Matthew 24
24
Jesus Teaches His Disciples on the Mount of Olives
(Mark 13:1–31; Luke 21:5–33)
1As Jesus left the temple courtyard and was walking away, his disciples came to him. They proudly pointed out to him the temple buildings. 2Jesus said to them, “You see all these buildings, don’t you? I can guarantee this truth: Not one of these stones will be left on top of another. Each one will be torn down.”
3As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, his disciples came to him privately and said, “Tell us, when will this happen? What will be the sign that you are coming again, and when will the world come to an end?”
4Jesus answered them, “Be careful not to let anyone deceive you. 5Many will come using my name. They will say, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and they will deceive many people.
6“You will hear of wars and rumors of wars. Don’t be alarmed! These things must happen, but they don’t mean that the end has come. 7Nation will fight against nation and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. 8All of these are only the beginning pains ⌞of the end⌟.
9“Then they will hand you over to those who will torture and kill you. All nations will hate you because you are committed to me. 10Then many will lose faith. They will betray and hate each other. 11Many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. 12And because there will be more and more lawlessness, most people’s love will grow cold. 13But the person who endures to the end will be saved.
14“This Good News about the kingdom will be spread throughout the world as a testimony to all nations. Then the end will come.
15“The prophet Daniel said that the disgusting thing that will cause destruction will stand in the holy place. When you see this (let the reader take note), 16those of you in Judea should flee to the mountains. 17Those who are on the roof should not come down to get anything out of their houses. 18Those who are in the field should not turn back to get their coats.
19“How horrible it will be for the women who are pregnant or who are nursing babies in those days. 20Pray that it will not be winter or a day of rest—a holy day, when you flee. 21There will be a lot of misery at that time, a kind of misery that has not happened from the beginning of the world until now and will certainly never happen again. 22If God does not reduce the number of those days, no one will be saved. But those days will be reduced because of those whom God has chosen.
23“At that time don’t believe anyone who tells you, ‘Here is the Messiah!’ or ‘There he is!’ 24False messiahs and false prophets will appear. They will work spectacular, miraculous signs and do wonderful things to deceive, if possible, even those whom God has chosen. 25Listen! I’ve told you this before it happens. 26So if someone tells you, ‘He’s in the desert!’ don’t go out ⌞looking for him⌟. And don’t believe anyone who says, ‘He’s in a secret place!’ 27The Son of Man will come again just as lightning flashes from east to west. 28Vultures will gather wherever there is a dead body.
29“Immediately after the misery of those days, the sun will turn dark, the moon will not give light, the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of the universe will be shaken.
30“Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky. All the people on earth will cry in agony when they see the Son of Man coming on the clouds in the sky with power and great glory. 31He will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and from every direction under the sky, they will gather those whom God has chosen.
32“Learn from the story of the fig tree. When its branch becomes tender and it sprouts leaves, you know that summer is near. 33In the same way, when you see all these things, you know that he is near, at the door.
34“I can guarantee this truth: This generation will not disappear until all these things take place. 35The earth and the heavens will disappear, but my words will never disappear.
No One Knows When the Son of Man Will Return
36“No one knows when that day or hour will come. Even the angels in heaven and the Son don’t know. Only the Father knows.
37“When the Son of Man comes again, it will be exactly like the days of Noah. 38In the days before the flood, people were eating, drinking, and getting married until the day that Noah went into the ship. 39They were not aware of what was happening until the flood came and swept all of them away. That is how it will be when the Son of Man comes again.
40“At that time two men will be working in the field. One will be taken, and the other one will be left. 41Two women will be working at a mill. One will be taken, and the other one will be left.
42“Therefore, be alert, because you don’t know on what day your Lord will return. 43You realize that if a homeowner had known at what time of the night a thief was coming, he would have stayed awake. He would not have let the thief break into his house. 44Therefore, you, too, must be ready because the Son of Man will return when you least expect him.
45“Who, then, is the faithful and wise servant? The master will put that person in charge of giving the other servants their food at the right time. 46That servant will be blessed if his master finds him doing this job when he comes. 47I can guarantee this truth: He will put that servant in charge of all his property. 48On the other hand, that servant, if he is wicked, may think that it will be a long time before his master comes. 49The servant may begin to beat the other servants and eat and drink with the drunks. 50His master will return unexpectedly. 51Then his master will severely punish him and assign him a place with the hypocrites. People will cry and be in extreme pain there.
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Matthew 24: GW
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GOD'S WORD® Translation ©1995, 2003, 2013, 2014, 2019, 2020 by God's Word to the Nations Mission Society. All rights reserved.
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)
3Later, 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 that 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. 7Nations 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.
9You will be arrested, punished, and even killed. Because of me, you will be hated by people of all nations.#Mt 10.22. 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. 13But if you keep on being faithful right to the end, you will be saved.#Mt 10.22. 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)
Jesus continued:
15Some day you will see that “Horrible Thing” in the holy place, just as the prophet Daniel said. Everyone who reads this must try to understand!#Dn 9.27; 11.31; 12.11. 16If you are living in Judea at that time, run to the mountains. 17If 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.#Lk 17.31. 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 kilometre on the Sabbath. For these reasons it was hard for them to escape from their enemies in the winter or on a Sabbath. 21This will be the worst time of suffering since the beginning of the world, and nothing this terrible will ever happen again.#Dn 12.1; Rev 7.14. 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 perform great miracles and signs. They will even try to fool God's chosen ones. 25But I have warned you beforehand. 26If you are told that the Messiah is out in the desert, don't go there! And if you are told that he is in some secret place, don't believe it!#Lk 17.23,24. 27The coming of the Son of Man will be like lightning that can be seen from east to west. 28Where 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.#Lk 17.37.
When the Son of Man appears
(Mark 13.24-27; Luke 21.25-28)
Jesus continued:
29Straight after those days of suffering,#Is 13.10; 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.
“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.”
30Then 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.#Dn 7.13; Zec 12.10-14; Rev 1.7. 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)
Jesus continued:
32Learn a lesson from a fig tree. When its branches sprout and start putting out leaves, you know that summer is near. 33So when you see all these things happening, you will know that 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 for ever, but my words will.
No one knows the day or time
(Mark 13.32-37; Luke 17.26-30,34-36)
Jesus continued:
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. 37When the Son of Man appears, things will be just as they were when Noah lived.#Gn 6.5-8. 38People were eating, drinking, and getting married right up to the day that the flood came and Noah went into the big boat. 39They didn't know anything was happening until the flood came and swept them all away. That is how it will be when the Son of Man appears.#Gn 7.6-24.
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. 43Homeowners never know when a thief is coming, and they are always on guard to keep one from breaking in.#Lk 12.39,40. 44Always be ready! You don't know when the Son of Man will come.
Faithful and unfaithful servants
(Luke 12.35-48)
Jesus continued:
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 that a servant who is always faithful will be put in charge of everything the master owns. 48But suppose one of the servants thinks that the master won't return until late. 49Suppose that evil servant starts beating the other servants and eats and drinks with people who are drunk. 50If that happens, the master will come on a day and at a time when the servant least expects him. 51That 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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