Matthew / The Olivet Discourse: Signs of the End and the Temple's Destruction

The Olivet Discourse: Signs of the End and the Temple's Destruction

Matthew 24:1-35

Chapter 24

¹ And Jesus, having gone out from the temple, was going away, when his disciples approached to show him the buildings of the temple. ² But he answered and said to them, "Do you not see all these things? I tell you, no stone upon a stone here shall be left that will not be thrown down." ³ And as he sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying: "Tell us, when will these things happen, and what will be the sign of your Parousia and of the Consummation of the Eternal age." ⁴ And Jesus answered them: "See to it that no one deceives you." ⁵ For many will come on the basis of my name, saying, "I am the Christ," and they will deceive many. ⁶ But you will hear of wars and reports of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for this must happen, but the end is not yet. ⁷ For nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. ⁸ But all these things are the beginning of birth pains. ⁹ Then they will hand you over to tribulation, and they will kill you, and you will be hated by all the nations because of my name. ¹⁰ And then many will stumble, and they will betray one another and hate one another. ¹¹ And many false prophets will arise and deceive many. ¹² And because lawlessness is to be multiplied, the love of many will grow cold. ¹³ But the one who endures to the end, he will be saved. ¹⁴ And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole inhabited world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come. ¹⁵ Therefore, when you see the abomination of desolation, the thing spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in a holy place, ¹⁶ then those in Judea should flee to the mountains. ¹⁷ The one on the roof must not go down to take the things from his house, ¹⁸ And the one in the field, let him not turn back to pick up his garment. ¹⁹ Woe, however, to those who are pregnant and to those nursing children in those days. ²⁰ Pray, however, that your flight not happen in winter or on the Sabbath. ²¹ For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not happened from the beginning of the world until now—no, nor ever shall. ²² And if those days had not been cut short, no flesh would have been saved; but for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short. ²³ Then if anyone says to you, "Look, here is the Christ," or, "There," do not believe it. ²⁴ For false messiahs and false prophets will arise and will give great signs and wonders so as to deceive, if possible, even the elect. ²⁵ See, I have told you ahead of time. ²⁶ So if they say to you, "See, he is in the wilderness," do not go out; "See, he is in the inner rooms," do not believe. ²⁷ For just as the lightning comes from the east and shines as far as the west, so will the Parousia of the Son of Man be. ²⁸ Wherever the corpse is, there the eagles will be gathered. ²⁹ But immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. ³⁰ and then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky. Then all the tribes of the earth will wail, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory. ³¹ and he will send his angels with a great trumpet, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other. ³² But from the fig tree learn the parable: whenever its branch becomes tender and the leaves sprout, you know that summer is near. ³³ In the same way, when you see all these things, know that it is near, at the door. ³⁴ Amen, I say to you that this generation will by no means pass away until all these things happen. ³⁵ Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will by no means pass away.