Matthew 24

1 Then Joshua went out, going on from the temple. And His apprentices approached Him to call attention to the temple construction projects. 2 And Joshua told them, “You see all of these things, don’t you? Certainly I tell you, not one stone on another stone will be left here that won’t be torn down.”

3 And as He sat on Olive Hill, the apprentices came to Him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things be? And what is the sign of your arrival, and of the end of the age?”

4 And Joshua answered, saying to them, “Watch out so that no one misleads you. 5 For many will come in My name, saying I am the Anointed, and they will lead many astray. 6 And you will be hearing of wars and reports of wars. See that you aren’t troubled, because all these things must happen, but the end is not yet. 7 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; and there will be famines, and plagues, and earthquakes in various places. 8 But all these things are the beginning of birth pains. 9 At that time they will hand you over to oppression, and will kill you. And you will be hated by all the nations because of My name. 10 And then many will be tripped up, and will hand over one another, and will hate one another. 11 And many false prophets will arise, and will mislead many. 12 And because of the abounding of misdeeds, the love of many will become cold. 13 But he who endures to the end, he will be rescued. 14 And this good news of the Kingdom will be proclaimed in the whole world for a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come.

15 “When, therefore, you see the abomination of desolation which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place” (let the reader understand), 16 “then let those who are in Judea run away to the mountains. 17 Let him who is on the housetop not go down to take out the things that are in his house. 18 Let him who is in the field not return back to get his clothes. 19 But woe to those who are with child and to nursing mothers in those days! 20 And pray that your escape will not be in the winter, nor on a Sabbath, 21 because then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, nor ever will be. 22 And if those days were not shortened, no flesh would have been saved. But for the sake of the chosen ones, those days will be shortened.

23 “Then if any man tells you, ‘Look, here is the Amointed,’ or, ‘There,’ don’t believe it. 24 For there will arise false anointed ones, and false prophets, and they will show great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the chosen ones.

25 “Look, I have told you in advance. 26 If therefore they tell you, ‘Look, He is in the backcountry,’ don’t go out; ‘Look, He is in the inner rooms,’ don’t believe it. 27 For as the lightning flashes from the east, and is seen even to the west, so will be the arrival of the Son of Man. 28 For wherever the dead body is, that is where the vultures gather together. 29 But immediately after the oppression of those days, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of the skies will be shaken;Isaiah 13:10;34:4 30 and then 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 the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory. 31 And He will send out His messengers with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His chosen ones from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other.

32 “Now learn this riddle from the fig tree. When its branch has already become tender, and produces its leaves, you know that the summer is near. 33 In this way you also, when you see all these things, know that it is near—at the doors! 34 Certainly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all these things happen. 35 The sky and the earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away. 36 Now concerning that day and hour, no one has known, not even the messengers of heaven, except My Father only.

37 “And as the days of Noah were, so will be the arrival of the Son of Man. 38 For just as in the days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ship, 39 and they didn’t know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will be the arrival of the Son of Man. 40 Then two men will be in the field: one will be taken and one will be left. 41 Two women will be grinding at the mill: one will be taken and one will be left. 42 So stay alert, because you don’t know in what hour your Master comes. 43 But know this, that if the master of the house had known which guard shift the thief was coming, he would have stayed alert, and would not have allowed his house to be broken into. 44 Therefore also be ready, for in an hour that you don’t expect, the Son of Man will come.

45 “Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom his master has set over his household, to give them their food in due season? 46 Blessed is that servant whom his master finds doing so when he comes. 47 Certainly I tell you that he will set him over all that he has. 48 But if that evil servant should say in his heart, ‘My master is delaying his coming,’ 49 and begins to beat his fellow servants, and eat and drink with the drunkards, 50 the master of that servant will come in a day when he doesn’t expect, and in an hour when he doesn’t know, 51 and will cut him in in two, and appoint his portion with the hypocrites. That is where the weeping and grinding of teeth will be.


Next: Chapter 25

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