The Great Tribulation

15 “So when you see the abomination that causes desolation,[a][b] spoken of by the prophet Daniel,(A) standing in the holy place”(B) (let the reader understand[c]), 16 “then those in Judea must flee to the mountains! 17 A man on the housetop[d] must not come down to get things out of his house.(C) 18 And a man in the field must not go back to get his clothes. 19 Woe to pregnant women and nursing mothers in those days! 20 Pray that your escape may not be in winter or on a Sabbath. 21 For at that time there will be great tribulation,(D) the kind that hasn’t taken place from the beginning of the world until now and never will again! 22 Unless those days were limited, no one would[e] survive.[f] But those days will be limited because of the elect.(E)

23 “If anyone tells you then, ‘Look, here is the Messiah!’(F) or, ‘Over here!’ do not believe it!(G) 24 False messiahs[g] and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders to lead astray,(H) if possible, even the elect. 25 Take note: I have told you in advance. 26 So if they tell you, ‘Look, He’s in the wilderness!’ don’t go out; ‘Look, He’s in the inner rooms!’ do not believe it. 27 For as the lightning comes from the east and flashes as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.(I) 28 Wherever the carcass is, there the vultures[h] will gather.(J)

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Footnotes

  1. Matthew 24:15 Or abomination of desolation, or desolating sacrilege
  2. Matthew 24:15 Dn 9:27
  3. Matthew 24:15 These are, most likely, Matthew’s words to his readers.
  4. Matthew 24:17 Or roof
  5. Matthew 24:22 Lit short, all flesh would not
  6. Matthew 24:22 Or be saved or delivered
  7. Matthew 24:24 Or False christs
  8. Matthew 24:28 Or eagles

The Abomination of Desolation

15 “So when you see the abomination of desolation[a] spoken about by the prophet Daniel standing in the holy place” (let the one who reads understand), 16 “then those in Judea must flee to the mountains! 17 The one who is on his[b] housetop must not come down to take things out of his house, 18 and the one who is in the field must not turn back to pick up his cloak. 19 And woe to those who are pregnant[c] and to those who are nursing their babies[d] in those days! 20 But pray that your flight may not happen in winter or on a Sabbath. 21 For at that time there will be great tribulation, such as has not happened from the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will happen. 22 And unless those days had been shortened, no human being would be saved.[e] But for the sake of the elect, those days will be shortened.

23 “At that time if anyone should say to you, ‘Behold, here is the Christ,’ or ‘Here he is,’ do not believe him![f] 24 For false messiahs and false prophets will appear, and will produce great signs and wonders in order to deceive, if possible, even the elect. 25 Behold, I have told you ahead of time! 26 Therefore if they say to you, ‘Behold, he is in the wilderness,’ do not go out, or[g] ‘Behold, he is in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it![h] 27 For just as the lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west, so the coming of the Son of Man will be. 28 Wherever the corpse is, there the vultures will gather.

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Footnotes

  1. Matthew 24:15 An allusion to Dan 9:27
  2. Matthew 24:17 Literally “the”; the Greek article is used here as a possessive pronoun
  3. Matthew 24:19 Literally “who have in the womb”
  4. Matthew 24:19 The words “their babies” are not in the Greek text but are supplied as a necessary clarification
  5. Matthew 24:22 Literally “every flesh would not be saved”
  6. Matthew 24:23 *Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation
  7. Matthew 24:26 Here “or” is supplied because of English style
  8. Matthew 24:26 *Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation