The Gospels · New Testament
Matthew 24
Matthew 24: the temple stones, the signs, the coming of the Son of man, and the call to watch
General context
Leaving the temple, Jesus is shown its buildings and says not one stone will be left upon another. On the mount of Olives the disciples ask privately when these things shall be and what the sign of his coming and of the end of the world will be. He answers with warnings. Many will come in his name saying I am Christ; there will be wars and rumours of wars, nation against nation, famines, pestilences and earthquakes, which he calls the beginning of sorrows. He says they will be delivered up, killed and hated of all nations, that false prophets will deceive many, that love will wax cold, that the one who endures to the end shall be saved, and that the gospel will be preached in all the world before the end comes. When they see the abomination of desolation spoken of by Daniel the prophet in the holy place, those in Judea are to flee to the mountains; he speaks of great tribulation and of days shortened for the elect's sake. He warns against reports of Christ in the desert or in secret chambers, since his coming will be as lightning from east to west. After that tribulation the sun will be darkened, the sign of the Son of man will appear, and angels will gather the elect. He gives a parable of the fig tree, says this generation shall not pass till all these things be fulfilled and that his words will not pass away, and that no man knows the day and hour but his Father only. He compares his coming to the days of Noe, says two in a field and two at a mill will be parted, and tells them to watch, closing with a faithful servant and an evil servant who says his lord delays.
Cited passages: Matthew 24:1, Matthew 24:2, Matthew 24:3, Matthew 24:5, Matthew 24:6, Matthew 24:7, Matthew 24:8, Matthew 24:9, Matthew 24:10, Matthew 24:12, Matthew 24:13, Matthew 24:14, Matthew 24:15, Matthew 24:16, Matthew 24:21, Matthew 24:22, Matthew 24:26, Matthew 24:27, Matthew 24:29, Matthew 24:30, Matthew 24:31, Matthew 24:32, Matthew 24:34, Matthew 24:35, Matthew 24:36, Matthew 24:37, Matthew 24:41, Matthew 24:45, Matthew 24:48
Matthew 24 (KJV)
1And Jesus went out, and departed from the temple: and his disciples came to him for to shew him the buildings of the temple.
2And Jesus 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.
3And as he sat upon 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?
4And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you.
5For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.
6And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.
7For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.
8All these are the beginning of sorrows.
9Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake.
10And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another.
11And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.
12And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.
13But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.
14And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.
15When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:)
16Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains:
17Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house:
18Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes.
19And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days!
20But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day:
21For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.
22And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened.
23Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not.
24For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.
25Behold, I have told you before.
26Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not.
27For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
28For wheresoever the carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered together.
29Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun 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:
30And 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 in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
31And he shall send 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.
32Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh:
33So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors.
34Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.
35Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.
36But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.
37But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
38For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark,
39And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
40Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
41Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
42Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.
43But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up.
44Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.
45Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season?
46Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing.
47Verily I say unto you, That he shall make him ruler over all his goods.
48But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming;
49And shall begin to smite his fellowservants, and to eat and drink with the drunken;
50The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of,
51And shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
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Historical context
The discourse answers a question the disciples ask privately on the mount of Olives, and that question has three parts: when shall these things be, what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world. Jesus' opening statement about the stones is about the temple buildings the disciples had just pointed out. The one prophet named in the chapter is Daniel, cited for the abomination of desolation, and the aside whoso readeth, let him understand is printed inside the verse. The flight instructions name Judea, the housetop, the field, the winter and the sabbath day, and no other place. The chapter sets two sentences side by side without reconciling them: this generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled, and of that day and hour knoweth no man. The narrator adds no comment after verse 3, so every claim in the chapter is Jesus' speech. No year, ruler or date is given.
Cited passages: Matthew 24:3, Matthew 24:1, Matthew 24:15, Matthew 24:17, Matthew 24:20, Matthew 24:34, Matthew 24:36, Matthew 24:4
Literary context
A question about a building is answered with a long sequence of warnings, and the commands that hold the chapter together are few and repeated: take heed, believe it not, watch, be ye also ready. The word deceive returns through the chapter: take heed that no man deceive you, then many coming in his name, then false prophets, then false Christs who would deceive the very elect if it were possible. The chapter turns at the fig tree from description to comparison, and the last third runs on pictures rather than signs: a branch putting forth leaves, a householder and a thief, a flood that took them all away, two in a field, two at a mill, and two servants. The pairs are built to be parted, one taken and the other left, one servant found so doing and the other cut asunder. The closing line about weeping and gnashing of teeth ends the chapter where the next one's parables also end.
Cited passages: Matthew 24:2, Matthew 24:4, Matthew 24:5, Matthew 24:11, Matthew 24:24, Matthew 24:23, Matthew 24:32, Matthew 24:43, Matthew 24:39, Matthew 24:40, Matthew 24:46, Matthew 24:51
Key moments
- Not one stone left (Matthew 24:2). Jesus says the temple buildings the disciples showed him will all be thrown down.
- The disciples' question (Matthew 24:3). On the mount of Olives the disciples privately ask when and by what sign.
- Endure to the end (Matthew 24:13). Jesus says the one who endures to the end shall be saved.
- The abomination of desolation (Matthew 24:15). Jesus points to what Daniel the prophet spoke of, standing in the holy place.
- The sign of the Son of man (Matthew 24:30). Jesus says all the tribes of the earth will see the Son of man coming in the clouds.
- No man knows the hour (Matthew 24:36). Jesus says not even the angels know that day, but his Father only.
- The servant who says his lord delays (Matthew 24:48). Jesus describes the servant who beats his fellows and is caught unaware.
For reflection
The chapter says that this generation shall not pass till all these things be fulfilled, and a verse later that no man knows the day and hour. What does the reader do with two statements the text leaves standing together?