Matthew 24:1–28

DESTRUCTION OF THE TEMPLE PREDICTED

24As Jesus left and was going out of the temple,ⁿ his disciples^o came up and called his attention to its buildings. ²He replied to them, “Do you see all these things? Truly I tell you, not one stone will be left here on another that will not be thrown down.”

SIGNS OF THE END OF THE AGE

³While he was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples approached him privately and said, “Tell us, when will these things happen? And what is the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?”^p

⁴Jesus replied to them, “Watch out that no one deceives^q you. ⁵For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and they will deceive many.^{r 6}You are going to hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, because these things must take place, but the end is not yet. ⁷For nation will rise up against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines^As and earthquakes in various places.^{t 8}All these events are the beginning of labor pains.^u

PERSECUTIONS PREDICTED

⁹“Then they will hand you over to be persecuted, and they will kill you. You will be hated by all nations because of my name.^{v 10}Then many will fall away, betray one another, and hate one another. ¹¹Many false prophets^w will rise up and deceive many. ¹²Because lawlessness^x will multiply, the love of many will grow cold. ¹³But the one who endures to the end will be saved. ¹⁴This good news of the kingdom will be proclaimed in all the world^B as a testimony to all nations,^y and then the end will come.^z

THE GREAT TRIBULATION

¹⁵“So when you see the abomination of desolation,^C spoken of by the prophet Daniel,^aa standing in the holy place”^ab (let the reader understand), ¹⁶“then those in Judea must flee to the mountains. ¹⁷A man on the housetop^D must not come down to get things out of his house,^{ac 18}and a man in the field must not go back to get his coat. ¹⁹Woe to pregnant women and nursing mothers in those days! ²⁰Pray that your escape may not be in winter or on a Sabbath. ²¹For at that time there will be great distress,^ad the kind that hasn’t taken place from the beginning of the world until now and never will again. ²²Unless those days were cut short, no one would^F be saved. But those days will be cut short because of the elect.^ae

²³“If anyone tells you then, ‘See, here is the Messiah!’^a or, ‘Over here!’ do not believe it.^{b 24}For false messiahs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders to lead astray,^c if possible, even the elect. ²⁵Take note: I have told you in advance. ²⁶So if they tell you, ‘See, he’s in the wilderness!’ don’t go out; or, ‘See, he’s in the storerooms!’ do not believe it. ²⁷For as the lightning comes from the east and flashes as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.^{d 28}Wherever the carcass is, there the vultures^G will gather.^e