Matthew 24
1 And having gone forth, Jesus departed from the temple, and his disciples came near to show him the buildings of the temple,
Jesus left the Temple [courtyard]. As he was walking along, [we] disciples came to him to ask him to note [how beautiful] the Temple buildings [were].
2 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.'
He said to us, “These buildings that you are looking at [RHQ] [are wonderful, but] I want to tell you [something about them. They will soon be completely destroyed] {[Foreign invaders will completely destroy them]}. Every stone [in these buildings] will be thrown down {they will throw down every stone in these buildings}. Not one stone will be left {They will not leave one stone} on top of another stone.”
3 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?' (aiōn g165)
[Later], as Jesus was sitting alone on [the slope of] Olive [Tree] Hill, [we] disciples went to him and asked him, “When will this happen [to the buildings of the Temple? Also, tell us what will happen to indicate that you are about to] come again, and [to indicate] that this world is ending?” (aiōn g165)
4 And Jesus answering said to them, 'Take heed that no one may lead you astray,
Jesus replied, “[All that I will say is], be sure that no one deceives you [about what will happen]
5 for many shall come in my name, saying, I am the Christ, and they shall lead many astray,
Many [people] will come and say (that I sent them/that they have my authority) [MTY]. They will say, ‘I am the Messiah’, and they will deceive many [people].
6 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.
You will hear about wars [that are close] and wars that are far away, but do not let that trouble you. Keep in mind that [God has said that] those things must happen. But [when they happen], it will not mean that the end [of the world] has come!
7 'For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places;
[Groups in various] countries will fight each other, and [various] governments [will also fight] against each other. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places.
8 and all these [are] the beginning of sorrows;
These things will happen first. Then there will be other things that [will happen before I return. What will happen will be like the first pains] of childbirth MET].
9 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;
At that time [people who oppose you] will take you to [the authorities, who] will mistreat you and kill you. You will be hated by [people who live in] all nations [PRS] {[People who live in] all nations [PRS] will hate you} because [you believe in me][MTY].
10 and then shall many be stumbled, and they shall deliver up one another, and shall hate one another.
Also, many [people] will stop believing [in me because of the way they will suffer]. They will betray each other and will hate each other.
11 'And many false prophets shall arise, and shall lead many astray;
Many will come saying that they are prophets, but they will be lying, and they will deceive many people.
12 and because of the abounding of the lawlessness, the love of the many shall become cold;
Because there will be more and more [people] who will disobey [God’s] laws [PRS], many [people] will no longer [MET] love [their fellow believers] [PRS].
13 but he who did endure to the end, he shall be saved;
But [all] those who keep on [believing in me] to the end [of their lives] will 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.
Furthermore, the good message about my ruling over people’s lives will be preached in every part of the world, in order that people of all ethnic groups may hear it. Then the end [of the world] will come.”
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)
“[But before the world ends], the disgusting person who will defile [the] holy [Temple and cause people to abandon it will stand in the Temple. Daniel the prophet spoke and wrote] about that [long ago]. May everyone who reads [this] pay attention [to the following warning from me: ]
16 then those in Judea — let them flee to the mounts;
When you see that happen [in the Temple, those of you] who are in Judea [district] must flee to the [higher] hills!
17 he on the house-top — let him not come down to take up any thing out of his house;
Those who are outside their houses must not go back into their houses to get things [before they flee].
18 and he in the field — let him not turn back to take his garments.
Those who are [working] in a field should not turn back to get their outer clothing [before they flee].
19 'And woe to those with child, and to those giving suck in those days;
I [feel] very sorry for women who will be pregnant and women who will be nursing [their babies] in those days, [because it will be very difficult for them to run away]
20 and pray ye that your flight may not be in winter, nor on a sabbath;
Pray that you will not have to flee (in the winter/in the rainy season) [when it will be hard to travel]. [People who think that God never allows anyone to do any work on] our day of rest [will not help you as you flee, so] pray also that you will not have to flee on such a day,
21 for there shall be then great tribulation, such as was not from the beginning of the world till now, no, nor may be.
because people will suffer very severely [when those things happen]. People have never suffered that severely since [God] created the world until now, and no one will ever [suffer like that again].
22 And if those days were not shortened, no flesh would have been saved; but because of the chosen, shall those days be shortened.
If [God had not decided to] shorten that time [MTY] [when people will suffer so much], everyone [LIT] would die. But [he has decided to] shorten it because [he is concerned] about [the people] whom [he] has chosen.”
23 'Then if any one may say to you, Lo, here [is] the Christ! or here! ye may not believe;
“[At that time] people will appear [who will] falsely [say that they are] the Messiah or [that they are] prophets. They will perform many kinds (of miracles/of things that ordinary people cannot do), in order to deceive people. They will even try [to see] if [it is] possible to deceive [you people whom God has] chosen. So, at that time, if someone says to you, ‘Look, here [is] the Messiah!’ or [if someone says], ‘Over there is the Messiah!’ do not believe it!
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.
Do not forget [that] I have warned you about all this before [it happens].
