Signs of Christ’s Return

24 (A)Jesus (B)left the temple area and was going on His way [a]when His disciples came up to point out the temple buildings to Him. But He responded and said to them, “Do you not see all these things? Truly I say to you, (C)not one stone here will be left upon another, which will not be torn down.”

And as He was sitting on (D)the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things happen, and what will be the sign of (E)Your coming, and of the [b]end of the age?”

And Jesus answered and said to them, (F)See to it that no one [c]misleads you. For (G)many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the [d]Christ,’ and they will [e]mislead many people. And you will be hearing of (H)wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for those things must take place, but that is not yet the end. For (I)nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be (J)famines and earthquakes in various places. (K)But all these things are merely the beginning of birth pains.

(L)Then they will hand you over to tribulation and kill you, and (M)you will be hated by all nations because of My name. 10 And at that time many will [f](N)fall away, and they will [g]betray one another and hate one another. 11 And many (O)false prophets will rise up and [h]mislead many people. 12 And because lawlessness is increased, [i]most people’s love will become cold. 13 (P)But the one who endures to the end is the one who will be saved. 14 This (Q)gospel of the kingdom (R)shall be preached in the whole [j](S)world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come.

Perilous Times

15 “Therefore when you see the (T)abomination of desolation which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in (U)the holy place—[k](V)let the [l]reader understand— 16 then those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains. 17 [m]Whoever is on (W)the [n]housetop must not go down to get things out of his house. 18 And [o]whoever is in the field must not turn back to get his cloak. 19 But (X)woe to those women who are pregnant, and to those who are nursing babies in those days! 20 Moreover, pray that [p]when you flee, it will not be in the winter, or on a Sabbath. 21 For then there will be a (Y)great tribulation, such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will again. 22 And if those days had not been cut short, no [q]life would have been saved; but for (Z)the sake of the [r]elect those days will be cut short. 23 (AA)Then if anyone says to you, ‘Behold, here is the [s]Christ,’ or ‘He is over here,’ do not believe him. 24 For false christs and (AB)false prophets will arise and will provide great [t](AC)signs and wonders, so as to mislead, if possible, even (AD)the [u]elect. 25 Behold, I have told you in advance. 26 So if they say to you, ‘Behold, He is in the wilderness,’ do not go out; or, ‘Behold, He is in the inner rooms,’ do not believe them. 27 (AE)For just as the lightning comes from the east and flashes as far as the west, so will the (AF)coming of the (AG)Son of Man [v]be. 28 (AH)Wherever the corpse is, there the [w]vultures will gather.

The Glorious Return

29 “But immediately after the (AI)tribulation of those days (AJ)the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and (AK)the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 30 And then (AL)the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see (AM)the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory. 31 And (AN)He will send forth His angels with (AO)a great trumpet blast, and they will gather together His [x](AP)elect from (AQ)the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other.

Parable of the Fig Tree

32 “Now learn the parable from the fig tree: as soon as its branch has become tender and sprouts its leaves, you know that summer is near; 33 so you too, when you see all these things, [y]recognize that [z]He is near, right (AR)at the [aa]door. 34 Truly I say to you, (AS)this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. 35 (AT)Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away.

36 “But (AU)about that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone. 37 For [ab]the (AV)coming of the Son of Man will be (AW)just like the days of Noah. 38 For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, (AX)marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that (AY)Noah entered the ark, 39 and they did not [ac]understand until the flood came and took them all away; so will the (AZ)coming of the Son of Man be. 40 At that time there will be two men in the field; one [ad]will be taken and one [ae]will be left. 41 (BA)Two women will be grinding at the [af](BB)mill; one [ag]will be taken and one [ah]will be left.

Be Ready for His Coming

42 “Therefore (BC)be on the alert, for you do not know which day your Lord is coming. 43 But [ai]be sure of this, that (BD)if the head of the house had known (BE)at what time of the night the thief was coming, he would have been on the alert and would not have allowed his house to be broken into. 44 For this reason (BF)you must be ready as well; for (BG)the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not think He will.

