Jesus was leaving the temple when his disciples pointed out the temple buildings.

Jesus said to them, “Don’t you see everything? I’m telling you, no stone will remain on top of another stone. They will all fall down.”

The disciples met with him privately on the Mount of Olives. They asked, “When will it happen? What are the signs of your return and the end of time?”

Jesus answered, “Watch out that no one tricks you because many people will arrive in my name and say, ‘I am the Christ,’ and they will trick many people. You are going to hear about wars and rumours of wars. Don’t be concerned because these must happen, but it’s not the end yet. Cultures will go against other cultures, and countries will go against other countries. There will be famines and disasters, but these are all just the beginning of the pain.

“Then they will attack and kill you, and you’ll be hated by everyone because of me. Then, many people will be made to sin and betray and hate each other. Many fake prophets will arrive and trick many people. Because there will be more illegal activities, many people will stop loving each other. But the person who lasts to the end will be saved. And this good news about the kingdom will be announced as evidence to everyone, everywhere. Then the end will come. So when you see the horrible destruction that the prophet Daniel spoke about when he was standing in the holy place (if you read it, you’ll understand) then those people in Judea need to run away into the mountains. Whoever is on their roof shouldn’t get down to grab things from inside their house. Whoever is on their farm shouldn’t return to grab their coat. And it will be horrible for pregnant women breastfeeding during that time

So pray that your escape does not happen in winter or on the Sabbath because there will be many troubles; worse than have ever happened since the start of time or will happen in the future. Unless that time is reduced, no one will be rescued. But, for the chosen ones, that time will be reduced. During that time if anyone says to you, “Look, this is the Christ” or “This is Christ over here”, don’t believe them. Fake ‘Christs’ and prophets will appear and make amazing powers and miracles happen to trick, if they can, even the chosen ones. Listen up, I’ve told you this before it happens. So if anyone says, “Look, he is in the wilderness”, don’t go there. If they say, “Look, he’s inside”, don’t believe them. Because, just like lightning is in the east and flashes all the way to the west, the arrival of the Son of Man will happen. The vultures will gather wherever there is a dead body.

Straight after those days of trouble, The sun will go dark, the moon won’t shine, the stars will fall from the sky and the sky’s power will be shaken up. Then, the Son of Man’s signs will appear in the sky and everyone on earth will grieve. Then they will see the Son of Man come on sky clouds with strength and great glory. He will then send his angels out with a loud trumpeting and the angels will gather his chosen people together from across the earth; from one end of the sky to the other.

Now learn the story about the fig tree: When its branch becomes soft and grows leaves, you know summer is coming. In the same way, when you see all these things happen, know that the end is near, right at the door.

I’m honestly telling you this generation of people will not disappear until these things happen.

The whole universe and earth will disappear, but my words will stay.

However, no one, not even the heavenly angels or the son, knows the day and hour when it will happen. Only the father knows.

The Son of Man’s arrival will be just like during Noah’s time. Before the flood, people were eating and drinking and marrying and having weddings until Noah got into the boat. They didn’t know what was coming until the flood came and took them all away. The Son of Man’s arrival will be just like that. Two people will be on the farm. One will be taken and one will be left behind. Two people will be grinding grain at the mill. One will be taken and one will be left behind. So be alert because you don’t know when your Lord is arriving. But know this: If the master of the house knew during which guard’s shift the thief would come, he would have stayed awake and not let his house be burgled. In the same way, you should also be ready because the Son of God is coming when you won’t expect it.

So who is the dependable and wise slave who the master has put in charge of the rest of the slaves and gives them food at the right time? If the slave is doing this when the master returns, the slave will be rewarded. I’m honestly telling you the master will put that slave in charge of everything he owns. But if a bad slave thinks, “My master is away for a long time” then he beats the other slaves and eats and drinks with other drunk people, the slave’s master will return unexpectedly. The master will cut the slave in half and put him with the other fakers; a place where there will be crying and teeth grinding.

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Continue exploring Matthew 24

If you’d like to read Matthew xx in other translations, here are a few BibleHub links:
For a translation that aims to be word-for-word, try Matthew 24 in the English Standard Version.
For a translation that aims to be more thought-for-thought, try Matthew 24 in the New International Version.
For a translation that aims to communicate the overall meaning, try Matthew 24 in the Contemporary English Version.

If you prefer to read the Bible in a hard-copy format, here are cheaper versions from Amazon:
[These are Amazon affiliate links which support the production of this blog]
For a translation that aims to be word-for-word, ESV Economy Bible
For a translation that aims to be more thought-for-thought, NIV, Economy Bible, Paperback: Accurate. Readable. Clear.
For a translation that aims to communicate the overall meaning, Holy Bible: Contemporary English Version

If you’d like to explore Matthew in more depth, here are some commentaries I would recommend:
[These are Amazon affiliate links which support the production of this blog]
Easy to access commentaries that include life applications:
The NIV Application Commentary: Matthew
Matthew (The Story of God Bible Commentary)
For a commentary that goes into more depth:
The Gospel of Matthew (The New International Commentary on the New Testament)