Matthew 24

The Temple's Destruction Foretold

1Jesus left the temple and was going away when his disciples came to point out the temple buildings to him. 2He answered them, “Do you see all these things? Truly I tell you, not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down.”

Signs, Persecution, and Endurance

3As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately and asked, “Tell us, when will these things happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the completion of the age?” 4Jesus answered them, “See that no one leads you astray. 5For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and they will lead many astray. 6You will hear of wars and reports of wars. See that you are not alarmed, because these things must happen, but the end is not yet. 7Nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. 8All these things are the beginning of birth pains. 9Then they will hand you over to distress and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations because of my name. 10Then many will fall away, hand one another over, and hate one another. 11Many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. 12Because lawlessness will increase, the love of many will grow cold. 13But the one who endures to the end will be saved. 14And this good news of the kingdom will be proclaimed in the whole inhabited world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.

The Desolating Abomination

15“Therefore, when you see the abomination of desolation spoken of through Daniel the prophet standing in the holy place—let the reader understand— 16then let those in Judea flee to the mountains. 17Let the one on the housetop not come down to take things out of the house, 18and let the one in the field not turn back to get a cloak. 19Woe to those who are pregnant and to those nursing infants in those days! 20Pray that your flight will not happen in winter or on a Sabbath. 21For then there will be great distress, unlike anything from the beginning of the world until now, and never to be repeated. 22If those days had not been cut short, no flesh would be saved. But for the sake of the chosen, those days will be cut short.

False Christs and the Coming of the Son of Man

23“Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or, ‘There he is!’ do not believe it. 24For false christs and false prophets will arise and give great signs and wonders in order to lead astray, if possible, even the chosen. 25Look, I have told you beforehand. 26Therefore if they tell you, ‘Look, he is in the wilderness,’ do not go out; or, ‘Look, he is in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it. 27For just as lightning comes from the east and flashes as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 28Wherever the corpse is, there the vultures will gather.

29“Immediately after the distress of those days,
‘the sun will be darkened,
the moon will not give its light,
the stars will fall from heaven,
and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.’ 30Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. 31He will send his angels with a great trumpet, and they will gather his chosen from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

The Fig Tree and This Generation

32“Learn the parable from the fig tree: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts out leaves, you know that summer is near. 33In the same way, when you see all these things, know that it is near, at the doors. 34Truly I tell you, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things happen. 35Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will certainly not pass away.

No One Knows the Day and Hour

36“But concerning that day and hour no one knows—not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone. 37For just as the days of Noah were, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 38In those days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day Noah entered the ark. 39They did not know until the flood came and swept them all away. So also will be the coming of the Son of Man. 40Then two will be in the field; one will be taken and one left. 41Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one left. 42Therefore stay awake, because you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. 43But understand this: if the owner of the house had known at what watch the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have allowed his house to be broken into. 44Therefore you also must be ready, because the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.

The Faithful and Unfaithful Servants

45“Who then is the faithful and wise servant whom the master put over the household to give them food at the proper time? 46Blessed is that servant whom the master finds doing so when he comes. 47Truly I tell you, the master will put that servant over all his possessions. 48But if that evil servant says in his heart, ‘My master is delayed,’ 49and begins to beat fellow servants and eat and drink with drunkards, 50the master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect and at an hour he does not know. 51He will cut him in two and assign him a place with the hypocrites. There will be weeping and grinding of teeth.