45 (BH)Who then is the (BI)faithful and (BJ)sensible slave whom his [aj]master (BK)put in charge of his household slaves, to give them their food at the proper time? 46 Blessed is that slave whom his [ak]master finds so doing when he comes. 47 Truly I say to you that (BL)he will put him in charge of all his possessions. 48 But if that evil slave says in his heart, ‘My [al]master [am]is not coming for a long time,’ 49 and he begins to beat his fellow slaves, and he eats and drinks with those habitually drunk; 50 then the [an]master of that slave will come on a day that he does not expect, and at an hour that he does not know, 51 and he will [ao]cut him in two and assign [ap]him a place with the hypocrites; in that place there will be (BM)weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Footnotes

  1. Matthew 24:1 Lit and
  2. Matthew 24:3 Or consummation
  3. Matthew 24:4 Or deceives
  4. Matthew 24:5 I.e., Messiah
  5. Matthew 24:5 Or deceive
  6. Matthew 24:10 I.e., from the faith
  7. Matthew 24:10 Or hand over
  8. Matthew 24:11 Or deceive
  9. Matthew 24:12 Lit the love of the many
  10. Matthew 24:14 Lit inhabited earth
  11. Matthew 24:15 Or the reader is to understand
  12. Matthew 24:15 I.e., the reader of Daniel
  13. Matthew 24:17 Lit The one who
  14. Matthew 24:17 Housetops were flat living areas
  15. Matthew 24:18 Lit the one who
  16. Matthew 24:20 Lit your flight will not be
  17. Matthew 24:22 Lit flesh
  18. Matthew 24:22 Or chosen ones
  19. Matthew 24:23 I.e., Messiah
  20. Matthew 24:24 I.e., confirming miracles
  21. Matthew 24:24 Or chosen ones
  22. Matthew 24:27 I.e., be visible everywhere
  23. Matthew 24:28 Or eagles
  24. Matthew 24:31 Or chosen ones
  25. Matthew 24:33 Or know
  26. Matthew 24:33 Or it
  27. Matthew 24:33 Lit doors
  28. Matthew 24:37 Lit just like the days...so will be
  29. Matthew 24:39 Lit know
  30. Matthew 24:40 Lit is
  31. Matthew 24:40 Lit is
  32. Matthew 24:41 I.e., handmill
  33. Matthew 24:41 Lit is
  34. Matthew 24:41 Lit is
  35. Matthew 24:43 Lit know that
  36. Matthew 24:45 Or lord
  37. Matthew 24:46 Or lord
  38. Matthew 24:48 Or lord
  39. Matthew 24:48 Lit lingers
  40. Matthew 24:50 Or lord
  41. Matthew 24:51 Possibly referring to other extreme punishment
  42. Matthew 24:51 Lit his portion with

The Destruction of the Temple and Signs of the End Times(A)

24 Jesus left the temple and was walking away when his disciples came up to him to call his attention to its buildings. “Do you see all these things?” he asked. “Truly I tell you, not one stone here will be left on another;(B) every one will be thrown down.”

As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives,(C) the disciples came to him privately. “Tell us,” they said, “when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming(D) and of the end of the age?”(E)

Jesus answered: “Watch out that no one deceives you.(F) For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and will deceive many.(G) You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.(H) There will be famines(I) and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of birth pains.

“Then you will be handed over to be persecuted(J) and put to death,(K) and you will be hated by all nations because of me.(L) 10 At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, 11 and many false prophets(M) will appear and deceive many people.(N) 12 Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, 13 but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved.(O) 14 And this gospel of the kingdom(P) will be preached in the whole world(Q) as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.

15 “So when you see standing in the holy place(R) ‘the abomination that causes desolation,’[a](S) spoken of through the prophet Daniel—let the reader understand— 16 then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. 17 Let no one on the housetop(T) go down to take anything out of the house. 18 Let no one in the field go back to get their cloak. 19 How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers!(U) 20 Pray that your flight will not take place in winter or on the Sabbath. 21 For then there will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now—and never to be equaled again.(V)

22 “If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect(W) those days will be shortened. 23 At that time if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Messiah!’ or, ‘There he is!’ do not believe it.(X) 24 For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders(Y) to deceive, if possible, even the elect. 25 See, I have told you ahead of time.

26 “So if anyone tells you, ‘There he is, out in the wilderness,’ do not go out; or, ‘Here he is, in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it. 27 For as lightning(Z) that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming(AA) of the Son of Man.(AB) 28 Wherever there is a carcass, there the vultures will gather.(AC)

29 “Immediately after the distress of those days

“‘the sun will be darkened,
    and the moon will not give its light;
the stars will fall from the sky,
    and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.’[b](AD)

30 “Then will appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven. And then all the peoples of the earth[c] will mourn(AE) when they see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven,(AF) with power and great glory.[d] 31 And he will send his angels(AG) with a loud trumpet call,(AH) and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.

