Matthew 24
24
Jesus Warns About the Future
(Mk. 13:1–31; Lk. 21:5–33)
1Jesus left the Temple area and was walking away. But his followers came to him to show him the Temple’s buildings. 2He asked them, “Are you looking at these buildings? The fact is, they will be destroyed. Every stone will be thrown down to the ground. Not one stone will be left on another.”
3Later, Jesus was sitting at a place on the Mount of Olives. The followers came to be alone with him. They said, “Tell us when these things will happen. And what will happen to prepare us for your coming and the end of time?”
4Jesus answered, “Be careful! Don’t let anyone fool you. 5Many people will come and use my name. They will say, ‘I am the Messiah.’ And they will fool many people. 6You will hear about wars that are being fought. And you will hear stories about other wars beginning. 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 only the beginning of troubles, like the first pains of a woman giving birth.
9“Then you will be arrested and handed over to be punished and killed. People all over the world will hate you because you believe in me. 10During that time many believers will lose their faith. They will turn against each other and hate each other. 11Many false prophets will come and cause many people to believe things that are wrong. 12There will be so much more evil in the world that the love of most believers will grow cold. 13But the one who remains faithful to the end will be saved. 14And the Good News I have shared about God’s kingdom will be told throughout the world. It will be spread to every nation. Then the end will come.
15“Daniel the prophet spoke about ‘the terrible thing that causes destruction.’#24:15 ‘the terrible thing … destruction’ See Dan. 9:27; 11:31; 12:11. You will see this terrible thing standing in the holy place.” (You who read this should understand what it means.) 16“The people in Judea at that time should run away to the mountains. 17They should run away without wasting time to stop for anything. If they are on the roof of their house, they must not go down to get anything out of the house. 18If they are in the field, they must not go back to get a coat.
19“During that time it will be hard for women who are pregnant or have small babies! 20Pray that it will not be winter or a Sabbath day when these things happen and you have to run away, 21because it will be a time of great trouble. There will be more trouble than has ever happened since the beginning of the world. And nothing as bad as that will ever happen again.
22“But God has decided to make that terrible time short. If it were not made short, no one would continue living. But God will make that time short to help the people he has chosen.
23“Someone might say to you at that time, ‘Look, there is the Messiah!’ Or someone else might say, ‘There he is!’ But don’t believe them. 24False messiahs and false prophets will come and do great miracles and wonders,#24:24 miracles and wonders Here, amazing acts done by Satan’s power. trying to fool the people God has chosen, if that is possible. 25Now I have warned you about this before it happens.
26“Someone might tell you, ‘The Messiah is there in the desert!’ But don’t go into the desert to look for him. Someone else might say, ‘There is the Messiah in that room!’ But don’t believe it. 27When the Son of Man comes, everyone will see him. It will be like lightning flashing in the sky that can be seen everywhere. 28It’s like looking for a dead body: You will find it where the vultures are gathering above.
29“Right after the trouble of those days, this will happen:
‘The sun will become dark,
and the moon will not give light.
The stars will fall from the sky,
and everything in the sky will be changed.’#24:29 See Isa. 13:10; 34:4.
30“Then there will be something in the sky that shows the Son of Man is coming. All the people of the world will cry. Everyone will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds in the sky. He will come with power and great glory. 31He will use a loud trumpet to send his angels all around the earth. They will gather his chosen people from every part of the earth.
32“The fig tree teaches us a lesson: When its branches become green and soft, and new leaves begin to grow, then you know that summer is very near. 33In the same way, when you see all these things happening, you will know that the time#24:33 time The time Jesus has been talking about when something important will happen. See Lk. 21:31, where Jesus says that this is the time for God’s kingdom to come. is very near, already present. 34I assure you that all these things will happen while some of the people of this time are still living. 35The whole world, earth and sky, will be destroyed, but my words will last forever.
Only God Knows When the Time Will Be
(Mk. 13:32–37; Lk. 17:26–30, 34–36)
36“No one knows when that day or time will be. The Son and the angels in heaven don’t know when it will be. Only the Father knows.
37“When the Son of Man comes, it will be the same as 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 right up to the day Noah entered the boat. 39They knew nothing about what was happening until the flood came and destroyed them all.
“It will be the same when the Son of Man comes. 40Two men will be working together 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. You don’t know the day your Lord will come. 43What would a homeowner do if he knew when a thief was coming? You know he would be ready and not let the thief break in. 44So you also must be ready. The Son of Man will come at a time when you don’t expect him.
Good Servants and Bad Servants
(Lk. 12:41–48)
45“Who is the wise and trusted servant? The master trusts one servant to give the other servants their food at the right time. Who is the one the master trusts to do that work? 46When the master comes and finds that servant doing the work he gave him, it will be a day of blessing for that servant. 47I can tell you without a doubt, the master will choose that servant to take care of everything he owns.
48“But what will happen if that servant is evil and thinks his master will not come back soon? 49He will begin to beat the other servants. He will eat and drink with others who are drunk. 50Then the master will come when the servant is not ready, at a time when the servant is not expecting him. 51Then the master will punish that servant. He will send him away to be with the hypocrites, where people will cry and grind their teeth with pain.
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Matthew 24: ERV
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© 1987, 2004 Bible League International
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.