Matius 12:45

12:45 Then it goes and brings with it seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they go in and live there, so ¹  the last state of that person is worse than the first. It will be that way for this evil generation as well!”

Matius 22:7

22:7 The ²  king was furious! He sent his soldiers, and they put those murderers to death ³  and set their city ⁴  on fire.

Matius 23:35-38

23:35 so that on you will come all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of Barachiah, ⁵  whom you murdered between the temple and the altar. 23:36 I tell you the truth, ⁶  this generation will be held responsible for all these things! ⁷ 

Judgment on Israel

23:37 “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, ⁸  you who kill the prophets and stone those who are sent to you! ⁹  How often I have longed ¹⁰  to gather your children together as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but ¹¹  you would have none of it! ¹²  23:38 Look, your house is left to you desolate!

Matius 24:21-29

24:21 For then there will be great suffering ¹³  unlike anything that has happened ¹⁴  from the beginning of the world until now, or ever will happen. 24:22 And if those days had not been cut short, no one would be saved. But for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short. 24:23 Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ ¹⁵  or ‘There he is!’ do not believe him. 24:24 For false messiahs ¹⁶  and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. 24:25 Remember, ¹⁷  I have told you ahead of time. 24:26 So then, if someone ¹⁸  says to you, ‘Look, he is in the wilderness,’ ¹⁹  do not go out, or ‘Look, he is in the inner rooms,’ do not believe him. 24:27 For just like the lightning ²⁰  comes from the east and flashes to the west, so the coming of the Son of Man will be. 24:28 Wherever the corpse is, there the vultures ²¹  will gather. ²² 

The Arrival of the Son of Man

24:29 “Immediately ²³  after the suffering ²⁴  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 heaven will be shaken. ²⁵ 

[12:45]  ¹ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the concluding point of the story.

[22:7]  ² tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

[22:7]  ³ tn Grk “he sent his soldiers, destroyed those murderers.” The verb ἀπώλεσεν (apwlesen) is causative, indicating that the king was the one behind the execution of the murderers. In English the causative idea is not expressed naturally here; either a purpose clause (“he sent his soldiers to put those murderers to death”) or a relative clause (“he sent his soldier who put those murderers to death”) is preferred.

[22:7]  ⁴ tn The Greek text reads here πόλις (polis), which could be translated “town” or “city.” The prophetic reference is to the city of Jerusalem, so “city” is more appropriate here.

[23:35]  ⁵ sn Spelling of this name (Βαραχίου, Baraciou) varies among the English versions: “Barachiah” (RSV, NRSV); “Berechiah” (NASB); “Berachiah” (NIV).

[23:36]  ⁶ tn Grk “Truly (ἀμήν, amhn), I say to you.”

[23:36]  ⁷ tn Grk “all these things will come on this generation.”

[23:37]  ⁸ sn The double use of the city’s name betrays intense emotion.

[23:37]  map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[23:37]  ⁹ tn Although the opening address (“Jerusalem, Jerusalem”) is direct (second person), the remainder of this sentence in the Greek text is third person (“who kills the prophets and stones those sent to her”). The following sentences then revert to second person (“your… you”), so to keep all this consistent in English, the third person pronouns in the present verse were translated as second person (“you who kill… sent to you”).

[23:37]  ¹⁰ sn How often I have longed to gather your children. Jesus, like a lamenting prophet, speaks for God here, who longed to care tenderly for Israel and protect her.

[23:37]  ¹¹ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.

[23:37]  ¹² tn Grk “you were not willing.”

[24:21]  ¹³ tn Traditionally, “great tribulation.”

[24:21]  ¹⁴ sn Suffering unlike anything that has happened. Some refer this event to the destruction of Jerusalem in a.d. 70. While the events of a.d. 70 may reflect somewhat the comments Jesus makes here, the reference to the scope and severity of this judgment strongly suggest that much more is in view. Most likely Jesus is referring to the great end-time judgment on Jerusalem in the great tribulation.

[24:23]  ¹⁵ tn Or “Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”

[24:23]  sn See the note on Christ in 1:16.

[24:24]  ¹⁶ tn Or “false christs”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”

[24:25]  ¹⁷ tn Or “Pay attention!” Grk “Behold.”

[24:26]  ¹⁸ tn Grk “they say.” The third person plural is used here as an indefinite and translated “someone” (ExSyn 402).

[24:26]  ¹⁹ tn Or “in the desert.”

[24:27]  ²⁰ sn The Son of Man’s coming in power will be sudden and obvious like lightning. No one will need to point it out.

[24:28]  ²¹ tn The same Greek term can refer to “eagles” or “vultures” (L&N 4.42; BDAG 22 s.v. ἀετός), but in this context it must mean vultures because the gruesome image is one of dead bodies being consumed by scavengers.

[24:28]  sn Jesus’ answer is that when the judgment comes, the scenes of death will be obvious and so will the location of the judgment. See also Luke 17:37.

[24:28]  ²² tn Grk “will be gathered.” The passive construction has been translated as an active one in English.

[24:29]  ²³ tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

[24:29]  ²⁴ tn Traditionally, “tribulation.”

[24:29]  ²⁵ sn An allusion to Isa 13:10, 34:4 (LXX); Joel 2:10. The heavens were seen as the abode of heavenly forces, so their shaking indicates distress in the spiritual realm. Although some take the powers as a reference to bodies in the heavens (like stars and planets, “the heavenly bodies,” NIV) this is not as likely.