Matthew 24–25

Destruction of the Temple Predicted

24As Jesus left and was going out of the temple complex, ^rHis disciples ^scame up and called His attention to the temple buildings. ²Then He replied to them, “Don’t you see all these things? ^•I assure 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?” ^t

⁴Then Jesus replied to them: “Watch out that no one deceives ^uyou. ⁵For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the ^•Messiah,’ and they will deceive many. ^v6You 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 ^wxand earthquakes in various places. ^y8All these events are the beginning of birth pains. ^z

Persecutions Predicted

⁹“Then they will hand you over for persecution, ^aand they will kill you. You will be hated by all nations because of My name. ^b10Then many will ^•take offense, betray one another and hate one another. ¹¹Many false prophets ^cwill rise up and deceive many. ¹²Because lawlessness ^dwill multiply, the love of many will grow cold. ¹³But the one who endures to the end will be delivered. ^e14This good news of the kingdom will be proclaimed in all the world ^fas a testimony to all nations. ^gAnd then the end will come. ^h

The Great Tribulation

¹⁵“So when you see the abomination that causes desolation, ^ijspoken of by the prophet Daniel, ^kstanding in the holy place” ^l(let the reader understand ^m), ¹⁶“then those in Judea must flee to the mountains! ¹⁷A man on the housetop ⁿmust not come down to get things out of his house. ^o18And a man in the field must not go back to get his clothes. 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 tribulation, ^pthe kind that hasn’t taken place from the beginning of the world until now and never will again! ²²Unless those days were limited, no one would ^qsurvive. ^rBut those days will be limited because of the elect. ^s

²³“If anyone tells you then, ‘Look, here is the Messiah!’ ^tor, ‘Over here!’ do not believe it! ^u24False messiahs ^vand false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders to lead astray, ^wif possible, even the elect. ²⁵Take note: I have told you in advance. ²⁶So if they tell you, ‘Look, He’s in the wilderness!’ don’t go out; ‘Look, He’s in the inner rooms!’ 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. ^x28Wherever the carcass is, there the vultures ^ywill gather. ^z

The Coming of the Son of Man

²⁹“Immediately after the tribulation ^aof those days:

The sun will be darkened,

and the moon will not shed its light;

the stars will fall from the sky,

and the celestial powers will be shaken.

³⁰“Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the peoples of the earth ^bwill mourn; ^cand they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. ^d31He will send out His angels with a loud trumpet, ^eand they will gather His elect from the four winds, ^ffrom one end of the sky to the other.

The Parable of the Fig Tree

³²“Now learn this parable ^gfrom the fig tree: As soon as its branch becomes tender and sprouts leaves, you know that summer is near. ³³In the same way, when you see all these things, recognize ^hthat He ⁱis near—at the door! ^j34I assure you: This generation will certainly not pass away until all these things take place. ^k35Heaven and earth will pass away, ^lbut My words will never pass away. ^m

No One Knows the Day or Hour

³⁶“Now concerning that day and hour no one knows—neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son ⁿ—except the Father only. ^o37As the days of Noah were, so the coming of the Son of Man will be. ³⁸For in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day Noah boarded the ark. ^p39They didn’t know ^quntil the flood came and swept them all away. So this is the way the coming of the Son of Man will be: ⁴⁰Then two men 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. ^r42Therefore be alert, since you don’t know what day ^syour Lord is coming. ^t43But know this: If the homeowner had known what time ^uthe thief was coming, he would have stayed alert and not let his house be broken into. ^v44This is why you also must be ready, because the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect. ^w

Faithful Service to the Messiah

⁴⁵“Who then is a faithful and sensible ^•slave, ^xwhom his master has put in charge of his household, to give them food at the proper time? ^y46That slave whose master finds him working ^zwhen he comes will be rewarded. ⁴⁷I assure you: He will put him in charge of all his possessions. ⁴⁸But if that wicked slave says in his heart, ‘My master is delayed,’ ⁴⁹and starts to beat his fellow slaves, and eats and drinks with drunkards, ^a50that slave’s master will come on a day he does not expect and at an hour he does not know. ⁵¹He will cut him to pieces ^band assign him a place with the hypocrites. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

The Parable of the 10 Virgins

25“Then the kingdom of heaven will be like 10 virgins ^cwho took their lamps and went out to meet the groom. ^d2Five of them were foolish and five were sensible. ^e3When the foolish took their lamps, they didn’t take olive oil with them. ⁴But the sensible ones took oil in their flasks with their lamps. ⁵Since the groom was delayed, they all became drowsy and fell asleep.

⁶“In the middle of the night there was a shout: ‘Here’s the groom! Come out to meet him.’

⁷“Then all those virgins got up and trimmed their lamps. ⁸But the foolish ones said to the sensible ones, ‘Give us some of your oil, because our lamps are going out.’

⁹“The sensible ones answered, ‘No, there won’t be enough for us and for you. Go instead to those who sell, and buy oil for yourselves.’

¹⁰“When they had gone to buy some, the groom arrived. Then those who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet, and the door was shut. ^f

¹¹“Later the rest of the virgins also came and said, ‘Master, master, open up for us!’

¹²“But he replied, ‘^•I assure you: I do not know you!’

¹³“Therefore be alert, because you don’t know either the day or the hour. ^g

The Parable of the Talents

¹⁴“For it is just like a man going on a journey. ^hHe called his own ^•slaves and turned over his possessions to them. ¹⁵To one he gave five talents; ⁱto another, two; and to another, one—to each according to his own ability. Then he went on a journey. ^jImmediately ¹⁶the man who had received five talents went, put them to work, and earned five more. ¹⁷In the same way the man with two earned two more. ¹⁸But the man who had received one talent went off, dug a hole in the ground, and hid his master’s money.

¹⁹“After a long time the master of those slaves came and settled accounts with them. ²⁰The man who had received five talents approached, presented five more talents, and said, ‘Master, you gave me five talents. Look, I’ve earned five more talents.’

²¹“His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful slave! You were faithful over a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Share your master’s joy!’ ^k

²²“Then the man with two talents also approached. He said, ‘Master, you gave me two talents. Look, I’ve earned two more talents.’

²³“His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful slave! You were faithful over a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Share your master’s joy!’

²⁴“Then the man who had received one talent also approached and said, ‘Master, I know you. You’re a difficult man, reaping where you haven’t sown and gathering where you haven’t scattered seed. ^l25So I was afraid and went off and hid your talent in the ground. Look, you have what is yours.’

²⁶“But his master replied to him, ‘You evil, lazy slave! ^mIf you knew that I reap where I haven’t sown and gather where I haven’t scattered, ²⁷then ⁿyou should have deposited my money with the bankers. And when I returned I would have received my money ^oback with interest.

²⁸“ ‘So take the talent from him and give it to the one who has 10 talents. ²⁹For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have more than enough. But from the one who does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him. ^p30And throw this good-for-nothing slave into the outer darkness. ^qIn that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

The Sheep and the Goats

³¹“When the ^•Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels ^rswith Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. ^t32All the nations ^uvwill be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, just as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. ^w33He will put the sheep on His right and the goats on the left. ³⁴Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by My Father, inherit the kingdom ^xprepared for you from the foundation of the world. ^y

³⁵For I was hungry

and you gave Me something to eat;

I was thirsty

and you gave Me something to drink;

I was a stranger and you took Me in;

³⁶I was naked and you clothed Me;

I was sick and you took care of Me;

I was in prison and you visited Me.’ ^z

³⁷“Then the righteous will answer Him, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You something to drink? ³⁸When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or without clothes and clothe You? ³⁹When did we see You sick, or in prison, and visit You?’ …