Matthew 24

1Jesus Predicts the Destruction of the Temple Mark 13:1-2; Luke 21:5-6As Jesus left the temple and was walking away, his disciples came up to him to point out to him the temple buildings.Mark 13:1; Luke 21:5 2But he said to them, “You see all these things, don't you? Truly I tell you, not one stone here will be left on another that will not be torn down.”1Kings 9:7; Jer 26:18; Mic 3:12; Luke 19:44

3The Coming Wars and Revolutions Mark 13:3-13; Luke 21:7-19While Jesus
Lit. he
was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately and said, “Tell us, when will these things take place, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?”Mark 13:3; 1Thes 5:1

4Jesus answered them, “See to it that no one deceives you.Eph 5:6; Col 2:8, 18; 2Thes 2:3; 1John 4:1 5For many will come in my name and say, ‘I am the Christ,’
I.e. the Messiah
and they will deceive many people.Jer 14:14; 23:24-25; Matt 5:11; 23:24; John 5:43
6You are going to hear of wars and rumors of wars. See to it that you are not alarmed. These things must take place, but the end hasn't come yet. 7For nation will rise up in arms against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places.2Chr 15:6; Isa 19:2; Hag 2:22; Zech 14:13 8But all these things are only the beginning of the birth pains.”

9The Coming Persecution Mark 13:9-13; Luke 21:12-19“Then they will hand you over to suffering
Or tribulation
and will kill you, and you will be hated by all the nations
Or Gentiles
because of my name.Matt 10:17; Mark 13:9; Luke 21:12; John 15:20; 16:2; Acts 4:2-3; 7:59; 12:1; 1Pet 4:16; Rev 2:10, 13
10Then many people will fall by the way and will betray one another and hate one another.Matt 11:6; 13:57; 2Tim 1:15 11Many false prophets will appear and deceive many people,Matt 4:5, 24; 7:15; Acts 20:29; 1Tim 4:1; 2Pet 2:1 12and because lawlessness will increase, the love of many people will grow cold. 13But the person who endures to the end will be saved.Matt 10:22; Mark 13:13; Heb 3:6, 14; Rev 2:10 14And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the world as a testimony to all nations,
Or Gentiles
and then the end will come.”Matt 4:23; 9:35; Rom 10:18; Col 1:6, 23

Signs of the End Mark 13:14-23; Luke 21:20-24

15“So when you see the destructive desecration, mentioned by the prophet Daniel, standing in the Holy Place (let the reader take note),
Dan 9:27; 11:31; 12:11
Dan 9:23, 25, 27; 12:11; Mark 13:14; Luke 21:20
16then those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains. 17The person who is on the housetop must not come down to get what is in his house, 18and the person who is in the field must not turn back to get his coat.

19“How terrible it will be for women who are pregnant or who are nursing babies in those days!Luke 23:29 20Pray that it may not be in winter or on a Sabbath when you flee. 21For at that time there will be great suffering,
Or tribulation
the kind that has not happened from the beginning of the world until now and certainly will never happen again.Dan 9:26; 12:1; Joel 2:2
22If those days had not been limited, no life would be saved. But for the sake of the elect, those days will be limited.Isa 65:8-9; Zech 14:2-3

23“At that time, if anyone says to you, ‘Look! Here is the Christ!’
I.e. the Messiah
or ‘There he is!’, don't believe it.Mark 13:21; Luke 17:23; 21:8
24For false christs and false prophets will appear and display great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.Deut 13:1; Matt 13:5, 11; John 6:37; 10:28-29; Rom 8:28-30; 2Thes 2:9-11; 2Tim 2:19; Rev 13:13 25Remember, I have told you this beforehand. 26So if they say to you, ‘Look! He's in the wilderness,’ don't go out looking for him.
The Gk. lacks looking for him
And if they say, ‘Look! He's in the storeroom,’ don't believe it.
27For just as the lightning comes from the east and flashes as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.Luke 17:24 28Wherever there's a dead body, there the vultures will gather.”Job 39:30; Luke 17:37

