^24:15“So when you see the abomination of desolation²³—spoken about by Daniel the prophet—standing in the holy place (let the reader understand), ^24:16then those in Judea must flee²⁴ to the mountains. ^24:17The one on the roof²⁵ must not come down²⁶ to take anything out of his house, ^24:18and the one in the field must not turn back to get his cloak. ^24:19Woe²⁷ to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing their babies in those days! ^24:20Pray²⁸ that your flight may not be in winter or on a Sabbath. ^24:21For then there will be great suffering²⁹ unlike anything that has happened³⁰ from the beginning of the world until now, or ever will happen. ^24:22And 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. ^24:23Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’³¹ or ‘There he is!’ do not believe him. ^24:24For false messiahs³² and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. ^24:25Remember,³³ I have told you ahead of time. ^24:26So then, if someone³⁴ says to you, ‘Look, he is in the wilderness,’³⁵ do not go out, or ‘Look, he is in the inner rooms,’ do not believe him. ^24:27For just like the lightning³⁶ comes from the east and flashes to the west, so the coming of the Son of Man will be. ^24:28Wherever the corpse is, there the vultures³⁷ will gather.³⁸

The Arrival of the Son of Man

^24:29“Immediately³⁹ after the suffering⁴⁰ 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.⁴¹^24:30Then⁴² the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven,⁴³ and⁴⁴ all the tribes of the earth will mourn. They⁴⁵ will see the Son of Man arriving on the clouds of heaven⁴⁶ with power and great glory. ^24:31And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet blast, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven⁴⁷ to the other.

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Footnotes

23 The reference to the abomination of desolation is an allusion to Dan 9:27. Though some have seen the fulfillment of Daniel’s prophecy in the actions of Antiochus IV (or a representative of his) in 167 b.c., the words of Jesus seem to indicate that Antiochus was not the final fulfillment, but that there was (from Jesus’ perspective) still another fulfillment yet to come. Some argue that this was realized in a.d. 70, while others claim that it refers specifically to Antichrist and will not be fully realized until the period of the great tribulation at the end of the age (cf. Mark 13:14, 19, 24; Rev 3:10).
24 Fleeing to the mountains is a key OT image: Gen 19:17; Judg 6:2; Isa 15:5; Jer 16:16; Zech 14:5.
25 On the roof. Most of the roofs in the NT were flat roofs made of pounded dirt, sometimes mixed with lime or stones, supported by heavy wooden beams. They generally had an easy means of access, either a sturdy wooden ladder or stone stairway, sometimes on the outside of the house.
26 The swiftness and devastation of the judgment will require a swift escape. There will be no time to come down from the roof and pick up anything from inside one’s home.
27 Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
28 Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
29 Traditionally, “great tribulation.”
30 Suffering unlike anything that has happened. Some refer this event to the destruction of Jerusalem in a.d. 70. While the events of a.d. 70 may reflect somewhat the comments Jesus makes here, the reference to the scope and severity of this judgment strongly suggest that much more is in view. Most likely Jesus is referring to the great end-time judgment on Jerusalem in the great tribulation.
31 Or “Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.” See the note on Christ in .
32 Or “false christs”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”
33 Or “Pay attention!” Grk “Behold.”
34 Grk “they say.” The third person plural is used here as an indefinite and translated “someone” ( ).
35 Or “in the desert.”
36 The Son of Man’s coming in power will be sudden and obvious like lightning. No one will need to point it out.
37 The same Greek term can refer to “eagles” or “vultures” (L&N 4.42; ἀετός), but in this context it must mean vultures because the gruesome image is one of dead bodies being consumed by scavengers. Jesus’ answer is that when the judgment comes, the scenes of death will be obvious and so will the location of the judgment. See also Luke 17:37.
38 Grk “will be gathered.” The passive construction has been translated as an active one in English.
39 Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
40 Traditionally, “tribulation.”
41 An allusion to Isa 13:10, 34:4 (); Joel 2:10. The heavens were seen as the abode of heavenly forces, so their shaking indicates distress in the spiritual realm. Although some take the powers as a reference to bodies in the heavens (like stars and planets, “the heavenly bodies,” ) this is not as likely.
42 Here καί (kai) has not been translated.
43 Or “in the sky”; the Greek word οὐρανός (ouranos) may be translated “sky” or “heaven,” depending on the context.
44 Here τότε (tote, “then”) has not been translated to avoid redundancy in English.
45 Here καί (kai) has not been translated.
46 An allusion to Dan 7:13. Here is Jesus returning with full authority to judge.
47 Or “of the sky”; the Greek word οὐρανός (ouranos) may be translated “sky” or “heaven,” depending on the context.