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24 Jesus departed from the temple [a]area and was going on His way when His disciples came up to Him to call His attention to the buildings of the temple and point them out to Him.

But He answered them, Do you see all these? Truly I tell you, there will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.

While He was seated on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately and said, Tell us, when will this take place, and what will be the sign of Your coming and of the end (the completion, the consummation) of the age?

Jesus answered them, Be careful that no one misleads you [deceiving you and leading you into error].

For many will come in (on the strength of) My name [[b]appropriating the name which belongs to Me], saying, I am the Christ (the Messiah), and they will lead many astray.

And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars; see that you are not frightened or troubled, for this must take place, but the end is not yet.

For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in place after place;

All this is but the beginning [the early pains] of the [c]birth pangs [of the [d]intolerable anguish].

Then they will hand you over to suffer affliction and tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake.

10 And then many will be offended and repelled and will [e]begin to distrust and desert [Him Whom they ought to trust and obey] and will stumble and fall away and betray one another and pursue one another with hatred.

11 And many false prophets will rise up and deceive and lead many into error.

12 And the love of [f]the great body of people will grow cold because of the multiplied lawlessness and iniquity,

13 But he who endures to the end will be saved.

14 And this good news of the kingdom (the Gospel) will be preached throughout the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then will come the end.

15 So when you see the appalling sacrilege [the abomination that astonishes and makes desolate], spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the Holy Place—let the reader take notice and [g]ponder and consider and heed [this]—(A)

16 Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains;

17 Let him who is on the housetop not come down and go into the house to take anything;

18 And let him who is in the field not turn back to get his overcoat.

19 And alas for the women who are pregnant and for those who have nursing babies in those days!

20 Pray that your flight may not be in winter or on a Sabbath.

21 For then there will be great tribulation (affliction, distress, and oppression) such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now—no, and never will be [again].(B)

22 And if those days had not been shortened, no human being would endure and survive, but for the sake of the elect (God’s chosen ones) those days will be shortened.

23 If anyone says to you then, Behold, here is the Christ (the Messiah)! or, There He is!—do not believe it.

24 For false Christs and false prophets will arise, and they will show great signs and wonders so as to deceive and lead astray, if possible, even the elect (God’s chosen ones).

25 See, I have warned you beforehand.

26 So if they say to you, Behold, He is in the wilderness (desert)—do not go out there; if they tell you, Behold, He is in the secret places or inner rooms—do not believe it.

27 For just as the lightning flashes from the east and shines and [h]is seen as far as the west, so will the coming of the Son of Man be.

28 Wherever there is a fallen body (a corpse), there the vultures (or eagles) will flock together.(C)

29 Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not shed its light, and the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.(D)

30 Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn and [i]beat their breasts and lament in anguish, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory [in brilliancy and splendor].(E)

31 And He will send out His angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather His elect (His chosen ones) from the four winds, [even] from one end of the [j]universe to the other.(F)

32 From the fig tree learn this lesson: as soon as its [k]young shoots become soft and tender and it puts out its leaves, you know [l]of a surety that summer is near.

33 So also when you see these signs, [m]all taken together, coming to pass, you may know [n]of a surety that He is near, at the very doors.

34 Truly I tell you, this generation ([o]the whole multitude of people living at the same time, [p]in a definite, [q]given period) will not pass away till all these things [r]taken together take place.

35 [s]Sky and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away.