The Coming of the Son of Man Mark 13:24-27; Luke 21:25-28

29“Immediately after the suffering
Or tribulation
of those days,Isa 13:10; Ezek 32:7; Dan 7:11-12; Joel 2:10, 31; 3:15; Amos 5:20; 8:9; Mark 13:24; Luke 21:25; Acts 2:20; Rev 6:12

‘The sun will be darkened,

the moon will not give its light,

the stars will fall from the sky,

and the powers of heaven will be shaken loose.’
Isa 13:10; 34:4; Joel 2:10

30Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the tribes of the earth
Or of the land
will mourn when they see ‘the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven’
Dan 7:13
with power and great glory.Dan 7:13; Zech 12:12; Matt 16:27; Mark 13:26; Rev 1:7
31He will send out his angels with a loud trumpet blast, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to another.”Matt 13:41; 1Cor 15:52; 1Thes 4:16

The Lesson from the Fig Tree Mark 13:28-31; Luke 21:29-33

32“Now learn a lesson
Or parable
from the fig tree. When its branches become tender and it produces leaves, you know that summer is near.Luke 21:29
33In the same way, when you see all these things, you will know that he is near, right at the door.James 5:9 34“Truly I tell you, this generation will not disappear until these things happen.Matt 16:28; 23:36; Mark 13:30; Luke 21:32 35Heaven and earth will disappear, but my words will never disappear.”Ps 102:26; Isa 51:6; Jer 31:35-36; Matt 5:18; Mark 13:31; Luke 21:33; Heb 1:11

The Unknown Day and Hour of Christ's Return Mark 13:32-37; Luke 17:26-30, 34-36

36“No one knows when that day or hour will come
Lit. about that day and hour
—not the angels in heaven, nor the Son,
Other mss. lack nor the Son
but only the Father.Zech 14:7; Mark 13:32; Acts 1:7; 1Thes 5:2; 2Pet 3:10
37For just as it was in the days of Noah, so it will be when the Son of Man comes. 38In those days before the flood, people
Lit. they
were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage right up to the day when Noah went into the ark.Gen 6:3-5; 7:5; Luke 17:26; 1Pet 3:20
39They were unaware of what was happening
The Gk. lacks of what was happening
until the flood came and swept all of them away. That's how it will be when the Son of Man comes.
40At that time two people will be in the field. One will be taken, and the other will be left behind.Luke 17:34 41Two women will be grinding grain at the mill. One will be taken, and the other will be left behind.

42“So keep on watching, because you don't know on what day your Lord is coming.Mark 13:33; Luke 21:36 43But be sure of this: if the owner of the house had known at what watch of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and not allowed his house to be broken into.Luke 12:39; 1Thes 5:2; 2Pet 3:10; Rev 3:3; 16:15 44So you, too, must be ready, because at an hour you are not expecting him the Son of Man will come.”Matt 25:13; 1Thes 5:6

The Faithful or the Wicked Servant Luke 12:41-48

45“Who, then, is the faithful and wise servant whom his master has put in charge of his household to give the others
Lit. them
their food at the right time?Luke 12:42; Acts 20:28; 1Cor 4:2; Heb 3:5
46How blessed is that servant whom his master finds doing this when he comes!Rev 16:15 47Truly I tell you, he will put him in charge of all his property.Matt 25:21, 23; Luke 22:29

48“But if that wicked servant says to himself,
Lit. in his heart
‘My master has been delayed,’
49and begins to beat his fellow servants and eat and drink with the drunks, 50the master of that servant will come on a day when he doesn't expect him and at an hour that he doesn't know. 51Then his master
Lit. he
will punish him severely
Lit. will cut him in pieces
and assign him a place with the hypocrites. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
I.e. extreme pain
Matt 8:12; 25:30

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