Matthew 24

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Jesus prophesies the complete destruction of the Temple, prompting His disciples to inquire about the signs of His coming and the end of the world. He warns of widespread deception, wars, famines, and severe persecution, which are the "beginning of sorrows." Jesus describes His sudden, glorious return following a period of great tribulation and urges His followers to remain watchful and ready, as the precise time is unknown.

Prophecy of the Temple's Destruction 1–3

And Jesus went out from the temple, and was going on his way; and his disciples came to him to show him the buildings of the temple.

But he answered and said unto them, See ye not all these things? verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.

And as he sat on the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?

Signs of the Beginning of Sorrows 4–14

And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man lead you astray.

For many shall come in my name, saying, I am the Christ; and shall lead many astray.

And ye shall hear of wars and rumors of wars; see that ye be not troubled: for these things must needs come to pass; but the end is not yet.

For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; and there shall be famines and earthquakes in divers places.

But all these things are the beginning of travail.

Then shall they deliver you up unto tribulation, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all the nations for my name’s sake.

And then shall many stumble, and shall deliver up one another, and shall hate one another.

And many false prophets shall arise, and shall lead many astray.

And because iniquity shall be multiplied, the love of the many shall wax cold.

But he that endureth to the end, the same shall be saved.

And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world for a testimony unto all the nations; and then shall the end come.

The Great Tribulation and False Christs 15–28

When therefore ye see the abomination of desolation, which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place (let him that readeth understand),

then let them that are in Judæa flee unto the mountains:

let him that is on the housetop not go down to take out the things that are in his house:

and let him that is in the field not return back to take his cloak.

But woe unto them that are with child and to them that give suck in those days!

And pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on a sabbath:

for then shall be great tribulation, such as hath not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, nor ever shall be.

And except those days had been shortened, no flesh would have been saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened.

Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is the Christ, or, Here; believe it not.

For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders; so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect.

Behold, I have told you beforehand.

If therefore they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the wilderness; go not forth: Behold, he is in the inner chambers; believe it not.

For as the lightning cometh forth from the east, and is seen even unto the west; so shall be the coming of the Son of man.

Wheresoever the carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered together.

The Coming of the Son of Man 29–31

But 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 heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:

and then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.

And he shall send forth his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

The Lesson of the Fig Tree 32–35

Now from the fig tree learn her parable: when her branch is now become tender, and putteth forth its leaves, ye know that the summer is nigh;

even so ye also, when ye see all these things, know ye that he is nigh, even at the doors.

Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass away, till all these things be accomplished.

Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.

No One Knows the Day or Hour 36–44

But of that day and hour knoweth no one, not even the angels of heaven, neither the Son, but the Father only.

And as were the days of Noah, so shall be the coming of the Son of man.

For as in those days which were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark,

and they knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall be the coming of the Son of man.

Then shall two men be in the field; one is taken, and one is left:

two women shall be grinding at the mill; one is taken, and one is left.

Watch therefore: for ye know not on what day your Lord cometh.

But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what watch the thief was coming, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken through.

Therefore be ye also ready; for in an hour that ye think not the Son of man cometh.

Parable of the Faithful Servant 45–51

Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath set over his household, to give them their food in due season?

Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing.

Verily I say unto you, that he will set him over all that he hath.

But if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord tarrieth;

and shall begin to beat his fellow-servants, and shall eat and drink with the drunken;

the lord of that servant shall come in a day when he expecteth not, and in an hour when he knoweth not,

and shall cut him asunder, and appoint his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be the weeping and the gnashing of teeth.

Bible text: American Standard Version (1901) · Public domain

Study Notes for Matthew 24

Verse 1

shew him the buildings of the temple — 'Temple' is hieron, the whole sacred precinct; 'buildings' is oikodome, structures. Mark 13:1 gives the disciple's words, 'see what manner of stones and what buildings are here!', and John 2:20 says the temple had been 'Forty and six years' in building.

Verse 2

one stone upon another — 'Thrown down' is kataluo, to loosen down, the verb of the charge at his trial, 'I am able to destroy the temple of God' (Matt 26:61). Luke records the sentence as spoken over the city: 'they shall not leave in thee one stone upon another' (Luke 19:44).

Verse 3

thy coming, and of the end of the world — 'Coming' is parousia, arrival or presence, found in the Gospels only in this chapter (vv.3, 27, 37, 39). 'End' is sunteleia, the completion of the age: six times in the New Testament, five in Matthew (13:39, 40, 49; 24:3; 28:20). The question joins 'these things', the temple of v.2, with his coming and the end of the age.

Verse 8

the beginning of sorrows — 'Sorrows' is odin, birth-pangs, the word of 'travail upon a woman with child' (1 Thess 5:3) and, in Acts 2:24, of 'the pains of death'. Mark 13:8 has the same word. The wars, famines and earthquakes of vv.6–7 are named only the beginning of these pangs.

Verse 9

afflicted — Thlipsis, pressure or tribulation, the word translated 'tribulation' in vv.21 and 29; Matthew has it four times (13:21; 24:9, 21, 29). The hatred was foretold before: 'If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you' (John 15:20). Luke has 'ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake' (Luke 21:17).

Verse 14

in all the world — 'World' is oikoumene, the inhabited earth; Paul uses it in 'their words unto the ends of the world' (Rom 10:18) and says the gospel 'was preached to every creature which is under heaven' (Col 1:23). Rev 14:6 sees the gospel carried 'to every nation'.

