Matthew 24

1 As Jesus left the temple and was walking away, His disciples came up to Him to point out its buildings.

And Jesus went out of the Temple, and on the way his disciples came to him, pointing out the buildings of the Temple.

2 “Do you see all these things?” He replied. “Truly I tell you, not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down.”

But he, answering, said to them, See you not all these things? truly I say to you that here there will not be one stone resting on another, which will not be pulled down.

3 While Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately. “Tell us,” they said, “when will these things happen, and what will be the sign of Your coming and of the end of the age?” (aiōn g165)

And while he was seated on the Mountain of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, Make clear to us, when will these things be? and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the world? (aiōn g165)

4 Jesus answered, “See to it that no one deceives you.

And Jesus said to them in answer, Take care that you are not tricked.

5 For many will come in My name, claiming, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many.

For people will come in my name, saying, I am the Christ; and a number will be turned from the true way through them.

6 You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. These things must happen, but the end is still to come.

And news will come to you of wars and talk of wars: do not be troubled, for these things have to be; but it is still not the end.

7 Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places.

For nation will be moved against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and men will be without food, and the earth will be shaking in different places;

8 All these are the beginning of birth pains.

But all these things are the first of the troubles.

9 Then they will deliver you over to be persecuted and killed, and you will be hated by all nations because of My name.

Then they will be cruel to you, and will put you to death: and you will be hated by all nations because of my name.

10 At that time many will fall away and will betray and hate one another,

And numbers of people will be turned from the right way, and will give one another up and have hate for one another.

11 and many false prophets will arise and mislead many.

And a number of false prophets will come, causing error.

12 Because of the multiplication of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold.

And because wrongdoing will be increased, the love of most people will become cold.

13 But the one who perseveres to the end will be saved.

But he who goes through to the end will get salvation.

14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.

And this good news of the kingdom will be given through all the world for a witness to all nations; and then the end will come.

15 So when you see standing in the holy place ‘the abomination of desolation,’ described by the prophet Daniel (let the reader understand),

When, then, you see in the holy place the unclean thing which makes destruction, of which word was given by Daniel the prophet (let this be clear to the reader),

16 then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.

Then let those who are in Judaea go in flight to the mountains:

17 Let no one on the housetop come down to retrieve anything from his house.

Let not him who is on the house-top go down to take anything out of his house:

18 And let no one in the field return for his cloak.

And let not him who is in the field go back to get his coat.

19 How miserable those days will be for pregnant and nursing mothers!

But it will be hard for women who are with child and for those with babies at the breast in those days.

20 Pray that your flight will not occur in the winter or on the Sabbath.

And say a prayer that your flight may not be in the winter, or on a Sabbath.

21 For at that time there will be great tribulation, unmatched from the beginning of the world until now, and never to be seen again.

Because in those days there will be great sorrow, such as there has not been from the start of the world till now, or ever will be.

22 If those days had not been cut short, nobody would be saved. But for the sake of the elect, those days will be cut short.

And if those days had not been made short there would have been no salvation for any, but because of the saints those days will be made short.

23 At that time, if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There He is!’ do not believe it.

Then if any man says to you, See, here is the Christ, or, Here; do not put faith in him;

24 For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders that would deceive even the elect, if that were possible.

For there will come up false Christs, and false prophets, who will do great signs and wonders; so that if possible even the saints might be tricked.

25 See, I have told you in advance.

See, I have made it clear to you before it comes about.

26 So if they tell you, ‘There He is in the wilderness,’ do not go out; or, ‘Here He is in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it.

If, then, they say to you, See, he is in the waste land; go not out: See, he is in the inner rooms; put no faith in it.

27 For just as the lightning comes from the east and flashes as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.

Because as in a thunderstorm the bright light coming from the east is seen even in the west; so will be the coming of the Son of man.

28 Wherever there is a carcass, there the vultures will gather.

Wherever the dead body is, there will the eagles come together.

29 Immediately after the tribulation 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 powers of the heavens will be shaken.’

But straight away, after the trouble of those days, the sun will be made dark and the moon will not give her light and the stars will come down from heaven and the powers of heaven will be moved:

30 At that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and 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.

And then the sign of the Son of man will be seen in heaven: and then all the nations of the earth will have sorrow, 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 the heavens to the other.

And he will send out his angels with a great sound of a horn, and they will get his saints together from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

32 Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its branches become tender and sprout leaves, you know that summer is near.

Now take an example from the fig-tree: when her branch has become soft and puts out its leaves, you are certain that the summer is near;

33 So also, when you see all these things, you will know that He is near, right at the door.

Even so, when you see all these things, you may be certain that he is near, even at the doors.

34 Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all these things have happened.

Truly I say to you, This generation will not come to an end till all these things are complete.

35 Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will never pass away.

Heaven and earth will come to an end, but my words will not come to an end.

36 No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.

But of that day and hour no one has knowledge, not even the angels in heaven, or the Son, but the Father only.

37 As it was in the days of Noah, so will it be at the coming of the Son of Man.

And as were the days of Noah, so will be 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, up to the day Noah entered the ark.

Because as in those days before the overflowing of the waters, they were feasting and taking wives and getting married, till the day when Noah went into the ark,

39 And they were oblivious, until the flood came and swept them all away. So will it be at the coming of the Son of Man.

And they had no care till the waters came and took them all away; so will be the coming of the Son of man.

40 Two men will be in the field: one will be taken and the other left.

Then two men will be in the field; one is taken, and one let go;

41 Two women will be grinding at the mill: one will be taken and the other left.

Two women will be crushing grain; one is taken, and one let go.

42 Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day on which your Lord will come.

Be watching, then! for you have no knowledge on what day your Lord will come.

43 But understand this: If the homeowner had known in which watch of the night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into.

But be certain of this, that if the master of the house had had knowledge of the time when the thief was coming, he would have been watching, and would not have let his house be broken into.

44 For this reason, you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour you do not expect.

Be ready then; for at a time which you have no thought of the Son of man will come.

45 Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of his household, to give the others their food at the proper time?

Who is the true and wise servant, whom his lord has put over those in his house, to give them their food at the right time?

46 Blessed is that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns.

A blessing on that servant, who will be doing so when his lord comes.

47 Truly I tell you, he will put him in charge of all his possessions.

Truly, I say to you, he will put him over all he has.

48 But suppose that servant is wicked and says in his heart, ‘My master will be away a long time.’

But if that evil servant says in his heart, My lord is a long time in coming;

49 And he begins to beat his fellow servants and to eat and drink with drunkards.

And is cruel to the other servants, taking his pleasure with those who are overcome with wine;

50 The master of that servant will come on a day he does not expect and at an hour he does not anticipate.

The lord of that servant will come in a day when he is not looking for him, and in an hour of which he has no knowledge,

51 Then he will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

And will have him cut in two, and will give him a part in the fate of the false ones: there will be weeping and cries of sorrow.

The World is Destroyed by Water