Matthew 24
24
Routine History
1-2Jesus then left the Temple. As he walked away, his disciples pointed out how very impressive the Temple architecture was. Jesus said, “You’re not impressed by all this sheer size, are you? The truth of the matter is that there’s not a stone in that building that is not going to end up in a pile of rubble.”
3Later as he was sitting on Mount Olives, his disciples approached and asked him, “Tell us, when are these things going to happen? What will be the sign of your coming, that the time’s up?”
4-8Jesus said, “Watch out for doomsday deceivers. Many leaders are going to show up with forged identities, claiming, ‘I am Christ, the Messiah.’ They will deceive a lot of people. When reports come in of wars and rumored wars, keep your head and don’t panic. This is routine history; this is no sign of the end. Nation will fight nation and ruler fight ruler, over and over. Famines and earthquakes will occur in various places. This is nothing compared to what is coming.
9-10“They are going to throw you to the wolves and kill you, everyone hating you because you carry my name. And then, going from bad to worse, it will be dog-eat-dog, everyone at each other’s throat, everyone hating each other.
11-12“In the confusion, lying preachers will come forward and deceive a lot of people. For many others, the overwhelming spread of evil will do them in—nothing left of their love but a mound of ashes.
13-14“Staying with it—that’s what God requires. Stay with it to the end. You won’t be sorry, and you’ll be saved. All during this time, the good news—the Message of the kingdom—will be preached all over the world, a witness staked out in every country. And then the end will come.
The Monster of Desecration
15-20“But be ready to run for it when you see the monster of desecration set up in the Temple sanctuary. The prophet Daniel described this. If you’ve read Daniel, you’ll know what I’m talking about. If you’re living in Judea at the time, run for the hills; if you’re working in the yard, don’t return to the house to get anything; if you’re out in the field, don’t go back and get your coat. Pregnant and nursing mothers will have it especially hard. Hope and pray this won’t happen during the winter or on a Sabbath.
21-22“This is going to be trouble on a scale beyond what the world has ever seen, or will see again. If these days of trouble were left to run their course, nobody would make it. But on account of God’s chosen people, the trouble will be cut short.
The Arrival of the Son of Man
23-25“If anyone tries to flag you down, calling out, ‘Here’s the Messiah!’ or points, ‘There he is!’ don’t fall for it. Fake Messiahs and lying preachers are going to pop up everywhere. Their impressive credentials and bewitching performances will pull the wool over the eyes of even those who ought to know better. But I’ve given you fair warning.
26-28“So if they say, ‘Run to the country and see him arrive!’ or, ‘Quick, get downtown, see him come!’ don’t give them the time of day. The Arrival of the Son of Man isn’t something you go to see. He comes like swift lightning to you! Whenever you see crowds gathering, think of carrion vultures circling, moving in, hovering over a rotting carcass. You can be quite sure that it’s not the living Son of Man pulling in those crowds.
29“Following those hard times,
Sun will fade out,
moon cloud over,
Stars fall out of the sky,
cosmic powers tremble.
30-31“Then, the Arrival of the Son of Man! It will fill the skies—no one will miss it. Unready people all over the world, outsiders to the splendor and power, will raise a huge lament as they watch the Son of Man blazing out of heaven. At that same moment, he’ll dispatch his angels with a trumpet-blast summons, pulling in God’s chosen from the four winds, from pole to pole.
32-35“Take a lesson from the fig tree. From the moment you notice its buds form, the merest hint of green, you know summer’s just around the corner. So it is with you: When you see all these things, you’ll know he’s at the door. Don’t take this lightly. I’m not just saying this for some future generation, but for all of you. This age continues until all these things take place. Sky and earth will wear out; my words won’t wear out.
36“But the exact day and hour? No one knows that, not even heaven’s angels, not even the Son. Only the Father knows.
37-39a “The Arrival of the Son of Man will take place in times like Noah’s. Before the great flood everyone was carrying on as usual, having a good time right up to the day Noah boarded the ark. They knew nothing—until the flood hit and swept everything away.
39b-44 “The Son of Man’s Arrival will be like that: Two men will be working in the field—one will be taken, one left behind; two women will be grinding at the mill—one will be taken, one left behind. So stay awake, alert. You have no idea what day your Master will show up. But you do know this: You know that if the homeowner had known what time of night the burglar would arrive, he would have been there with his dogs to prevent the break-in. Be vigilant just like that. You have no idea when the Son of Man is going to show up.
45-47“Who here qualifies for the job of overseeing the kitchen? A person the Master can depend on to feed the workers on time each day. Someone the Master can drop in on unannounced and always find him doing his job. A God-blessed man or woman, I tell you. It won’t be long before the Master will put this person in charge of the whole operation.
48-51“But if that person only looks out for himself, and the minute the Master is away does what he pleases—abusing the help and throwing drunken parties for his friends—the Master is going to show up when he least expects it, and it won’t be pretty. He’ll end up in the dump with the hypocrites, out in the cold shivering, teeth chattering.”
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Matthew 24: MSG
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THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson. All rights reserved. Used by permission of NavPress. Represented by Tyndale House Publishers.