32 “Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. 33 Even so, when you see all these things, you know that it[e] is near, right at the door.(AI) 34 Truly I tell you, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened.(AJ) 35 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.(AK)

The Day and Hour Unknown(AL)(AM)

36 “But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son,[f] but only the Father.(AN) 37 As it was in the days of Noah,(AO) so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. 38 For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage,(AP) up to the day Noah entered the ark; 39 and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.(AQ) 40 Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left.(AR) 41 Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left.(AS)

42 “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come.(AT) 43 But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming,(AU) he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. 44 So you also must be ready,(AV) because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.

45 “Who then is the faithful and wise servant,(AW) whom the master has put in charge of the servants in his household to give them their food at the proper time? 46 It will be good for that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns.(AX) 47 Truly I tell you, he will put him in charge of all his possessions.(AY) 48 But suppose that servant is wicked and says to himself, ‘My master is staying away a long time,’ 49 and he then begins to beat his fellow servants and to eat and drink with drunkards.(AZ) 50 The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. 51 He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.(BA)

Footnotes

  1. Matthew 24:15 Daniel 9:27; 11:31; 12:11
  2. Matthew 24:29 Isaiah 13:10; 34:4
  3. Matthew 24:30 Or the tribes of the land
  4. Matthew 24:30 See Daniel 7:13-14.
  5. Matthew 24:33 Or he
  6. Matthew 24:36 Some manuscripts do not have nor the Son.

Things to Come

13 (A)As He was going out of the temple, one of His disciples *said to Him, “Teacher, look! [a]What wonderful stones and [b]what wonderful buildings!” And Jesus said to him, “Do you see these great buildings? (B)Not one stone will be left upon another, which will not be torn down.”

As He was sitting on (C)the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, (D)Peter, [c]James, John, and Andrew were questioning Him privately, “Tell us, when will these things come about, and what will be the [d]sign when all these things are going to be fulfilled?” And Jesus began to say to them, “See to it that no one misleads you. Many will come in My name, saying, ‘(E)I am He!’ and they will mislead many. When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed; those things must take place; but that is not yet the end. For nation will rise up against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; there will be earthquakes in various places; there will also be famines. These things are only the beginning of birth pains.

“But [e]be on your guard; for they will (F)hand you over to the [f]courts, and you will be flogged (G)in the synagogues, and you will stand before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them. 10 (H)And the gospel must first be preached to all the nations. 11 (I)And when they [g]arrest you and hand you over, do not worry beforehand about what you are to say, but say whatever is given you at that time; for you are not the ones speaking, but it is the Holy Spirit. 12 And brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents and [h]have them put to death. 13 And (J)you will be hated by everyone because of My name, but it is the one who has endured to the end who will be saved.

14 “Now (K)when you see the (L)abomination of desolation standing where it should not be—[i]let the [j]reader understand—then those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains. 15 [k](M)Whoever is on the [l]housetop must not go down, nor go in to get anything out of his house. 16 And [m]whoever is in the field must not turn back to get his cloak. 17 But woe to those women who are pregnant, and to those who are nursing babies in those days! 18 Moreover, pray that it will not happen in winter. 19 For those days will be such a time of tribulation as has not occurred (N)since the beginning of the creation which God created until now, and never will again. 20 And if the Lord had not shortened those days, no [n]life would have been saved; but for the sake of the [o]elect, whom He chose, He shortened the days. 21 And then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the [p]Christ’; or, ‘Look, there He is’; do not believe it; 22 for false christs and (O)false prophets will arise, and will provide (P)signs and (Q)wonders, in order to mislead, if possible, the elect. 23 But beware; I have told you everything in advance.

The Return of Christ

24 “But in those days, after that tribulation, (R)the sun will be darkened and the moon will not give its light, 25 (S)and the stars will be falling from heaven, and the powers that are in the heavens will be shaken. 26 And then they will see (T)the Son of Man (U)coming in clouds with great power and glory. 27 And then He will send forth the angels, and (V)will gather together His [q]elect from the four winds, (W)from the end of the earth to the end of heaven.

28 “Now learn the parable from the fig tree: as soon as its branch has become tender and sprouts its leaves, you know that summer is near. 29 So you too, when you see these things happening, [r]recognize that [s]He is near, right at the [t]door. 30 Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. 31 Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away. 32 (X)But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone.