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;
So if someone says to you, ‘Look, [the Messiah] is in the desolate area!’ do not go there. [Likewise, if someone says to you], ‘Look, he is in a secret room!’ do not believe [that person],
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;
because just like lightning flashes from the east to the west [and people everywhere can] see it [SIM], when [I], the one who came from heaven, return again, [everyone will see me].
28 for wherever the carcase may be, there shall the eagles be gathered together.
[When I return, it will be as obvious to everyone as the fact that] wherever you see vultures gathering, you know that there will be an animal carcass [MET] there. (OR, Just like the vultures gather together wherever there is an animal carcass, God will punish sinful people wherever they are.)”
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;
“Immediately after many people have suffered during those days, [the universe will become dark]. The sun will become dark. The moon will not shine. The stars will fall from the sky. And the powerful [objects] in the sky will be shaken. (OR, And the spiritual beings in space will be deposed.)
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;
After that, something [will be seen] {[people will observe something]} in the sky that indicates that [I], the one who came from heaven, [am returning to the earth]. Then [unbelieving people from] all ethnic groups of the earth will [mourn because they will be afraid] of [God punishing them]. They will see [me], the one who came from heaven, coming on the clouds with power and great glory [as I return to the earth].
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.
I will send my angels [to the earth] from everywhere in the heavens. [They will be] blowing trumpets loudly. [Then] from throughout the whole earth [DOU] they will gather the people whom I have chosen.”
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,
“[Now] I [want you to] learn something [from] this parable about [how] fig trees [grow]. [In this area], when the buds [of a fig tree] become tender and its leaves begin to sprout, you know that summer is near.
33 so also ye, when ye may see all these, ye know that it is nigh — at the doors.
Similarly, when you see all these things that I [have just described happening], you will know that [the time for me to return] is very close [MET].
34 Verily I say to you, this generation may not pass away till all these may come to pass.
Keep this in mind: All of these events will happen before all the people who have observed the things that I have done have died.
35 The heaven and the earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.
[You can be certain that these] things that I have told [you] about will happen. You can be more certain of that than you can be certain that the earth and sky [LIT] will continue to exist.”
36 'And concerning that day and the hour no one hath known — not even the messengers of the heavens — except my Father only;
“But neither I, nor any other person, nor any angel in heaven, knows either the day or the hour [when the things that I have told you about will happen]. Only [God, my] Father, [knows].
37 and as the days of Noah — so shall be also the presence of the Son of Man;
It will be like what happened when Noah lived. Until the flood came, [the people] did not know that [anything bad would happen] to them. Before the flood waters covered the earth, [the people] were eating and drinking [as usual]. Some men were marrying women and [some parents] were giving their daughters to men to marry them. They were doing all this until the day that Noah [and his family] entered the big boat. And then the flood came and drowned all [those who were not in the boat]. Similarly, [the unbelieving people will not know] when [I, the one who came from heaven], will return, [and they will not] be [expecting me].
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;
When I [return], I [will not take all people up to heaven. I will take only those who trust in me. For example], two [people] will be in the fields. One of them will be taken {[I] will take one of them} up [to heaven] and the other [person] will be left {and I will leave the other [person]} [here to be punished].
41 two women shall be grinding in the mill, one is received, and one is left.
[Similarly], two [women] will be at the mill grinding grain. One of them will be taken up [to heaven] and the other will be left.
42 'Watch ye therefore, because ye have not known in what hour your Lord doth come;
So, because you do not know what day [I], your Lord, will return [to the earth], you need to be ready [for me to return at any time].
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;
You know that if the owners of a house knew at what time in the night thieves would come, they would be awake and prevent the thieves from breaking into their houses. Similarly, I [will come just like unexpectedly as a thief].
44 because of this also ye, become ye ready, because in what hour ye do not think, the Son of Man doth come.
So you need to be ready [for my return], because [I], the one who came from heaven, will return [to the earth] at a time when you do not expect [me to 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?
“Think about what every faithful and wise servant is like [RHQ]. The house owner appoints one servant to supervise the other servants. He tells him to give them food at the proper times. [Then he leaves on a long trip].
46 Happy that servant, whom his lord, having come, shall find doing so;
If that servant is doing that [work] when the house owner returns, [the house owner] will be very pleased with him.
47 verily I say to you, that over all his substance he will set him.
Think about this: The house owner will appoint [that one servant] to be the supervisor of all his possessions.
48 'And, if that evil servant may say in his heart, My Lord doth delay to come,
But a wicked servant might say to himself, ‘The owner [has been away] for a long time, [so he probably] will not return soon [and find out what I am doing.’]
49 and may begin to beat the fellow-servants, and to eat and to drink with the drunken,
[So he] will begin to beat the other servants and eat and get drunk.
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,
[Then] the house owner will come back at a time when the servant does not expect him [DOU].
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.
He will punish that servant severely [HYP], (OR, cut that servant into two pieces) and he will put him where (the hypocrites/the ones who only pretended to be good) are put. In that place the people cry and grind their teeth [because they suffer very much].”
The World is Destroyed by Water
