Matthew 24
24
Jesus Speaks about the Future
1As Jesus was leaving the Temple grounds, his disciples pointed out to him the various Temple buildings. 2But he responded, “Do you see all these buildings? I tell you the truth, they will be completely demolished. Not one stone will be left on top of another!”
3Later, Jesus sat on the Mount of Olives. His disciples came to him privately and said, “Tell us, when will all this happen? What sign will signal your return and the end of the world?#24:3 Or the age?”
4Jesus told them, “Don’t let anyone mislead you, 5for many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah.’ They will deceive many. 6And you will hear of wars and threats of wars, but don’t panic. Yes, these things must take place, but the end won’t follow immediately. 7Nation will go to war against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in many parts of the world. 8But all this is only the first of the birth pains, with more to come.
9 “Then you will be arrested, persecuted, and killed. You will be hated all over the world because you are my followers. # 24:9 Greek on account of my name. 10And many will turn away from me and betray and hate each other. 11And many false prophets will appear and will deceive many people. 12Sin will be rampant everywhere, and the love of many will grow cold. 13But the one who endures to the end will be saved. 14And the Good News about the Kingdom will be preached throughout the whole world, so that all nations#24:14 Or all peoples. will hear it; and then the end will come.
15 “The day is coming when you will see what Daniel the prophet spoke about—the sacrilegious object that causes desecration # 24:15 Greek the abomination of desolation. See Dan 9:27; 11:31; 12:11. standing in the Holy Place.” (Reader, pay attention!) 16“Then those in Judea must flee to the hills. 17A person out on the deck of a roof must not go down into the house to pack. 18A person out in the field must not return even to get a coat. 19How terrible it will be for pregnant women and for nursing mothers in those days. 20And pray that your flight will not be in winter or on the Sabbath. 21For there will be greater anguish than at any time since the world began. And it will never be so great again. 22In fact, unless that time of calamity is shortened, not a single person will survive. But it will be shortened for the sake of God’s chosen ones.
23 “Then if anyone tells you, ‘Look, here is the Messiah,’ or ‘There he is,’ don’t believe it. 24For false messiahs and false prophets will rise up and perform great signs and wonders so as to deceive, if possible, even God’s chosen ones. 25See, I have warned you about this ahead of time.
26 “So if someone tells you, ‘Look, the Messiah is out in the desert,’ don’t bother to go and look. Or, ‘Look, he is hiding here,’ don’t believe it! 27For as the lightning flashes in the east and shines to the west, so it will be when the Son of Man#24:27 “Son of Man” is a title Jesus used for himself. comes. 28Just as the gathering of vultures shows there is a carcass nearby, so these signs indicate that the end is near.#24:28 Greek Wherever the carcass is, the vultures gather.
29 “Immediately after the anguish of those days,
the sun will be darkened,
the moon will give no light,
the stars will fall from the sky,
and the powers in the heavens will be shaken. # 24:29 See Isa 13:10; 34:4; Joel 2:10.
30 And then at last, the sign that the Son of Man is coming will appear in the heavens, and there will be deep mourning among all the peoples of the earth. And they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. # 24:30 See Dan 7:13. 31And he will send out his angels with the mighty blast of a trumpet, and they will gather his chosen ones from all over the world#24:31 Greek from the four winds.—from the farthest ends of the earth and heaven.
32 “Now learn a lesson from the fig tree. When its branches bud and its leaves begin to sprout, you know that summer is near. 33In the same way, when you see all these things, you can know his return is very near, right at the door. 34I tell you the truth, this generation#24:34 Or this age, or this nation. will not pass from the scene until all these things take place. 35Heaven and earth will disappear, but my words will never disappear.
36 “However, no one knows the day or hour when these things will happen, not even the angels in heaven or the Son himself. # 24:36 Some manuscripts do not include or the Son himself. Only the Father knows.
37 “When the Son of Man returns, it will be like it was in Noah’s day. 38In those days before the flood, the people were enjoying banquets and parties and weddings right up to the time Noah entered his boat. 39People didn’t realize what was going to happen until the flood came and swept them all away. That is the way it will be when the Son of Man comes.
40 “Two men will be working together in the field; one will be taken, the other left. 41Two women will be grinding flour at the mill; one will be taken, the other left.
42 “So you, too, must keep watch! For you don’t know what day your Lord is coming. 43Understand this: If a homeowner knew exactly when a burglar was coming, he would keep watch and not permit his house to be broken into. 44You also must be ready all the time, for the Son of Man will come when least expected.
45 “A faithful, sensible servant is one to whom the master can give the responsibility of managing his other household servants and feeding them. 46If the master returns and finds that the servant has done a good job, there will be a reward. 47I tell you the truth, the master will put that servant in charge of all he owns. 48But what if the servant is evil and thinks, ‘My master won’t be back for a while,’ 49and he begins beating the other servants, partying, and getting drunk? 50The master will return unannounced and unexpected, 51and he will cut the servant to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
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Matthew 24: NLT
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Matthew 24
24
Jesus Predicts the Destruction of the Temple
1Then #Mark 13:1; Luke 21:5–36Jesus went out and departed from the temple, and His disciples came up to show Him the buildings of the temple. 2And Jesus said to them, “Do you not see all these things? Assuredly, I say to you, #1 Kin. 9:7; Mic. 3:12; Luke 19:44not one stone shall be left here upon another, that shall not be thrown down.”
