New Living Translation

New King James Version

Jesus Speaks about the Future

As Jesus was leaving the Temple grounds, his disciples pointed out to him the various Temple buildings.

1

Jesus Predicts the Destruction of the Temple

Then Jesus went out and departed from the temple, and His disciples came up to show Him the buildings of the temple.

2

But he responded, “Do you see all these buildings? I tell you the truth, they will be completely demolished. Not one stone will be left on top of another!”

2

And Jesus said to them, “Do you not see all these things? Assuredly, I say to you, not one stone shall be left here upon another, that shall not be thrown down.”

3

Later, Jesus sat on the Mount of Olives. His disciples came to him privately and said, “Tell us, when will all this happen? What sign will signal your return and the end of the world?a”

3

The Signs of the Times and the End of the Age

Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?”

4

Jesus told them, “Don’t let anyone mislead you,

4

And Jesus answered and said to them: “Take heed that no one deceives you.

5

for many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah.’ They will deceive many.

5

For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many.

6

And you will hear of wars and threats of wars, but don’t panic. Yes, these things must take place, but the end won’t follow immediately.

6

And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for [a]all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.

7

Nation will go to war against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in many parts of the world.

7

For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, [b]pestilences, and earthquakes in various places.

8

But all this is only the first of the birth pains, with more to come.

8

All these are the beginning of sorrows.

9

“Then you will be arrested, persecuted, and killed. You will be hated all over the world because you are my followers.b

9

“Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake.

10

And many will turn away from me and betray and hate each other.

10

And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another.

11

And many false prophets will appear and will deceive many people.

11

Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many.

12

Sin will be rampant everywhere, and the love of many will grow cold.

12

And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold.

13

But the one who endures to the end will be saved.

13

But he who endures to the end shall be saved.

14

And the Good News about the Kingdom will be preached throughout the whole world, so that all nationsc will hear it; and then the end will come.

14

And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.

15

“The day is coming when you will see what Daniel the prophet spoke about — the sacrilegious object that causes desecrationd standing in the Holy Place.” (Reader, pay attention!)

15

The Great Tribulation

“Therefore when you see the ‘abomination of desolation,’ spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place” (whoever reads, let him understand),

16

“Then those in Judea must flee to the hills.

16

“then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.

17

A person out on the deck of a roof must not go down into the house to pack.

17

Let him who is on the housetop not go down to take anything out of his house.

18

A person out in the field must not return even to get a coat.

18

And let him who is in the field not go back to get his clothes.

19

How terrible it will be for pregnant women and for nursing mothers in those days.

19

But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days!

20

And pray that your flight will not be in winter or on the Sabbath.

20

And pray that your flight may not be in winter or on the Sabbath.

21

For there will be greater anguish than at any time since the world began. And it will never be so great again.

21

For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be.

22

In fact, unless that time of calamity is shortened, not a single person will survive. But it will be shortened for the sake of God’s chosen ones.

22

And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the [c]elect’s sake those days will be shortened.

23

“Then if anyone tells you, ‘Look, here is the Messiah,’ or ‘There he is,’ don’t believe it.

23

“Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There!’ do not believe it.

24

For false messiahs and false prophets will rise up and perform great signs and wonders so as to deceive, if possible, even God’s chosen ones.

24

For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.

25

See, I have warned you about this ahead of time.

25

See, I have told you beforehand.

26

“So if someone tells you, ‘Look, the Messiah is out in the desert,’ don’t bother to go and look. Or, ‘Look, he is hiding here,’ don’t believe it!

26

“Therefore if they say to you, ‘Look, He is in the desert!’ do not go out; or ‘Look, He is in the inner rooms!’ do not believe it.

27

For as the lightning flashes in the east and shines to the west, so it will be when the Son of Mane comes.

27

For as the lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.

28

Just as the gathering of vultures shows there is a carcass nearby, so these signs indicate that the end is near.f

28

For wherever the carcass is, there the eagles will be gathered together.

29

“Immediately after the anguish of those days,
the sun will be darkened,
the moon will give no light,
the stars will fall from the sky,
and the powers in the heavens will be shaken.g

29

The Coming of the Son of Man

“Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.

30

And then at last, the sign that the Son of Man is coming will appear in the heavens, and there will be deep mourning among all the peoples of the earth. And they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.h

30

Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.

31

And he will send out his angels with the mighty blast of a trumpet, and they will gather his chosen ones from all over the worldi — from the farthest ends of the earth and heaven.

31

And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His [d]elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

32

“Now learn a lesson from the fig tree. When its branches bud and its leaves begin to sprout, you know that summer is near.

32

The Parable of the Fig Tree

“Now learn this parable from the fig tree: When its branch has already become tender and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near.

33

In the same way, when you see all these things, you can know his return is very near, right at the door.

33

So you also, when you see all these things, know that [e]it is near — at the doors!

34

I tell you the truth, this generationj will not pass from the scene until all these things take place.

34

Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place.

35

Heaven and earth will disappear, but my words will never disappear.

35

Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.

36

“However, no one knows the day or hour when these things will happen, not even the angels in heaven or the Son himself.k Only the Father knows.

36

No One Knows the Day or Hour

“But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of [f]heaven, but My Father only.

37

“When the Son of Man returns, it will be like it was in Noah’s day.

37

But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.

38

In those days before the flood, the people were enjoying banquets and parties and weddings right up to the time Noah entered his boat.

38

For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark,

39

People didn’t realize what was going to happen until the flood came and swept them all away. That is the way it will be when the Son of Man comes.

39

and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.

40

“Two men will be working together in the field; one will be taken, the other left.

40

Then two men will be in the field: one will be taken and the other left.

41

Two women will be grinding flour at the mill; one will be taken, the other left.

41

Two women will be grinding at the mill: one will be taken and the other left.

42

“So you, too, must keep watch! For you don’t know what day your Lord is coming.

42

Watch therefore, for you do not know what [g]hour your Lord is coming.

43

Understand this: If a homeowner knew exactly when a burglar was coming, he would keep watch and not permit his house to be broken into.

43

But know this, that if the master of the house had known what [h]hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into.

44

You also must be ready all the time, for the Son of Man will come when least expected.

44

Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.

45

“A faithful, sensible servant is one to whom the master can give the responsibility of managing his other household servants and feeding them.

45

The Faithful Servant and the Evil Servant

“Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his master made ruler over his household, to give them food [i]in due season?

46

If the master returns and finds that the servant has done a good job, there will be a reward.

46

Blessed is that servant whom his master, when he comes, will find so doing.

47

I tell you the truth, the master will put that servant in charge of all he owns.

47

Assuredly, I say to you that he will make him ruler over all his goods.

48

But what if the servant is evil and thinks, ‘My master won’t be back for a while,’

48

But if that evil servant says in his heart, ‘My master is delaying [j]his coming,’

49

and he begins beating the other servants, partying, and getting drunk?

49

and begins to beat his fellow servants, and to eat and drink with the drunkards,

50

The master will return unannounced and unexpected,

50

the master of that servant will come on a day when he is not looking for him and at an hour that he is not aware of,

51

and he will cut the servant to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

51

and will cut him in two and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites. There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Parallel

New Living Translation

New King James Version

Matthew 24

Matthew 24