Matthew 24 in plain modern English. New Ground English Translation.
Time Period
~AD 30, during Passion Week
Location
Mount of Olives, near Jerusalem
Audience
Jesus' disciples (specifically Peter, James, John, and Andrew privately)
Situation
Jesus predicts the temple's destruction as they leave Jerusalem; the disciples ask privately about the signs of his coming and the end of the age, prompting his discourse on future events.
Key Background
Set against Roman occupation and messianic expectations, the chapter addresses temple destruction (fulfilled in AD 70), wars, persecutions, and cosmic signs echoing Daniel's prophecies. It distinguishes between near-term tribulation for Jerusalem and ultimate end-times events. Central to Jewish life, the temple's predicted fall shocked listeners, underscoring judgment on unfaithful Israel.
Jesus left the and was walking away when his came up to him to point out the buildings.
"You see all of this?" he replied. "I'm you the — not one stone here will be left sitting on top of another. Every single one will be torn down."
Later, while he was sitting on the of his students came to him privately and asked, "Tell us — when will all this happen? And what will be the sign that you're and that this is up?"
Jesus answered them, "Watch out that nobody you."
"Because a lot of people will show up using my name, saying, 'I'm The and they'll fool a huge number of people."
"You're going to hear about and rumors of Don't panic. These things have to happen, but it's not the end yet."
will go to war against and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places."
"But all of this is just the beginning of the
"Then they'll you to be and put to death, and every nation will hate you because of me."
"At that point, many will They'll betray each other and hate each other."
"Many will pop up and fool a lot of people."
"Because will be everywhere, most people's will grow cold."
"But whoever through to the end will be
"And this about will be announced to the whole world as to every nation — and then the end will come."
"So when you see 'the that — the one the prophet Daniel talked about — standing in the (the reader needs to pay attention here),"
"then the people in need to run for the mountains."
"If you're on the don't go back inside to grab your stuff."
"If you're out in the field, don't go back home to get your
"It's going to be terrible for pregnant women and nursing mothers in those days."
"Pray that your escape doesn't happen in winter or on a
"Because at that time there will be a level of that the world has never seen — from the very beginning of creation until now — and will never see again."
"If those days weren't cut short, nobody would survive. But for the sake of the has those days will be cut short."
"At that point, if anyone tells you, 'Look, here's The One!' or 'He's over there!' — don't believe it."
"Because of The and prophets will show up and perform impressive and — so convincing that they'd fool even the ones God has chosen, if that were possible."
"Look — I've warned you ahead of time."
"So if they tell you, 'He's out in the — don't go out there. Or 'He's hiding in some back room!' — don't buy it."
"Because just like lightning flashes across the sky from east to west — that's exactly what the of the of will be like."
"Wherever there's a dead body, that's where the will circle."
"Right after the suffering of those days, the sun will go dark, the moon will stop giving light, the stars will fall out of the sky, and the will be shaken loose."
"Then the of the of will appear in the sky, and all the peoples of the earth will be in They'll see the of arriving on the clouds of the sky with power and
"He'll send out his with a loud blast, and they'll gather the ones he's chosen from the — from one end of the sky to the other."
"Now learn this lesson from the As soon as its branches get tender and its leaves start coming out, you know summer is close."
"In the same way, when you see all these things happening, you'll know it's at the
"I'm telling you the truth — this won't pass away until all of these things have happened."
"The sky and the earth will but my words will never
"But nobody knows when that and will come — not the angels in heaven, not even the — only the Father."
"Because the arrival of the Son of Man will be just like it was in
"In those days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, getting married and giving their kids away in marriage, right up until the day Noah got on the
"They didn't have a clue what was coming until the flood swept them all away. That's exactly what the arrival of the Son of Man will be like."
"Two men will be out in a field — one will be and the other left behind."
"Two women will be together — one will be taken and the other left behind."
"So because you don't know what day your is coming."
"But understand this: If the had known what time of night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and not let his house get broken into."
"So you need to be ready too, because the Son of Man is coming at a time you don't expect."
"So who is the and — the one the master puts in charge of the household staff to give them their food at the right time?"
is for that servant if his master finds him doing exactly that when he arrives."
"I'm telling you the truth — the master will put that servant in charge of everything he owns."
"But what if that servant is and he says to himself, 'My master is taking his time getting back,'"
"and starts beating the other servants, and eating and drinking with the — "
"that servant's master will show up on a day he doesn't expect, at a time he doesn't know about."