The Signs of the Times and the End of the Age
3Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives, #Mark 13:3the disciples came to Him privately, saying, #(Matt. 24:27, 37, 39; Luke 17:20–37; 1 Thess. 5:1–3)“Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?”
4And Jesus answered and said to them: #Eph. 5:6; (Col. 2:8, 18; 2 Thess. 2:3; 1 John 4:1–3)“Take heed that no one deceives you. 5For #Jer. 14:14; John 5:43; Acts 5:36; (1 John 2:18; 4:3)many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ #Matt. 24:11and will deceive many. 6And you will hear of #(Rev. 6:2–4)wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. 7For #2 Chr. 15:6; Is. 19:2; Hag. 2:22; Zech. 14:13nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be #Acts 11:28; Rev. 6:5, 6famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. 8All these are the beginning of sorrows.
9#Matt. 10:17; Luke 21:12; (John 16:2); Acts 4:2, 3; Rev. 2:10“Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake. 10And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another. 11Then #Acts 20:29; 2 Pet. 2:1; Rev. 13:11; 19:20many false prophets will rise up and #(1 Tim. 4:1)deceive many. 12And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow #(2 Thess. 2:3; 2 Tim. 3:1–3)cold. 13#Matt. 10:22; Mark 13:13But he who endures to the end shall be saved. 14And this #Matt. 4:23gospel of the kingdom #Rom. 10:18; Col. 1:6, 23will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.
The Great Tribulation
15#Mark 13:14; Luke 21:20; (John 11:48); Acts 6:13; 21:28“Therefore when you see the #Dan. 9:27; 11:31; 12:11‘abomination of desolation,’ spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place” #Dan. 9:23(whoever reads, let him understand), 16“then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. 17Let him who is on the housetop not go down to take anything out of his house. 18And let him who is in the field not go back to get his clothes. 19But #Luke 23:29woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! 20And pray that your flight may not be in winter or on the Sabbath. 21For #Dan. 9:26then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be. 22And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; #Is. 65:8, 9; (Zech. 14:2)but for the elect’s sake those days will be shortened.
23#Mark 13:21; Luke 17:23“Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There!’ do not believe it. 24For #Deut. 13:1; John 4:48; (2 Thess. 2:9); Rev. 13:13false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, #(John 6:37; Rom. 8:28; 2 Tim. 2:19)if possible, even the elect. 25See, I have told you beforehand.
26“Therefore if they say to you, ‘Look, He is in the desert!’ do not go out; or ‘Look, He is in the inner rooms!’ do not believe it. 27#Luke 17:24For as the lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. 28#Job 39:30; Ezek. 39:17; Hab. 1:8; Luke 17:37For wherever the carcass is, there the eagles will be gathered together.
The Coming of the Son of Man
29#(Dan. 7:11)“Immediately after the tribulation of those days #Is. 13:10; 24:23; Ezek. 32:7; Joel 2:10, 31; 3:15; Amos 5:20; 8:9; Zeph. 1:15; Matt. 24:29–35; Acts 2:20; Rev. 6:12–17; 8:12the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 30#(Dan. 7:13, 14; Matt. 16:27; 24:3, 37, 39)Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, #Zech. 12:12and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. 31#Ex. 19:16; Deut. 30:4; Is. 27:13; Zech. 9:14; (1 Cor. 15:52; 1 Thess. 4:16); Heb. 12:19; Rev. 8:2; 11:15And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.
The Parable of the Fig Tree
32“Now learn #Luke 21:29this parable from the fig tree: When its branch has already become tender and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near. 33So you also, when you see all these things, know #(James 5:9; Rev. 3:20)that it is near—at the doors! 34Assuredly, I say to you, #(Matt. 10:23; 16:28; 23:36)this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place. 35#Ps. 102:25, 26; Is. 51:6; Mark 13:31; Luke 21:33; (1 Pet. 1:23–25; 2 Pet. 3:10)Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.
No One Knows the Day or Hour
36#Mark 13:32; Acts 1:7; 1 Thess. 5:2; 2 Pet. 3:10“But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, #Zech. 14:7but My Father only. 37But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. 38#(Gen. 6:3–5); Luke 17:26; (1 Pet. 3:20)For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, 39and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. 40#Luke 17:34Then two men will be 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. 42#Matt. 25:13; Luke 21:36; 1 Thess. 5:6Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming. 43#Luke 12:39; 1 Thess. 5:2; Rev. 3:3But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into. 44#Luke 12:35–40; (1 Thess. 5:6)Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.
The Faithful Servant and the Evil Servant
45#Luke 12:42–46; (Acts 20:28)“Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his master made ruler over his household, to give them food in due season? 46#Rev. 16:15Blessed is that servant whom his master, when he comes, will find so doing. 47Assuredly, I say to you that #Matt. 25:21, 23; Luke 22:29he will make him ruler over all his goods. 48But if that evil servant says in his heart, ‘My master #(2 Pet. 3:4–9)is delaying his coming,’ 49and begins to beat his fellow servants, and to eat and drink with the drunkards, 50the master of that servant will come on a day when he is not looking for him and at an hour that he is #Mark 13:32not aware of, 51and will cut him in two and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites. #Matt. 8:12; 25:30There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
The Holy Bible, New King James Version, Copyright © 1982 Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved.