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

24 And having gone forth, Jesus departed from the temple, and his disciples came near to show him the buildings of the temple,

and Jesus said to them, `Do ye not see all these? verily I say to you, There may not be left here a stone upon a stone, that shall not be thrown down.'

And when he is sitting on the mount of the Olives, the disciples came near to him by himself, saying, `Tell us, when shall these be? and what [is] the sign of thy presence, and of the full end of the age?'

And Jesus answering said to them, `Take heed that no one may lead you astray,

for many shall come in my name, saying, I am the Christ, and they shall lead many astray,

and ye shall begin to hear of wars, and reports of wars; see, be not troubled, for it behoveth all [these] to come to pass, but the end is not yet.

`For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places;

and all these [are] the beginning of sorrows;

then they shall deliver you up to tribulation, and shall kill you, and ye shall be hated by all the nations because of my name;

10 and then shall many be stumbled, and they shall deliver up one another, and shall hate one another.

11 `And many false prophets shall arise, and shall lead many astray;

12 and because of the abounding of the lawlessness, the love of the many shall become cold;

13 but he who did endure to the end, he shall be saved;

14 and this good news of the reign shall be proclaimed in all the world, for a testimony to all the nations; and then shall the end arrive.

15 `Whenever, therefore, ye may see the abomination of the desolation, that was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place (whoever is reading let him observe)

16 then those in Judea -- let them flee to the mounts;

17 he on the house-top -- let him not come down to take up any thing out of his house;

18 and he in the field -- let him not turn back to take his garments.

19 `And wo to those with child, and to those giving suck in those days;

20 and pray ye that your flight may not be in winter, nor on a sabbath;

21 for there shall be then great tribulation, such as was not from the beginning of the world till now, no, nor may be.

22 And if those days were not shortened, no flesh would have been saved; but because of the chosen, shall those days be shortened.

23 `Then if any one may say to you, Lo, here [is] the Christ! or here! ye may not believe;

24 for there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and they shall give great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, also the chosen.

25 Lo, I did tell you beforehand.

26 `If therefore they may say to you, Lo, in the wilderness he is, ye may not go forth; lo, in the inner chambers, ye may not believe;

27 for as the lightning doth come forth from the east, and doth appear unto the west, so shall be also the presence of the Son of Man;

28 for wherever the carcase may be, there shall the eagles be gathered together.

29 `And immediately after the tribulation of those days, the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from the heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken;

30 and then shall appear the sign of the Son of Man in the heaven; and then shall all the tribes of the earth smite the breast, and they shall see the Son of Man coming upon the clouds of the heaven, with power and much glory;

31 and he shall send his messengers with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his chosen from the four winds, from the ends of the heavens unto the ends thereof.

32 `And from the fig-tree learn ye the simile: When already its branch may have become tender, and the leaves it may put forth, ye know that summer [is] nigh,

33 so also ye, when ye may see all these, ye know that it is nigh -- at the doors.

34 Verily I say to you, this generation may not pass away till all these may come to pass.

35 The heaven and the earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.

36 `And concerning that day and the hour no one hath known -- not even the messengers of the heavens -- except my Father only;

37 and as the days of Noah -- so shall be also the presence of the Son of Man;

38 for as they were, in the days before the flood, eating, and drinking, marrying, and giving in marriage, till the day Noah entered into the ark,

39 and they did not know till the flood came and took all away; so shall be also the presence of the Son of Man.

40 Then two men shall be in the field, the one is received, and the one is left;

41 two women shall be grinding in the mill, one is received, and one is left.

42 `Watch ye therefore, because ye have not known in what hour your Lord doth come;

43 and this know, that if the master of the house had known in what watch the thief doth come, he had watched, and not suffered his house to be broken through;

44 because of this also ye, become ye ready, because in what hour ye do not think, the Son of Man doth come.

45 `Who, then, is the servant, faithful and wise, whom his lord did set over his household, to give them the nourishment in season?

46 Happy that servant, whom his lord, having come, shall find doing so;

47 verily I say to you, that over all his substance he will set him.

48 `And, if that evil servant may say in his heart, My Lord doth delay to come,

49 and may begin to beat the fellow-servants, and to eat and to drink with the drunken,

50 the lord of that servant will arrive in a day when he doth not expect, and in an hour of which he doth not know,

51 and will cut him off, and his portion with the hypocrites will appoint; there shall be the weeping and the gnashing of the teeth.