led up to the roof, which was made of beams and boards covered with packed earth. of your house, don't go inside to get anything. 18If you are out in the field, don't go back for your coat. 19It will be a terrible time for women who are expecting babies or nursing young children. 20And pray that you won't have to escape in winter or on a Sabbath.#24.20 in winter or on a Sabbath: In Palestine the winters are cold and rainy and make travel difficult. The Jewish people were not allowed to travel much more than a kilometer on the Sabbath. For these reasons it was hard for them to escape from their enemies in the winter or on a Sabbath. 21#Dn 12.1; Rev 7.14. This will be the worst time of suffering since the beginning of the world, and nothing this terrible will ever happen again. 22If God doesn't make the time shorter, no one will be left alive. But because of God's chosen ones, he will make the time shorter.
23Someone may say, “Here is the Messiah!” or “There he is!” But don't believe it. 24False messiahs and false prophets will come and work great miracles and signs. They will even try to fool God's chosen ones. 25But I have warned you ahead of time. 26#Lk 17.23,24. If you are told the Messiah is out in the desert, don't go there! And if you are told he is in some secret place, don't believe it! 27The coming of the Son of Man will be like lightning that can be seen from east to west. 28#Lk 17.37. Where there is a corpse, there will always be vultures.#24.28 Where there is a corpse, there will always be vultures: This saying may mean that when anything important happens, people soon know about it. Or the saying may mean that whenever something bad happens, curious people gather around and stare. But the word translated “vulture” also means “eagle” and may refer to the Roman army, which had an eagle as its symbol.
When the Son of Man Appears
(Mark 13.24-27; Luke 21.25-28)
29 #
Is 13.10; Jl 2.10; Jl 2.10,31; 3.15; Rev 6.12;
Is 13.10; Ez 32.7; Jl 2.10; 3.15;
Is 34.4; Rev 6.13. Right after those days of suffering,
“The sun will become dark,
and the moon
will no longer shine.
The stars will fall,
and the powers in the sky#24.29 the powers in the sky: In ancient times people thought that the stars were spiritual powers.
will be shaken.”
30 #
Dn 7.13; Zec 12.10-14; Rev 1.7. Then a sign will appear in the sky. And there will be the Son of Man.#24.30 And there will be the Son of Man: Or “And it will be the Son of Man.” All nations on earth will weep when they see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. 31At the sound of a loud trumpet, he will send his angels to bring his chosen ones together from all over the earth.
A Lesson from a Fig Tree
(Mark 13.28-31; Luke 21.29-33)
32Learn a lesson from a fig tree. When its branches sprout and start putting out leaves, you know summer is near. 33So when you see all these things happening, you will know the time has almost come.#24.33 the time has almost come: Or “he (that is, the Son of Man) will soon be here.” 34I can promise you that some of the people of this generation will still be alive when all this happens. 35The sky and the earth won't last forever, but my words will.
No One Knows the Day or Time
(Mark 13.32-37; Luke 17.26-30,34-36)
36No one knows the day or hour. The angels in heaven don't know, and the Son himself doesn't know.#24.36 and the Son himself doesn't know: These words are not in some manuscripts. Only the Father knows. 37#Gn 6.5-8. When the Son of Man appears, things will be just as they were when Noah lived. 38People were eating, drinking, and getting married right up to the day the flood came and Noah went into the big boat. 39#Gn 7.5-24. They didn't know anything was happening until the flood came and swept them all away. This is how it will be when the Son of Man appears.
40Two men will be in the same field, but only one will be taken. The other will be left. 41Two women will be together grinding grain, but only one will be taken. The other will be left. 42So be on your guard! You don't know when your Lord will come. 43#Lk 12.39,40. Homeowners never know when a thief is coming, and they are always on guard to keep one from breaking in. 44Always be ready! You don't know when the Son of Man will come.
Faithful and Unfaithful Servants
(Luke 12.35-48)
45Who are faithful and wise servants? Who are the ones the master will put in charge of giving the other servants their food supplies at the proper time? 46Servants are fortunate if their master comes and finds them doing their job. 47You may be sure a servant who is always faithful will be put in charge of everything the master owns. 48But suppose one of the servants thinks the master won't return until late. 49Suppose this evil servant starts beating the other servants and eats and drinks with people who are drunk. 50If that happens, the master will surely come on a day and at a time when the servant least expects him. 51This servant will then be punished and thrown out with the ones who only pretended to serve their master. There they will cry and grit their teeth in pain.