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Footnotes

  1. Matthew 24:1 Richard Trench, Synonyms of the New Testament.
  2. Matthew 24:5 Joseph Thayer, A Greek-English Lexicon.
  3. Matthew 24:8 Literal translation.
  4. Matthew 24:8 Joseph Thayer, A Greek-English Lexicon.
  5. Matthew 24:10 Joseph Thayer, A Greek-English Lexicon.
  6. Matthew 24:12 Marvin Vincent, Word Studies.
  7. Matthew 24:15 Joseph Thayer, A Greek-English Lexicon.
  8. Matthew 24:27 Marvin Vincent, Word Studies.
  9. Matthew 24:30 Marvin Vincent, Word Studies.
  10. Matthew 24:31 G. Abbott-Smith, Manual Greek Lexicon.
  11. Matthew 24:32 Marvin Vincent, Word Studies.
  12. Matthew 24:32 Joseph Thayer, A Greek-English Lexicon.
  13. Matthew 24:33 Joseph Thayer, A Greek-English Lexicon.
  14. Matthew 24:33 Joseph Thayer, A Greek-English Lexicon.
  15. Matthew 24:34 Joseph Thayer, A Greek-English Lexicon.
  16. Matthew 24:34 Hermann Cremer, Biblico-Theological Lexicon.
  17. Matthew 24:34 G. Abbott-Smith, Manual Greek Lexicon.
  18. Matthew 24:34 Joseph Thayer, A Greek-English Lexicon.
  19. Matthew 24:35 James Moulton and George Milligan, The Vocabulary.

The Destruction of the Temple and Signs of the End Times(A)

24 Jesus left the temple and was walking away when his disciples came up to him to call his attention to its buildings. “Do you see all these things?” he asked. “Truly I tell you, not one stone here will be left on another;(B) every one will be thrown down.”

As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives,(C) the disciples came to him privately. “Tell us,” they said, “when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming(D) and of the end of the age?”(E)

Jesus answered: “Watch out that no one deceives you.(F) For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and will deceive many.(G) 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. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.(H) There will be famines(I) and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of birth pains.

“Then you will be handed over to be persecuted(J) and put to death,(K) and you will be hated by all nations because of me.(L) 10 At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, 11 and many false prophets(M) will appear and deceive many people.(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.(O) 14 And this gospel of the kingdom(P) will be preached in the whole world(Q) as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.

15 “So when you see standing in the holy place(R) ‘the abomination that causes desolation,’[a](S) 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(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!(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.(V)

22 “If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect(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.(X) 24 For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders(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(Z) that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming(AA) of the Son of Man.(AB) 28 Wherever there is a carcass, there the vultures will gather.(AC)

29 “Immediately after the distress of those days

“‘the sun will be darkened,
    and the moon will not give its light;
the stars will fall from the sky,
    and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.’[b](AD)

30 “Then will appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven. And then all the peoples of the earth[c] will mourn(AE) when they see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven,(AF) with power and great glory.[d] 31 And he will send his angels(AG) with a loud trumpet call,(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[e] is near, right at the door.(AI) 34 Truly I tell you, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened.(AJ) 35 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.(AK)

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Footnotes

  1. Matthew 24:15 Daniel 9:27; 11:31; 12:11
  2. Matthew 24:29 Isaiah 13:10; 34:4
  3. Matthew 24:30 Or the tribes of the land
  4. Matthew 24:30 See Daniel 7:13-14.
  5. Matthew 24:33 Or he

26 Moreover, you shall make the tabernacle with ten curtains; of fine twined linen, and blue and purple and scarlet [stuff], with cherubim skillfully embroidered shall you make them.

The length of one curtain shall be twenty-eight cubits and the breadth of one curtain four cubits; each of the curtains shall measure the same.

The five curtains shall be coupled to one another, and the other five curtains shall be coupled to one another.

And you shall make loops of blue on the edge of the last curtain in the first set, and likewise in the second set.

Fifty loops you shall make on the one curtain and fifty loops on the edge of the last curtain that is in the second coupling or set, so that the loops on one correspond to the loops on the other.

And you shall make fifty clasps of gold and fasten the curtains together with the clasps; then the tabernacle shall be one whole.

And make curtains of goats’ hair to be a [second] covering over the tabernacle; eleven curtains shall you make.

One curtain shall be thirty cubits long and four cubits wide; and the eleven curtains shall all measure the same.

You shall join together five curtains by themselves and six curtains by themselves, and shall double over the sixth curtain in the front of the tabernacle [to make a closed door].

10 And make fifty loops on the edge of the outmost curtain in the one set and fifty loops on the edge of the outmost curtain in the second set.

11 You shall make fifty clasps of bronze and put the clasps into the loops and couple the tent together, that it may be one whole.

