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Matthew 24

Jesus answers questions about destruction and his coming with warnings against deception and a call to watchful, faithful service.

Jesus leaves the temple after his disciples draw attention to its buildings, and he foretells their destruction. On the Mount of Olives, they ask him about the timing, his coming, and the end of the age. He warns of deception and suffering, describes the coming of the Son of Man, and calls for watchfulness. The speech ends with household servants facing their returning master: one has kept feeding the household; another has turned to abuse.

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1Jesus went out from the temple, and was going on his way. His disciples came to him to show him the buildings of the temple.
2But he answered them, “You see all of these things, don’t you? Most certainly I tell you, there will not be left here one stone on another, that will not be thrown down.”
4Jesus answered them, “Be careful that no one leads you astray.
5For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will lead many astray.
6You will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you aren’t troubled, for all this must happen, but the end is not yet.
7For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; and there will be famines, plagues, and earthquakes in various places.
8But all these things are the beginning of birth pains.
9“Then they will deliver you up to oppression and will kill you. You will be hated by all of the nations for my name’s sake.
10Then many will stumble, and will deliver up one another, and will hate one another.
11Many false prophets will arise and will lead many astray.
12Because iniquity will be multiplied, the love of many will grow cold.
13But he who endures to the end will be saved.
14This Good News of the Kingdom will be preached in the whole world for a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come.
15“When, therefore, you see the abomination of desolation, which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand),
16then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.
17Let him who is on the housetop not go down to take out the things that are in his house.
19But woe to those who are with child and to nursing mothers in those days!
21for then there will be great suffering, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, nor ever will be.
22Unless those days had been shortened, no flesh would have been saved. But for the sake of the chosen ones, those days will be shortened.
23“Then if any man tells you, ‘Behold, here is the Christ!’ or, ‘There!’ don’t believe it.
24For false christs and false prophets will arise, and they will show great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the chosen ones.
25“Behold, I have told you beforehand.
26“If therefore they tell you, ‘Behold, he is in the wilderness,’ don’t go out; or ‘Behold, he is in the inner rooms,’ don’t believe it.
27For as the lightning flashes from the east, and is seen even to the west, so will the coming of the Son of Man be.
28For wherever the carcass is, that is where the vultures gather together.
29“But immediately after the suffering of those days, the sun will be darkened, the moon will not give its light, the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken;
30and then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky. Then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory.
31He will send out his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together his chosen ones from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other.
32“Now from the fig tree learn this parable: When its branch has now become tender and produces its leaves, you know that the summer is near.
33Even so you also, when you see all these things, know that he is near, even at the doors.
34Most certainly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all these things are accomplished.
35Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.
36“But no one knows of that day and hour, not even the angels of heaven, but my Father only.
37As the days of Noah were, so will the coming of the Son of Man be.
38For 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 ship,
39and they didn’t know until the flood came and took them all away, so will the coming of the Son of Man be.
40Then two men will be in the field: one will be taken and one will be left.
41Two women will be grinding at the mill: one will be taken and one will be left.
42Watch therefore, for you don’t know in what hour your Lord comes.
43But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what watch of the night the thief was coming, he would have watched, and would not have allowed his house to be broken into.
44Therefore also be ready, for in an hour that you don’t expect, the Son of Man will come.
45“Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom his lord has set over his household, to give them their food in due season?
46Blessed is that servant whom his lord finds doing so when he comes.
47Most certainly I tell you that he will set him over all that he has.
48But if that evil servant should say in his heart, ‘My lord is delaying his coming,’
49and begins to beat his fellow servants, and eat and drink with the drunkards,
50the lord of that servant will come in a day when he doesn’t expect it and in an hour when he doesn’t know it,
51and will cut him in pieces and appoint his portion with the hypocrites. That is where the weeping and grinding of teeth will be.
World English BibleRead in NIV in Psalmlog →Highlighted verses are the most connected.
Key verses
Matthew 24:35Jesus places the permanence of his words above heaven and earth, grounding his warnings and promises in his own authority.
Matthew 24:42The unknown hour of the Lord’s coming makes watchfulness central to the closing pictures of readiness and service.
Matthew 24:24Even impressive signs can accompany deception, sharpening Jesus’ repeated warning against false claims about the Christ.
Where this chapter reaches

Mark and Luke record parallel teachings about the temple’s destruction, coming distress, and the need to watch for the Son of Man. Isaiah and Revelation share images of darkened heavenly lights and cosmic upheaval, placing this speech within Scripture’s language of divine judgment.

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Notice

After reading the whole chapter

How does Jesus’ warning about deceptive signs shape the way you assess claims about his coming?

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What does the contrast between the two servants reveal about readiness in your own responsibilities?

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Questions people ask about Matthew 24

What does “this generation” mean in Matthew 24:34?

Jesus says that “this generation” will remain until “all these things are accomplished.” The phrase raises a question about how the temple’s destruction relates to his coming. Some interpreters understand Jesus’ contemporaries; others understand the generation witnessing the final events. The scope of “all these things” remains central to that disagreement.

Does Matthew 24 describe the rapture when one is taken and one is left?

Jesus describes people working together when one is taken and one is left. The preceding comparison concerns Noah’s flood, which swept away people unprepared for judgment. Readers differ over whether being taken means rescue or judgment here. These verses emphasize sudden separation and readiness without explaining a complete sequence of end-time events.

Does Matthew 24 give a date for Jesus’ return?

Jesus names signs and uses the fig tree to teach recognition of approaching events. Yet he says that no one knows the day and hour except the Father. The chapter supplies no date or calculation. Its closing images stress an unexpected arrival and the master’s assessment of his servants’ conduct.

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Matthew · 28 chapters

Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY). Scripture from the World English Bible (public domain). Arc diagram after Chris Harrison and Christoph Römhild (2007).