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Matthew 24: CEV
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Contemporary English Version, Second Edition (CEV®)
© 2006 American Bible Society. All rights reserved.
Matthew 24
24
1And Jesus went forth and went away from the temple, and his disciples came to him to point out to him the buildings of the temple. 2And he answering said to them, Do ye not see all these things? Verily I say to you, Not a stone shall be left here upon a stone which shall not be thrown down. 3And as he was sitting upon the mount of Olives the disciples came to him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be, and what is the sign of thy coming and the completion of the age?
4And Jesus answering said to them, See that no one mislead you. 5For many shall come in my name, saying, I am the Christ, and they shall mislead many. 6But ye will hear of wars and rumours of wars. See that ye be not disturbed; for all these things must take place, but it is not yet the end. 7For nation shall rise up against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; and there shall be famines and pestilences, and earthquakes in divers places. 8But all these are the beginning of throes. 9Then shall they deliver you up to tribulation, and shall kill you; and ye will be hated of all the nations for my name's sake. 10And then will many be offended, and will deliver one another up, and hate one another; 11and many false prophets shall arise and shall mislead many; 12and because lawlessness shall prevail, the love of the most shall grow cold; 13but he that has endured to the end, he shall be saved. 14And these glad tidings of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole habitable earth, for a witness to all the nations, and then shall come the end. 15When therefore ye shall see the abomination of desolation, which is spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in what is a holy place, (he that reads let him understand,) 16then let those who are in Judaea flee to the mountains; 17let not him that is on the house come down to take the things out of his house; 18and let not him that is in the field turn back to take his garment. 19But woe to those that are with child, and those that give suck in those days. 20But pray that your flight may not be in winter time nor on sabbath: 21for then shall there be great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, nor ever shall be; 22and if those days had not been cut short, no flesh had been saved; but on account of the elect those days shall be cut short. 23Then if any one say to you, Behold, here is the Christ, or here, believe it not. 24For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall give great signs and wonders, so as to mislead, if possible, even the elect. 25Behold, I have told you beforehand. 26If therefore they say to you, Behold, he is in the desert, go not forth; behold, he is in the inner chambers, do not believe it. 27For as the lightning goes forth from the east and shines to the west, so shall be the coming of the Son of man. 28For wherever the carcase is, there will be gathered the eagles. 29But immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun shall be darkened, and the moon not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken. 30And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven; and then shall all the tribes of the land lament, and they shall see the Son of man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. 31And he shall send his angels with a great sound of trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from the one extremity of the heavens to the other extremity of them.
32But learn the parable from the fig-tree: When already its branch becomes tender and produces leaves, ye know that the summer is near. 33Thus also ye, when ye see all these things, know that it is near, at the doors. 34Verily I say to you, This generation will not have passed away until all these things shall have taken place. 35The heaven and the earth shall pass away, but my words shall in no wise pass away. 36But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of the heavens, but my Father alone. 37But as the days of Noe, so also shall be the coming of the Son of man. 38For as they were in the days which were before the flood, eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day on which Noe entered into the ark, 39and they knew not till the flood came and took all away; thus also shall be the coming of the Son of man. 40Then two shall be in the field, one is taken and one is left; 41two women grinding at the mill, one is taken and one is left. 42Watch therefore, for ye know not in what hour your Lord comes. 43But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what watch the thief was coming, he would have watched and not have suffered his house to be dug through into. 44Wherefore ye also, be ye ready, for in that hour that ye think not the Son of man comes. 45Who then is the faithful and prudent bondman whom his lord has set over his household, to give them food in season? 46Blessed is that bondman whom his lord on coming shall find doing thus. 47Verily I say unto you, that he will set him over all his substance. 48But if that evil bondman should say in his heart, My lord delays to come, 49and begin to beat his fellow-bondmen, and eat and drink with the drunken; 50the lord of that bondman shall come in a day when he does not expect it, and in an hour he knows not of, 51and shall cut him in two and appoint his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be the weeping and the gnashing of teeth.
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First published in 1890. This edition is maintained by the British and Foreign Bible Society.