12 The surplus that remains of the tent curtains, the half curtain that remains, shall hang over the back of the tabernacle.

13 And the cubit on the one side and the cubit on the other side of what remains in the length of the curtains of the tent shall hang over the sides of the tabernacle, on this side and that side, to cover it.

14 You shall make a [third] covering for the tent of rams’ skins tanned red, and a [fourth] covering above that of dolphin or porpoise skins.

15 And you shall make the upright frame for the tabernacle of boards of acacia wood.

16 Ten cubits shall be the length of a board and a cubit and a half shall be the breadth of one board.

17 Make two tenons in each board for dovetailing and fitting together; so shall you do for all the tabernacle boards.

18 And make the boards for the tabernacle: twenty boards for the south side;

19 And you shall make forty silver sockets under the twenty boards, two sockets under each board for its two tenons.

20 And for the north side of the tabernacle there shall be twenty boards

21 And their forty silver sockets, two sockets under each board.

22 For the back or west side of the tabernacle you shall make six boards.

23 Make two boards for the corners of the tabernacle in the rear on both sides.

24 They shall be coupled down below and coupled together on top with one ring. Thus shall it be for both of them; they shall form the two corners.

25 And that will be eight boards and their sockets of silver, sixteen sockets, two sockets under each board.

26 And you shall make bars of acacia wood: five for the boards of one side,

27 And five bars for the boards of the other side of the tabernacle, and five bars for the boards of the rear end of the tabernacle, for the back wall to the west.

28 And the middle bar halfway up the boards shall pass through from end to end.

29 You shall overlay the boards with gold and make their rings of gold to hold the bars and overlay the bars with gold.

30 You shall erect the tabernacle after the plan of it shown you on the mountain.

31 And make a veil of blue, purple, and scarlet [stuff] and fine twined linen, skillfully worked with cherubim on it.

32 You shall hang it on four pillars of acacia wood overlaid with gold, with gold hooks, on four sockets of silver.

33 And you shall hang the veil from the clasps and bring the ark of the Testimony into place within the veil; and the veil shall separate for you the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place.

34 And you shall put the mercy seat on the ark of the Testimony in the Most Holy Place.

35 And you shall set the table [for the showbread] outside the veil [in the Holy Place] on the north side and the lampstand opposite the table on the south side of the tabernacle.

36 You shall make a hanging [to form a screen] for the door of the tent of blue, purple, and scarlet [stuff] and fine twined linen, embroidered.(A)

37 You shall make five pillars of acacia wood to support the hanging curtain and overlay them with gold; their hooks shall be of gold, and you shall cast five [base] sockets of bronze for them.

27 And make the altar of acacia wood, five cubits square and three cubits high [within reach of all].

Make horns for it on its four corners; they shall be of one piece with it, and you shall overlay it with bronze.

You shall make pots to take away its ashes, and shovels, basins, forks, and firepans; make all its utensils of bronze.

Also make for it a grate, a network of bronze; and on the net you shall make four bronze rings at its four corners.

And you shall put it under the ledge of the altar, so that the net will extend halfway down the altar.

And make poles for the altar, poles of acacia wood overlaid with bronze.

The poles shall be put through the rings on the two sides of the altar, with which to carry it.(B)

You shall make [the altar] hollow with slabs or planks; as shown you on the mountain, so shall it be made.

And you shall make the court of the tabernacle. On the south side the court shall have hangings of fine twined linen, a hundred cubits long for one side;

10 Their pillars shall be twenty and their sockets twenty, of bronze, but the hooks of the pillars and their joinings shall be of silver;

11 Likewise for the north side hangings, a hundred cubits long, and their twenty pillars and their twenty sockets of bronze, but the hooks of the pillars and their joinings shall be of silver.

12 And for the breadth of the court on the west side there shall be hangings of fifty cubits, with ten pillars and ten sockets.

13 The breadth of the court to the front, the east side, shall be fifty cubits.

14 The hangings for one side of the gate shall be fifteen cubits, with three pillars and three sockets.

15 On the other side the hangings shall be fifteen cubits, with three pillars and three sockets.

16 And for the gate of the court there shall be a hanging [for a screen] twenty cubits long, of blue, purple, and scarlet [stuff] and fine twined linen, embroidered. It shall have four pillars and four sockets for them.

