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
When the Temple Will Be Destroyed and the Signs of the End
1Jesus left the temple. He was walking away when his disciples came up to him. They wanted to call his attention to the temple buildings. 2“Do you see all these things?” Jesus asked. “What I’m about to tell you is true. Not one stone here will be left on top of another. Every stone will be thrown down.”
3Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives. There the disciples came to him in private. “Tell us,” they said. “When will this happen? And what will be the sign of your coming? What will be the sign of the end?”
4Jesus answered, “Keep watch! Be careful that no one fools you. 5Many will come in my name. They will claim, ‘I am the Messiah!’ They will fool many people. 6You will hear about wars. You will also hear people talking about future wars. Don’t be alarmed. Those things must happen. But the end still isn’t here. 7Nation will fight against nation. Kingdom will fight against kingdom. People will go hungry. There will be earthquakes in many places. 8All these are the beginning of birth pains.
9“Then people will hand you over to be treated badly and killed. All nations will hate you because of me. 10At that time, many will turn away from their faith. They will hate each other. They will hand each other over to their enemies. 11Many false prophets will appear. They will fool many people. 12Because evil will grow, most people’s love will grow cold. 13But the one who remains strong in the faith will be saved. 14This good news of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world. It will be a witness to all nations. Then the end will come.
15“The prophet Daniel spoke about ‘the hated thing that destroys.’ (Daniel 9:27; 11:31; 12:11) Someday you will see it standing in the holy place. The reader should understand this. 16Then those who are in Judea should escape to the mountains. 17No one on the housetop should go down into the house to take anything out. 18No one in the field should go back to get their coat. 19How awful it will be in those days for pregnant women! How awful for nursing mothers! 20Pray that you will not have to escape in winter or on the Sabbath day. 21There will be terrible suffering in those days. It will be worse than any other from the beginning of the world until now. And there will never be anything like it again.
22“If the time had not been cut short, no one would live. But because of God’s chosen people, it will be shortened. 23At that time someone may say to you, ‘Look! Here is the Messiah!’ Or, ‘There he is!’ Do not believe it. 24False messiahs and false prophets will appear. They will do great signs and miracles. They will try to fool God’s chosen people if possible. 25See, I have told you ahead of time.
26“So if anyone tells you, ‘He is a long way out in the desert,’ do not go out there. Or if anyone says, ‘He is deep inside the house,’ do not believe it. 27Lightning that comes from the east can be seen in the west. It will be the same when the Son of Man comes. 28The vultures will gather wherever there is a dead body.
29“Right after the terrible suffering of those days,
“ ‘The sun will be darkened.
The moon will not shine.
The stars will fall from the sky.
The heavenly bodies will be shaken.’ (Isaiah 13:10; 34:4)
30“Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven. At that time, all the peoples of the earth will mourn. They will mourn when they see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven. He will come with power and great glory. 31He will send his angels with a loud trumpet call. They will gather his chosen people from all four directions. They will bring them from one end of the heavens to the other.
32“Learn a lesson from the fig tree. As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. 33In the same way, when you see all these things happening, you know that the end is near. It is right at the door. 34What I’m about to tell you is true. The people living now will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. 35Heaven and earth will pass away. But my words will never pass away.
The Day and Hour Are Not Known
36“But no one knows about that day or hour. Not even the angels in heaven know. The Son does not know. Only the Father knows. 37Remember how it was in the days of Noah. It will be the same when the Son of Man comes. 38In the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking. They were getting married. They were giving their daughters to be married. They did all those things right up to the day Noah entered the ark. 39They knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be when the Son of Man comes. 40Two men will be in the field. One will be taken and the other left. 41Two women will be grinding with a hand mill. One will be taken and the other left.
42“So keep watch. You do not know on what day your Lord will come. 43You must understand something. Suppose the owner of the house knew what time of night the robber was coming. Then he would have kept watch. He would not have let his house be broken into. 44So you also must be ready. The Son of Man will come at an hour when you don’t expect him.
45“Suppose a master puts one of his slaves in charge of the other slaves in his house. The slave’s job is to give them their food at the right time. The master wants a faithful and wise slave for this. 46It will be good for the slave if the master finds him doing his job when the master returns. 47What I’m about to tell you is true. The master will put that slave in charge of everything he owns. 48But suppose that slave is evil. Suppose he says to himself, ‘My master is staying away a long time.’ 49Suppose he begins to beat the other slaves. And suppose he eats and drinks with those who drink too much. 50The master of that slave will come back on a day the slave doesn’t expect him. He will return at an hour the slave does not know. 51Then the master will cut him to pieces. He will send him to the place where pretenders go. There people will weep and grind their teeth.
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