33 “Watch out, (Y)stay alert; for you do not know when the appointed time is. 34 (Z)It is like a man away on a journey, who upon leaving his house and [u]putting his slaves in charge, assigning to each one his task, also commanded the doorkeeper to stay alert. 35 Therefore, (AA)stay alert—for you do not know when the [v]master of the house is coming, whether in the evening, at midnight, or (AB)when the rooster crows, or (AC)in the morning— 36 so that he does not come suddenly and find you (AD)asleep. 37 What I say to you I say to all: ‘(AE)Stay alert!’”

Footnotes

  1. Mark 13:1 Or How great the
  2. Mark 13:1 Or How great the
  3. Mark 13:3 Or Jacob
  4. Mark 13:4 I.e., confirming miracle
  5. Mark 13:9 Lit look to yourselves
  6. Mark 13:9 Or Sanhedrin; or Council
  7. Mark 13:11 Lit lead
  8. Mark 13:12 Lit put them to death
  9. Mark 13:14 Or the reader is to understand
  10. Mark 13:14 I.e., of the book of Daniel
  11. Mark 13:15 Lit The one who
  12. Mark 13:15 Housetops were flat living areas
  13. Mark 13:16 Lit The one who
  14. Mark 13:20 Lit flesh
  15. Mark 13:20 Or chosen ones
  16. Mark 13:21 I.e., Messiah
  17. Mark 13:27 Or chosen ones
  18. Mark 13:29 Or know
  19. Mark 13:29 Or it
  20. Mark 13:29 Lit doors
  21. Mark 13:34 Lit giving the authority to
  22. Mark 13:35 Or lord

The Destruction of the Temple and Signs of the End Times(A)

13 As Jesus was leaving the temple, one of his disciples said to him, “Look, Teacher! What massive stones! What magnificent buildings!”

“Do you see all these great buildings?” replied Jesus. “Not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down.”(B)

As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives(C) opposite the temple, Peter, James, John(D) and Andrew asked him privately, “Tell us, when will these things happen? And what will be the sign that they are all about to be fulfilled?”

Jesus said to them: “Watch out that no one deceives you.(E) Many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am he,’ and will deceive many. When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places, and famines. These are the beginning of birth pains.

“You must be on your guard. You will be handed over to the local councils and flogged in the synagogues.(F) On account of me you will stand before governors and kings as witnesses to them. 10 And the gospel must first be preached to all nations. 11 Whenever you are arrested and brought to trial, do not worry beforehand about what to say. Just say whatever is given you at the time, for it is not you speaking, but the Holy Spirit.(G)

12 “Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child. Children will rebel against their parents and have them put to death.(H) 13 Everyone will hate you because of me,(I) but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved.(J)

14 “When you see ‘the abomination that causes desolation’[a](K) standing where it[b] does not belong—let the reader understand—then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. 15 Let no one on the housetop go down or enter the house to take anything out. 16 Let no one in the field go back to get their cloak. 17 How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers!(L) 18 Pray that this will not take place in winter, 19 because those will be days of distress unequaled from the beginning, when God created the world,(M) until now—and never to be equaled again.(N)

20 “If the Lord had not cut short those days, no one would survive. But for the sake of the elect, whom he has chosen, he has shortened them. 21 At that time if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Messiah!’ or, ‘Look, there he is!’ do not believe it.(O) 22 For false messiahs and false prophets(P) will appear and perform signs and wonders(Q) to deceive, if possible, even the elect. 23 So be on your guard;(R) I have told you everything ahead of time.

24 “But in those days, following that distress,

“‘the sun will be darkened,
    and the moon will not give its light;
25 the stars will fall from the sky,
    and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.’[c](S)

26 “At that time people will see the Son of Man coming in clouds(T) with great power and glory. 27 And he will send his angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of the heavens.(U)

28 “Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. 29 Even so, when you see these things happening, you know that it[d] is near, right at the door. 30 Truly I tell you, this generation(V) will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened.(W) 31 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.(X)

The Day and Hour Unknown

32 “But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.(Y) 33 Be on guard! Be alert[e]!(Z) You do not know when that time will come. 34 It’s like a man going away: He leaves his house and puts his servants(AA) in charge, each with their assigned task, and tells the one at the door to keep watch.

35 “Therefore keep watch because you do not know when the owner of the house will come back—whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or at dawn. 36 If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping. 37 What I say to you, I say to everyone: ‘Watch!’”(AB)

Footnotes

  1. Mark 13:14 Daniel 9:27; 11:31; 12:11
  2. Mark 13:14 Or he
  3. Mark 13:25 Isaiah 13:10; 34:4
  4. Mark 13:29 Or he
  5. Mark 13:33 Some manuscripts alert and pray