17 All the pillars round about the court shall be joined together with silver rods; their hooks shall be of silver and their sockets of bronze.

18 The length of the court shall be a hundred cubits and the breadth fifty and the height five cubits, [with hangings of] fine twined linen and sockets of bronze.

19 All the tabernacle’s utensils and instruments used in all its service, and all its pegs and all the pegs for the court, shall be of bronze.

20 You shall command the Israelites to provide you with pure oil of crushed olives for the light, to cause it to burn continually [every night].

21 In the Tent of Meeting [of God with His people], outside the veil which sets apart the Testimony, Aaron and his sons shall keep it burning from evening to morning before the Lord. It shall be a statute to be observed on behalf of the Israelites throughout their generations.

The Tabernacle(A)

26 “Make the tabernacle(B) with ten curtains of finely twisted linen and blue, purple and scarlet yarn, with cherubim(C) woven into them by a skilled worker. All the curtains are to be the same size(D)—twenty-eight cubits long and four cubits wide.[a] Join five of the curtains together, and do the same with the other five. Make loops of blue material along the edge of the end curtain in one set, and do the same with the end curtain in the other set. Make fifty loops on one curtain and fifty loops on the end curtain of the other set, with the loops opposite each other. Then make fifty gold clasps and use them to fasten the curtains together so that the tabernacle is a unit.(E)

“Make curtains of goat hair for the tent over the tabernacle—eleven altogether. All eleven curtains are to be the same size(F)—thirty cubits long and four cubits wide.[b] Join five of the curtains together into one set and the other six into another set. Fold the sixth curtain double at the front of the tent. 10 Make fifty loops along the edge of the end curtain in one set and also along the edge of the end curtain in the other set. 11 Then make fifty bronze clasps and put them in the loops to fasten the tent together as a unit.(G) 12 As for the additional length of the tent curtains, the half curtain that is left over is to hang down at the rear of the tabernacle. 13 The tent curtains will be a cubit[c] longer on both sides; what is left will hang over the sides of the tabernacle so as to cover it. 14 Make for the tent a covering(H) of ram skins dyed red, and over that a covering of the other durable leather.[d](I)

15 “Make upright frames of acacia wood for the tabernacle. 16 Each frame is to be ten cubits long and a cubit and a half wide,[e] 17 with two projections set parallel to each other. Make all the frames of the tabernacle in this way. 18 Make twenty frames for the south side of the tabernacle 19 and make forty silver bases(J) to go under them—two bases for each frame, one under each projection. 20 For the other side, the north side of the tabernacle, make twenty frames 21 and forty silver bases(K)—two under each frame. 22 Make six frames for the far end, that is, the west end of the tabernacle, 23 and make two frames for the corners at the far end. 24 At these two corners they must be double from the bottom all the way to the top and fitted into a single ring; both shall be like that. 25 So there will be eight frames and sixteen silver bases—two under each frame.

26 “Also make crossbars of acacia wood: five for the frames on one side of the tabernacle, 27 five for those on the other side, and five for the frames on the west, at the far end of the tabernacle. 28 The center crossbar is to extend from end to end at the middle of the frames. 29 Overlay the frames with gold and make gold rings to hold the crossbars. Also overlay the crossbars with gold.

30 “Set up the tabernacle(L) according to the plan(M) shown you on the mountain.

31 “Make a curtain(N) of blue, purple and scarlet yarn and finely twisted linen, with cherubim(O) woven into it by a skilled worker. 32 Hang it with gold hooks on four posts of acacia wood overlaid with gold and standing on four silver bases.(P) 33 Hang the curtain from the clasps and place the ark of the covenant law behind the curtain.(Q) The curtain will separate the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place.(R) 34 Put the atonement cover(S) on the ark of the covenant law in the Most Holy Place. 35 Place the table(T) outside the curtain on the north side of the tabernacle and put the lampstand(U) opposite it on the south side.

