Matthew 24

New International Version (NIV)

The Destruction of the Temple and Signs of the End Times ^{#cen-NIV-23959A" title="See cross-reference A - A )'>}

24 Jesus left the temple and was walking away when his disciples came up to him to call his attention to its buildings. ² “Do you see all these things?” he asked. “Truly I tell you, not one stone here will be left on another; ^{#cen-NIV-23960B" title="See cross-reference B - B )'>}every one will be thrown down.”

³ As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, ^{#cen-NIV-23961C" title="See cross-reference C - C )'>}the disciples came to him privately. “Tell us,” they said, “when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming ^{#cen-NIV-23961D" title="See cross-reference D - D )'>}and of the end of the age?” ^{#cen-NIV-23961E" title="See cross-reference E - E )'>}

⁴ Jesus answered: “Watch out that no one deceives you. ^{#cen-NIV-23962F" title="See cross-reference F - F )'>5} For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and will deceive many. ^{#cen-NIV-23963G" title="See cross-reference G - G )'>6} You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. ⁷ Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. ^{#cen-NIV-23965H" title="See cross-reference H - H )'>}There will be famines ^{#cen-NIV-23965I" title="See cross-reference I - I )'>}and earthquakes in various places. ⁸ All these are the beginning of birth pains.

⁹ “Then you will be handed over to be persecuted ^{#cen-NIV-23967J" title="See cross-reference J - J )'>}and put to death, ^{#cen-NIV-23967K" title="See cross-reference K - K )'>}and you will be hated by all nations because of me. ^{#cen-NIV-23967L" title="See cross-reference L - L )'>10} At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, ¹¹ and many false prophets ^{#cen-NIV-23969M" title="See cross-reference M - M )'>}will appear and deceive many people. ^{#cen-NIV-23969N" title="See cross-reference N - N )'>12} Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, ¹³ but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved. ^{#cen-NIV-23971O" title="See cross-reference O - O )'>14} And this gospel of the kingdom ^{#cen-NIV-23972P" title="See cross-reference P - P )'>}will be preached in the whole world ^{#cen-NIV-23972Q" title="See cross-reference Q - Q )'>}as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.

¹⁵ “So when you see standing in the holy place ^{#cen-NIV-23973R" title="See cross-reference R - R )'>}‘the abomination that causes desolation,’spoken of through the prophet Daniel—let the reader understand— ¹⁶ then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. ¹⁷ Let no one on the housetop ^{#cen-NIV-23975T" title="See cross-reference T - T )'>}go down to take anything out of the house. ¹⁸ Let no one in the field go back to get their cloak. ¹⁹ How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers! ^{#cen-NIV-23977U" title="See cross-reference U - U )'>20} Pray that your flight will not take place in winter or on the Sabbath. ²¹ For then there will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now—and never to be equaled again. ^{#cen-NIV-23979V" title="See cross-reference V - V )'>}

²² “If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect ^{#cen-NIV-23980W" title="See cross-reference W - W )'>}those days will be shortened. ²³ At that time if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Messiah!’ or, ‘There he is!’ do not believe it. ^{#cen-NIV-23981X" title="See cross-reference X - X )'>24} For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders ^{#cen-NIV-23982Y" title="See cross-reference Y - Y )'>}to deceive, if possible, even the elect. ²⁵ See, I have told you ahead of time.

²⁶ “So if anyone tells you, ‘There he is, out in the wilderness,’ do not go out; or, ‘Here he is, in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it. ²⁷ For as lightning ^{#cen-NIV-23985Z" title="See cross-reference Z - Z )'>}that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming ^{#cen-NIV-23985AA" title="See cross-reference AA - AA )'>}of the Son of Man. ^{#cen-NIV-23985AB" title="See cross-reference AB - AB )'>28} Wherever there is a carcass, there the vultures will gather. ^{#cen-NIV-23986AC" title="See cross-reference AC - AC )'>}

²⁹ “Immediately after the distress of those days

³⁰ “Then will appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven. And then all the peoples of the earth will mourn ^{#cen-NIV-23988AE" title="See cross-reference AE - AE )'>}when they see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven, ^{#cen-NIV-23988AF" title="See cross-reference AF - AF )'>}with power and great glory.³¹ And he will send his angels ^{#cen-NIV-23989AG" title="See cross-reference AG - AG )'>}with a loud trumpet call, ^{#cen-NIV-23989AH" title="See cross-reference AH - AH )'>}and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.

³² “Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. ³³ Even so, when you see all these things, you know that it is near, right at the door. ^{#cen-NIV-23991AI" title="See cross-reference AI - AI )'>34} Truly I tell you, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. ^{#cen-NIV-23992AJ" title="See cross-reference AJ - AJ )'>35} Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away. ^{#cen-NIV-23993AK" title="See cross-reference AK - AK )'>}

The Day and Hour Unknown ^{#cen-NIV-23994AL" title="See cross-reference AL - AL )'>#cen-NIV-23994AM" title="See cross-reference AM - AM )'>}

³⁶ “But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. ^{#cen-NIV-23994AN" title="See cross-reference AN - AN )'>37} As it was in the days of Noah, ^{#cen-NIV-23995AO" title="See cross-reference AO - AO )'>}so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. ³⁸ For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, ^{#cen-NIV-23996AP" title="See cross-reference AP - AP )'>}up to the day Noah entered the ark; ³⁹ and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. ^{#cen-NIV-23997AQ" title="See cross-reference AQ - AQ )'>40} Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. ^{#cen-NIV-23998AR" title="See cross-reference AR - AR )'>41} Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left. ^{#cen-NIV-23999AS" title="See cross-reference AS - AS )'>}

⁴² “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. ^{#cen-NIV-24000AT" title="See cross-reference AT - AT )'>43} But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, ^{#cen-NIV-24001AU" title="See cross-reference AU - AU )'>}he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. ⁴⁴ So you also must be ready, ^{#cen-NIV-24002AV" title="See cross-reference AV - AV )'>}because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.

⁴⁵ “Who then is the faithful and wise servant, ^{#cen-NIV-24003AW" title="See cross-reference AW - AW )'>}whom the master has put in charge of the servants in his household to give them their food at the proper time? ⁴⁶ It will be good for that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns. ^{#cen-NIV-24004AX" title="See cross-reference AX - AX )'>47} Truly I tell you, he will put him in charge of all his possessions. ^{#cen-NIV-24005AY" title="See cross-reference AY - AY )'>48} But suppose that servant is wicked and says to himself, ‘My master is staying away a long time,’ ⁴⁹ and he then begins to beat his fellow servants and to eat and drink with drunkards. ^{#cen-NIV-24007AZ" title="See cross-reference AZ - AZ )'>50} The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. ⁵¹ He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. ^{#cen-NIV-24009BA" title="See cross-reference BA - BA )'>}