Matthew 24

New International Version

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. ²“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.”

³As 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)

⁴Jesus answered: “Watch out that no one deceives you.^(F) ⁵For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and will deceive many.^(G) ⁶You 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. ⁷Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.^(H) There will be famines^(I) and earthquakes in various places. ⁸All these are the beginning of birth pains.

⁹“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) ¹⁰At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, ¹¹and many false prophets^(M) will appear and deceive many people.^(N) ¹²Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, ¹³but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved.^(O) ¹⁴And 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— ¹⁶then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. ¹⁷Let no one on the housetop^(T) go down to take anything out of the house. ¹⁸Let no one in the field go back to get their cloak. ¹⁹How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers!^(U) ²⁰Pray that your flight will not take place in winter or on the Sabbath. ²¹For 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. ²³At that time if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Messiah!’ or, ‘There he is!’ do not believe it.^(X) ²⁴For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders^(Y) to deceive, if possible, even the elect. ²⁵See, 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. ²⁷For 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) ²⁸Wherever 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] ³¹And 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. ³³Even so, when you see all these things, you know that it^[e] is near, right at the door.^(AI) ³⁴Truly I tell you, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened.^(AJ) ³⁵Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.^(AK)

The Day and Hour Unknown^(AL)^(AM)

³⁶“But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son,^[f] but only the Father.^(AN) ³⁷As it was in the days of Noah,^(AO) so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. ³⁸For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage,^(AP) up to the day Noah entered the ark; ³⁹and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.^(AQ) ⁴⁰Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left.^(AR) ⁴¹Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left.^(AS)

⁴²“Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come.^(AT) ⁴³But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming,^(AU) he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. ⁴⁴So you also must be ready,^(AV) because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.

⁴⁵“Who then is the faithful and wise servant,^(AW) whom the master has put in charge of the servants in his household to give them their food at the proper time? ⁴⁶It will be good for that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns.^(AX) ⁴⁷Truly I tell you, he will put him in charge of all his possessions.^(AY) ⁴⁸But suppose that servant is wicked and says to himself, ‘My master is staying away a long time,’ ⁴⁹and he then begins to beat his fellow servants and to eat and drink with drunkards.^(AZ) ⁵⁰The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. ⁵¹He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.^(BA)

Footnotes

Matthew 24:15 Daniel 9:27; 11:31; 12:11
Matthew 24:29 Isaiah 13:10; 34:4
Matthew 24:30 Or the tribes of the land
Matthew 24:30 See Daniel 7:13-14.
Matthew 24:33 Or he
Matthew 24:36 Some manuscripts do not have nor the Son.

Joel 2

New International Version

An Army of Locusts

2 Blow the trumpet^(A) in Zion;^(B)
sound the alarm on my holy hill.^(C)

Let all who live in the land tremble,
    for the day of the Lord^(D) is coming.
It is close at hand^(E)—
²    a day of darkness^(F) and gloom,^(G)
    a day of clouds^(H) and blackness.^(I)
Like dawn spreading across the mountains
    a large and mighty army^(J) comes,
such as never was in ancient times^(K)
    nor ever will be in ages to come.

³Before them fire^(L) devours,
    behind them a flame blazes.
Before them the land is like the garden of Eden,^(M)
    behind them, a desert waste^(N)—
    nothing escapes them.
⁴They have the appearance of horses;^(O)
    they gallop along like cavalry.
⁵With a noise like that of chariots^(P)
    they leap over the mountaintops,
like a crackling fire^(Q) consuming stubble,
    like a mighty army drawn up for battle.

⁶At the sight of them, nations are in anguish;^(R)
    every face turns pale.^(S)
⁷They charge like warriors;^(T)
    they scale walls like soldiers.
They all march in line,^(U)
    not swerving^(V) from their course.
⁸They do not jostle each other;
    each marches straight ahead.
They plunge through defenses
    without breaking ranks.
⁹They rush upon the city;
    they run along the wall.
They climb into the houses;^(W)
    like thieves they enter through the windows.^(X)

¹⁰Before them the earth shakes,^(Y)
    the heavens tremble,^(Z)
the sun and moon are darkened,^(AA)
    and the stars no longer shine.^(AB)
¹¹The Lord^(AC) thunders^(AD)
    at the head of his army;^(AE)
his forces are beyond number,
    and mighty is the army that obeys his command.
The day of the Lord is great;^(AF)
    it is dreadful.
    Who can endure it?^(AG)

Rend Your Heart

¹²“Even now,” declares the Lord,
“return^(AH) to me with all your heart,^(AI)
with fasting and weeping and mourning.”

¹³Rend your heart^(AJ)
    and not your garments.^(AK)
Return^(AL) to the Lord your God,
    for he is gracious and compassionate,^(AM)
slow to anger and abounding in love,^(AN)
    and he relents from sending calamity.^(AO)
¹⁴Who knows? He may turn^(AP) and relent^(AQ)
    and leave behind a blessing^(AR)—
grain offerings and drink offerings^(AS)
    for the Lord your God.

¹⁵Blow the trumpet^(AT) in Zion,^(AU)
    declare a holy fast,^(AV)
    call a sacred assembly.^(AW)
¹⁶Gather the people,
    consecrate^(AX) the assembly;
bring together the elders,^(AY)
    gather the children,
    those nursing at the breast.
Let the bridegroom^(AZ) leave his room
    and the bride her chamber.
¹⁷Let the priests, who minister^(BA) before the Lord,
    weep^(BB) between the portico and the altar.^(BC)
Let them say, “Spare your people, Lord.
    Do not make your inheritance an object of scorn,^(BD)
    a byword^(BE) among the nations.
Why should they say among the peoples,
    ‘Where is their God?^(BF)’”

The Lord’s Answer

¹⁸Then the Lord was jealous^(BG) for his land
and took pity^(BH) on his people.