36 “For the entrance to the tent make a curtain(V) of blue, purple and scarlet yarn and finely twisted linen—the work of an embroiderer.(W) 37 Make gold hooks for this curtain and five posts of acacia wood overlaid with gold. And cast five bronze bases for them.

The Altar of Burnt Offering(X)

27 “Build an altar(Y) of acacia wood, three cubits[f] high; it is to be square, five cubits long and five cubits wide.[g] Make a horn(Z) at each of the four corners, so that the horns and the altar are of one piece, and overlay the altar with bronze. Make all its utensils of bronze—its pots to remove the ashes, and its shovels, sprinkling bowls,(AA) meat forks and firepans.(AB) Make a grating for it, a bronze network, and make a bronze ring at each of the four corners of the network. Put it under the ledge of the altar so that it is halfway up the altar. Make poles of acacia wood for the altar and overlay them with bronze.(AC) The poles are to be inserted into the rings so they will be on two sides of the altar when it is carried.(AD) Make the altar hollow, out of boards. It is to be made just as you were shown(AE) on the mountain.

The Courtyard(AF)

“Make a courtyard(AG) for the tabernacle. The south side shall be a hundred cubits[h] long and is to have curtains of finely twisted linen, 10 with twenty posts and twenty bronze bases and with silver hooks and bands on the posts. 11 The north side shall also be a hundred cubits long and is to have curtains, with twenty posts and twenty bronze bases and with silver hooks and bands on the posts.

12 “The west end of the courtyard shall be fifty cubits[i] wide and have curtains, with ten posts and ten bases. 13 On the east end, toward the sunrise, the courtyard shall also be fifty cubits wide. 14 Curtains fifteen cubits[j] long are to be on one side of the entrance, with three posts and three bases, 15 and curtains fifteen cubits long are to be on the other side, with three posts and three bases.

16 “For the entrance to the courtyard, provide a curtain(AH) twenty cubits[k] long, of blue, purple and scarlet yarn and finely twisted linen—the work of an embroiderer(AI)—with four posts and four bases. 17 All the posts around the courtyard are to have silver bands and hooks, and bronze bases. 18 The courtyard shall be a hundred cubits long and fifty cubits wide,[l] with curtains of finely twisted linen five cubits[m] high, and with bronze bases. 19 All the other articles used in the service of the tabernacle, whatever their function, including all the tent pegs for it and those for the courtyard, are to be of bronze.

Oil for the Lampstand(AJ)

20 “Command the Israelites to bring you clear oil(AK) of pressed olives for the light so that the lamps may be kept burning. 21 In the tent of meeting,(AL) outside the curtain that shields the ark of the covenant law,(AM) Aaron and his sons are to keep the lamps(AN) burning before the Lord from evening till morning. This is to be a lasting ordinance(AO) among the Israelites for the generations to come.

Footnotes

  1. Exodus 26:2 That is, about 42 feet long and 6 feet wide or about 13 meters long and 1.8 meters wide
  2. Exodus 26:8 That is, about 45 feet long and 6 feet wide or about 13.5 meters long and 1.8 meters wide
  3. Exodus 26:13 That is, about 18 inches or about 45 centimeters
  4. Exodus 26:14 Possibly the hides of large aquatic mammals (see 25:5)
  5. Exodus 26:16 That is, about 15 feet long and 2 1/4 feet wide or about 4.5 meters long and 68 centimeters wide
  6. Exodus 27:1 That is, about 4 1/2 feet or about 1.4 meters
  7. Exodus 27:1 That is, about 7 1/2 feet or about 2.3 meters long and wide
  8. Exodus 27:9 That is, about 150 feet or about 45 meters; also in verse 11
  9. Exodus 27:12 That is, about 75 feet or about 23 meters; also in verse 13
  10. Exodus 27:14 That is, about 23 feet or about 6.8 meters; also in verse 15
  11. Exodus 27:16 That is, about 30 feet or about 9 meters
  12. Exodus 27:18 That is, about 150 feet long and 75 feet wide or about 45 meters long and 23 meters wide
  13. Exodus 27:18 That is, about 7 1/2 feet or about 2.3 meters