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Matthew 24:3-44
Signs of the End of the Age
(Mk 13.3-8; Lk 21.7-11)
3 When he was sitting on the
Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him
privately, saying, "Tell us, when will this be, and
what will be the sign of
your coming and of the end of the age?" 4 Jesus answered them, "Beware that
no one leads you
astray. 5 For many will come in my name, saying, 'I am the
Messiah!' and they will lead many astray. 6 And you will hear
of wars and
rumors of wars; see that you are not alarmed; for this must take place, but
the end is not yet. 7 For nation
will rise against nation, and kingdom
against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various
places:
8 all this is but the beginning of the birth pangs.
Persecutions Foretold
(Mk 13.9-13; Lk 21.12-19)
9
"Then they will hand you over to be tortured and will put you to death,
and you will be hated by all nations because of
my name. 10 Then many will
fall away, and they will betray one another and hate one another. 11 And
many false
prophets will arise and lead many astray. 12 And because of the
increase of lawlessness, the love of many will grow
cold. 13 But the one who
endures to the end will be saved. 14 And this good news of the kingdom will
be proclaimed throughout
the world, as a testimony to all the nations; and
then the end will come.
The Desolating Sacrilege
(Mk 13.14-23;
Lk 17.23-24, 37; 21.20-24)
15 "So when you see the desolating sacrilege standing in the holy place, as
was spoken
of by the prophet Daniel (let the reader understand), 16 then
those in Judea must flee to the mountains; 17 the one on
the housetop must
not go down to take what is in the house; 18 the one in the field must not
turn back to get a coat.
19 Woe to those who are pregnant and to those who
are nursing infants in those days! 20 Pray that your flight may not be
in
winter or on a sabbath. 21 For at that time there will be great suffering,
such as has not been from the beginning
of the world until now, no, and
never will be. 22 And if those days had not been cut short, no one would be
saved; but
for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short. 23 Then
if anyone says to you, 'Look! Here is the Messiah!' or
'There he is!'-do not
believe it. 24 For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and produce
great signs and omens,
to lead astray, if possible, even the elect. 25 Take
note, I have told you beforehand. 26 So, if they say to you, 'Look!
He is in
the wilderness,' do not go out. If they say, 'Look! He is in the inner
rooms,' do not believe it. 27 For as
the lightning comes from the east and
flashes as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 28
Wherever the corpse is, there the vultures
will gather.
The
Coming of the Son of Man
(Mk 13.24-27; Lk 21.25-28)
29 "Immediately after the suffering of those days
the sun will be darkened,
and the moon will not give its light;
the stars will fall from heaven,
and
the powers of heaven will be shaken.
30 Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the
tribes
of the earth will mourn, and they will see 'the Son of Man coming on
the clouds of heaven' with power and great glory.
31 And he will send out
his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the
four winds, from
one end of heaven to the other.
The Lesson of the Fig Tree
(Mk
13.28-31; Lk 21.29-33)
32 "From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender
and puts forth
its leaves, you know that summer is near. 33 So also, when
you see all these things, you know that he is near, at the very
gates. 34
Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all these things
have taken place. 35 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not
pass away.
The Necessity for
Watchfulness
(Mk 13.32-37; Lk 17.26-27, 34-35; 21.34-36)
36 "But about that day and hour no one knows, neither
the angels of heaven,
nor the Son, but only the Father. 37 For as the days of Noah were, so will
be the coming of the
Son of Man. 38 For as in those days before the flood
they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until
the
day Noah entered the ark, 39 and they knew nothing until the flood came and
swept them all away, so too will be
the coming of the Son of Man. 40 Then
two will be in the field; one will be taken and one will be left. 41 Two
women
will be grinding meal together; one will be taken and one will be
left. 42 Keep awake therefore, for you do not know on
what day your Lord is
coming. 43 But understand this: if the owner of the house had known in what
part of the night
the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would
not have let his house be broken into. 44 Therefore you also
must be ready,
for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour.
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