Matthew 24
24
The Destruction of the Temple Predicted
1 And as Jesus went out of the temple courts#*Here “courts” is supplied to distinguish this area from the interior of the temple building itself he was going along, and his disciples came up to point out to him the buildings of the temple. 2But he answered and#*Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“answered”) has been translated as a finite verb said to them, “Do you not see all these things? Truly I say to you, not one stone will be left here on another stone that will not be thrown down!”
Signs of the End of the Age
3And as#*Here “as” is supplied as a component of the temporal genitive absolute participle (“was sitting”) he was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came up to him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?” 4And Jesus answered and#*Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“answered”) has been translated as a finite verb said to them, “Watch out that no one deceives you! 5For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and they will deceive many. 6And you are going to hear about wars and rumors of wars. See to it that you are not alarmed, for this must happen, but the end is not yet. 7For nation will rise up against nation and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places.#Or “in place after place” 8But all these things are the beginning of birth pains.
Persecution of Disciples Predicted
9“Then they will hand you over to persecution and will kill you, and you will be hated by all the nations#Or “Gentiles”; the same Greek word can be translated “nations” or “Gentiles” depending on the context because of my name. 10And then many will be led into sin and will betray one another and will hate one another, 11and many false prophets will appear and will deceive many, 12and because lawlessness will increase, the love of many will grow cold. 13But the one who endures to the end—this person will be saved. 14And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed in the whole inhabited earth for a testimony to all the nations,#Or “Gentiles”; the same Greek word can be translated “nations” or “Gentiles” depending on the context and then the end will come.
The Abomination of Desolation
15“So when you see the abomination of desolation#An allusion to Dan 9:27 spoken about by the prophet Daniel standing in the holy place” (let the one who reads understand), 16“then those in Judea must flee to the mountains! 17The one who is on his#*Literally “the”; the Greek article is used here as a possessive pronoun housetop must not come down to take things out of his house, 18and the one who is in the field must not turn back to pick up his cloak. 19And woe to those who are pregnant#Literally “who have in the womb” and to those who are nursing their babies#*The words “their babies” are not in the Greek text but are supplied as a necessary clarification in those days! 20But pray that your flight may not happen in winter or on a Sabbath. 21For at that time there will be great tribulation, such as has not happened from the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will happen. 22And unless those days had been shortened, no human being would be saved.#Literally “every flesh would not be saved” But for the sake of the elect, those days will be shortened.
23“At that time if anyone should say to you, ‘Behold, here is the Christ,’ or ‘Here he is,’ do not believe him!#*Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation 24For false messiahs and false prophets will appear, and will produce great signs and wonders in order to deceive, if possible, even the elect. 25Behold, I have told you ahead of time! 26Therefore if they say to you, ‘Behold, he is in the wilderness,’ do not go out, or#*Here “or” is supplied because of English style ‘Behold, he is in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it!#*Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation 27For just as the lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west, so the coming of the Son of Man will be. 28Wherever the corpse is, there the vultures will gather.
The Arrival of the Son of Man
29“And immediately after the tribulation of those days,
‘the sun will be darkened
and the moon will not give its light,
and the stars will fall from heaven,
and the powers of heaven will be shaken.’#A quotation from Isa 13:10; 34:4
30And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven,#Or “the sky” and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man arriving on the clouds of heaven#Or “the sky” with power and great glory. 31And he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect together from the four winds, from one end of heaven#Or “of the sky” to the other end of it.
The Parable of the Fig Tree
32“Now learn the parable from the fig tree: Whenever its branch has already become tender and puts forth its#*Literally “the”; the Greek article is used here as a possessive pronoun leaves, you know that summer is near. 33So also you, when you see all these things, know#Or “you know” that he is near, at the door. 34Truly I say to you that this generation will never pass away until all these things take place! 35Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.
The Unknown Day and Hour
36“But concerning that day and hour no one knows—not even the angels of heaven nor the Son—except the Father alone. 37For just as the days of Noah were, so the coming of the Son of Man will be. 38For as in the days#Some manuscripts have “those days” before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day Noah entered into the ark. 39And they did not know anything#*Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation until the deluge came and swept them#*Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation all away. So also the coming of the Son of Man will be. 40Then there will be two men in the field; one will be taken and one left. 41Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one left. 42Therefore be on the alert, because you do not know what day your Lord is coming! 43But understand this: that if the master of the house had known what watch of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. 44For this reason you also must be ready, because the Son of Man is coming at an hour that you do not think he will come.#*The words “he will come” are not in the Greek text but are implied
A Faithful Slave and an Unfaithful Slave
45“Who then is the faithful and wise slave whom the master has put in charge of his household slaves to give them their#*Literally “the”; the Greek article is used here as a possessive pronoun food at the right time? 46Blessed is that slave whom his master will find so doing when he#*Here “when” is supplied as a component of the participle (“comes back”) which is understood as temporal comes back. 47Truly I say to you that he will put him in charge of all his possessions. 48But if that evil slave should say to himself,#Literally “in his heart” ‘My master is staying away for a long time,’ 49and he begins to beat his fellow slaves and eats and drinks with drunkards, 50the master of that slave will come on a day that he does not expect and at an hour that he does not know, 51and will cut him in two and assign his place with the hypocrites. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth!
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