¹⁹The Lord replied^[a] to them:

“I am sending you grain, new wine^(BI) and olive oil,^(BJ)
enough to satisfy you fully;^(BK)
never again will I make you
an object of scorn^(BL) to the nations.

²⁰“I will drive the northern horde^(BM) far from you,
    pushing it into a parched and barren land;
its eastern ranks will drown in the Dead Sea
    and its western ranks in the Mediterranean Sea.
And its stench^(BN) will go up;
    its smell will rise.”

Surely he has done great things!
²¹    Do not be afraid,^(BO) land of Judah;
    be glad and rejoice.^(BP)
Surely the Lord has done great things!^(BQ)
²²    Do not be afraid, you wild animals,
    for the pastures in the wilderness are becoming green.^(BR)
The trees are bearing their fruit;
    the fig tree^(BS) and the vine^(BT) yield their riches.^(BU)
²³Be glad, people of Zion,
    rejoice^(BV) in the Lord your God,
for he has given you the autumn rains
    because he is faithful.^(BW)
He sends you abundant showers,^(BX)
    both autumn^(BY) and spring rains,^(BZ) as before.
²⁴The threshing floors will be filled with grain;
    the vats will overflow^(CA) with new wine^(CB) and oil.

²⁵“I will repay you for the years the locusts^(CC) have eaten^(CD)—
    the great locust and the young locust,
    the other locusts and the locust swarm^[b]—
my great army^(CE) that I sent among you.
²⁶You will have plenty to eat, until you are full,^(CF)
    and you will praise^(CG) the name of the Lord your God,
    who has worked wonders^(CH) for you;
never again will my people be shamed.^(CI)
²⁷Then you will know^(CJ) that I am in Israel,
    that I am the Lord^(CK) your God,
    and that there is no other;
never again will my people be shamed.^(CL)

The Day of the Lord

²⁸“And afterward,
    I will pour out my Spirit^(CM) on all people.^(CN)
Your sons and daughters will prophesy,^(CO)
    your old men will dream dreams,^(CP)
    your young men will see visions.
²⁹Even on my servants,^(CQ) both men and women,
    I will pour out my Spirit in those days.^(CR)
³⁰I will show wonders in the heavens^(CS)
    and on the earth,^(CT)
    blood and fire and billows of smoke.
³¹The sun will be turned to darkness^(CU)
    and the moon to blood
    before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord.^(CV)
³²And everyone who calls
    on the name of the Lord^(CW) will be saved;^(CX)
for on Mount Zion^(CY) and in Jerusalem
    there will be deliverance,^(CZ)
    as the Lord has said,
even among the survivors^(DA)
    whom the Lord calls.^[c]^(DB)

Footnotes

Joel 2:19 Or Lord will be jealous … / and take pity … / ¹⁹The Lord will reply
Joel 2:25 The precise meaning of the four Hebrew words used here for locusts is uncertain.
Joel 2:32 In Hebrew texts 2:28-32 is numbered 3:1-5.

2 Thessalonians 2

New International Version

The Man of Lawlessness

2 Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ^(A) and our being gathered to him,^(B) we ask you, brothers and sisters, ²not to become easily unsettled or alarmed by the teaching allegedly from us—whether by a prophecy or by word of mouth or by letter^(C)—asserting that the day of the Lord^(D) has already come.^(E) ³Don’t let anyone deceive you^(F) in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellion^(G) occurs and the man of lawlessness^[a] is revealed,^(H) the man doomed to destruction. ⁴He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God^(I) or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God’s temple, proclaiming himself to be God.^(J)

⁵Don’t you remember that when I was with you I used to tell you these things?^(K) ⁶And now you know what is holding him back,^(L) so that he may be revealed at the proper time. ⁷For the secret power of lawlessness is already at work; but the one who now holds it back^(M) will continue to do so till he is taken out of the way. ⁸And then the lawless one will be revealed,^(N) whom the Lord Jesus will overthrow with the breath of his mouth^(O) and destroy by the splendor of his coming.^(P) ⁹The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with how Satan^(Q) works. He will use all sorts of displays of power through signs and wonders^(R) that serve the lie, ¹⁰and all the ways that wickedness deceives those who are perishing.^(S) They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved.^(T) ¹¹For this reason God sends them^(U) a powerful delusion^(V) so that they will believe the lie^(W) ¹²and so that all will be condemned who have not believed the truth but have delighted in wickedness.^(X)

Stand Firm

¹³But we ought always to thank God for you,^(Y) brothers and sisters loved by the Lord, because God chose you as firstfruits^[b]^(Z) to be saved^(AA) through the sanctifying work of the Spirit^(AB) and through belief in the truth. ¹⁴He called you^(AC) to this through our gospel,^(AD) that you might share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.

¹⁵So then, brothers and sisters, stand firm^(AE) and hold fast to the teachings^[c] we passed on to you,^(AF) whether by word of mouth or by letter.

¹⁶May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father,^(AG) who loved us^(AH) and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, ¹⁷encourage^(AI) your hearts and strengthen^(AJ) you in every good deed and word.

Footnotes

2 Thessalonians 2:3 Some manuscripts sin
2 Thessalonians 2:13 Some manuscripts because from the beginning God chose you
2 Thessalonians 2:15 Or traditions

New International Version (NIV)

Matthew 24

New International Version