Verse 15

the abomination of desolation — Bdelugma, a detestable thing, with eremosis, laying waste. Daniel speaks of 'the abomination that maketh desolate' (Dan 11:31; 12:11). Luke's parallel names the sign as 'Jerusalem compassed with armies' (Luke 21:20). Christians differ whether Jesus points to the siege of Jerusalem, to a figure still to come, or to both.

Verse 20

neither on the sabbath day — Only Matthew adds the sabbath; Mark 13:18 has just 'pray ye that your flight be not in the winter.' Flight (phuge) on the sabbath would meet the limit of the seventh day, 'let no man go out of his place' (Ex 16:29); Olivet itself is 'a sabbath day's journey' from the city (Acts 1:12).

Verse 21

great tribulation — The words recall Dan 12:1, 'a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation'. Luke ties it to Jerusalem: they 'shall be led away captive into all nations' (Luke 21:24). 'Great tribulation' is also the phrase of Rev 7:14.

Verse 24

false Christs, and false prophets — Pseudochristos, a false anointed one, occurs only here and in Mark 13:22. The 'signs and wonders' were a test even in the law: a prophet who 'giveth thee a sign or a wonder' but says 'Let us go after other gods' is not to be followed (Deut 13:1–2). Paul writes of 'lying wonders' (2 Thess 2:9).

Verse 27

as the lightning cometh out of the east — 'East' is anatole, the rising, the word of 'his star in the east' (Matt 2:2). The coming (parousia) shines 'unto the west', in the open, against the claims of v.26, 'he is in the desert' and 'in the secret chambers'. Luke 17:24 has the same simile.

Verse 28

the carcase… the eagles — 'Carcase' is ptoma, a fallen body, and 'eagles' is aetos; of the eagle Job 39:30 says 'where the slain are, there is she'. Luke 17:37 gives the saying as the answer to 'Where, Lord?', with 'body'.

Verse 29

the sun be darkened — These are the prophets' images for the day of the LORD: 'the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine' (Isa 13:10; also Joel 3:15). 'Immediately after the tribulation of those days' ties them to vv.21–22.

Verse 30

the sign of the Son of man — 'Coming in the clouds of heaven' draws on Dan 7:13, 'one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven'; Christ quotes it to the high priest (Matt 26:64). The 'tribes of the earth' mourning echoes Zech 12:10, 'they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn'; Rev 1:7 joins the two.

Verse 32

a parable of the fig tree — 'Tender' is hapalos, found only here and Mark 13:28, and 'summer' is theros, used only in this parable and its parallels (Mark 13:28; Luke 21:30). Luke adds 'and all the trees'. The leaves tell that summer is 'nigh'; v.33 applies it: 'when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors.'

Verse 34

This generation — Genea. Jesus used the phrase of his hearers in 23:36, 'All these things shall come upon this generation'. Christians differ on its sense here: the people then living, who saw Jerusalem fall; the generation that sees the signs begin; or the nation of Israel. V.35 follows: 'my words shall not pass away.'

Verse 36

of that day and hour — 'That day' is set apart from 'those days' of vv.22 and 29: the day itself is not given. Mark 13:32 adds 'neither the Son, but the Father', and Acts 1:7 speaks of 'the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power.' The signs of vv.32–33 mark nearness, not the date.

Verse 37

as the days of Noe were — 'Noe' is the New Testament form of Noah, whom 2 Pet 2:5 calls 'a preacher of righteousness' and who was saved 'the eighth person'. The comparison is with the coming (parousia, as in vv.3, 27), here and again at v.39. Luke 17:26 has it as 'in the days of the Son of man'.

Verse 40

the one shall be taken, and the other left — 'Taken' is paralambano, to take alongside, and 'left' is aphiemi; the pair returns in v.41. It is not the verb of v.39, where the flood 'took them all away' (airo). Christians differ whether the one taken is taken in judgment, as in Noah's day, or gathered to Christ, as in v.31. Luke 17:34–36 repeats it.

Verse 42

Watch therefore — Gregoreo, to be awake: the word of 'Watch and pray' in Gethsemane (Matt 26:41), of 'Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour' (25:13) and of 'let us watch and be sober' (1 Thess 5:6). The reason here is v.36: the hour is not given, so 'ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.'

Verse 45

a faithful and wise servant — 'Wise' is phronimos, prudent: the word of the wise man who built on the rock (7:24) and of the wise virgins (25:2, 4, 8, 9). The work is 'to give them meat in due season'. 'It is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful' (1 Cor 4:2). Luke 12:42 has the same question.

Verse 48

My lord delayeth his coming — 'Delayeth' is chronizo, to take time, to tarry: it is the word of the bridegroom who 'tarried' (25:5) and of Heb 10:37, 'he that shall come will come, and will not tarry.' The servant's fault is what he says 'in his heart' (Luke 12:45); 2 Pet 3:4 records the same voice, 'Where is the promise of his coming?'

Verse 51

cut him asunder — Dichotomeo, to cut in two, occurs only here and in the parallel Luke 12:46. 'The hypocrites' recalls the woes of ch.23, 'scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!' (23:13). 'Weeping and gnashing of teeth' is found five times in the KJV: Matt 8:12; 22:13; 24:51; 25:30; Luke 13:28.