Matius 24:2

24:2 And he said to them, ¹  “Do you see all these things? I tell you the truth, ²  not one stone will be left on another. ³  All will be torn down!” ⁴ 

Matius 24:4-26

24:4 Jesus answered them, ⁵  “Watch out ⁶  that no one misleads you. 24:5 For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ ⁷  and they will mislead many. 24:6 You will hear of wars and rumors of wars. Make sure that you are not alarmed, for this must happen, but the end is still to come. ⁸  24:7 For nation will rise up in arms ⁹  against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines ¹⁰  and earthquakes ¹¹  in various places. 24:8 All ¹²  these things are the beginning of birth pains.

Persecution of Disciples

24:9 “Then they will hand you over to be persecuted and will kill you. You will be hated by all the nations ¹³  because of my name. ¹⁴  24:10 Then many will be led into sin, ¹⁵  and they will betray one another and hate one another. 24:11 And many false prophets will appear and deceive ¹⁶  many, 24:12 and because lawlessness will increase so much, the love of many will grow cold. 24:13 But the person who endures to the end will be saved. ¹⁷  24:14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached throughout the whole inhabited earth as a testimony to all the nations, ¹⁸  and then the end will come.

The Abomination of Desolation

24:15 “So when you see the abomination of desolation ¹⁹  – spoken about by Daniel the prophet – standing in the holy place (let the reader understand), 24:16 then those in Judea must flee ²⁰  to the mountains. 24:17 The one on the roof ²¹  must not come down ²²  to take anything out of his house, 24:18 and the one in the field must not turn back to get his cloak. 24:19 Woe ²³  to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing their babies in those days! 24:20 Pray ²⁴  that your flight may not be in winter or on a Sabbath. 24:21 For then there will be great suffering ²⁵  unlike anything that has happened ²⁶  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!’ ²⁷  or ‘There he is!’ do not believe him. 24:24 For false messiahs ²⁸  and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. 24:25 Remember, ²⁹  I have told you ahead of time. 24:26 So then, if someone ³⁰  says to you, ‘Look, he is in the wilderness,’ ³¹  do not go out, or ‘Look, he is in the inner rooms,’ do not believe him.

Markus 13:2

13:2 Jesus said to him, “Do you see these great buildings? Not one stone will be left on another. ³²  All will be torn down!” ³³ 

Markus 13:5-23

13:5 Jesus began to say to them, “Watch out ³⁴  that no one misleads you. 13:6 Many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am he,’ ³⁵  and they will mislead many. 13:7 When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed. These things must happen, but the end is still to come. ³⁶  13:8 For nation will rise up in arms ³⁷  against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places, and there will be famines. ³⁸  These are but the beginning of birth pains.

Persecution of Disciples

13:9 “You must watch out for yourselves. You will be handed over ³⁹  to councils ⁴⁰  and beaten in the synagogues. ⁴¹  You will stand before governors and kings ⁴²  because of me, as a witness to them. 13:10 First the gospel must be preached to all nations. 13:11 When they arrest you and hand you over for trial, do not worry about what to speak. But say whatever is given you at that time, ⁴³  for it is not you speaking, but the Holy Spirit. 13:12 Brother will hand over brother to death, and a father his child. Children will rise against ⁴⁴  parents and have them put to death. 13:13 You will be hated by everyone because of my name. ⁴⁵  But the one who endures to the end will be saved. ⁴⁶ 

The Abomination of Desolation

13:14 “But when you see the abomination of desolation ⁴⁷  standing where it should not be (let the reader understand), then those in Judea must flee ⁴⁸  to the mountains. 13:15 The one on the roof ⁴⁹  must not come down or go inside to take anything out of his house. ⁵⁰  13:16 The one in the field must not turn back to get his cloak. 13:17 Woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing their babies in those days! 13:18 Pray that it may not be in winter. 13:19 For in those days there will be suffering ⁵¹  unlike anything that has happened ⁵²  from the beginning of the creation that God created until now, or ever will happen. 13:20 And if the Lord had not cut short those days, no one would be saved. But because of the elect, whom he chose, he has cut them ⁵³  short. 13:21 Then ⁵⁴  if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ ⁵⁵  or ‘Look, there he is!’ do not believe him. 13:22 For false messiahs ⁵⁶  and false prophets will appear and perform signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, the elect. 13:23 Be careful! I have told you everything ahead of time.

Lukas 21:6

21:6 “As for these things that you are gazing at, the days will come when not one stone will be left on another. ⁵⁷  All will be torn down!” ⁵⁸ 

Lukas 21:8-24

21:8 He ⁵⁹  said, “Watch out ⁶⁰  that you are not misled. For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am he,’ ⁶¹  and, ‘The time is near.’ Do not follow them! 21:9 And when you hear of wars and rebellions, ⁶²  do not be afraid. ⁶³  For these things must happen first, but the end will not come at once.” ⁶⁴ 

Persecution of Disciples

21:10 Then he said to them, “Nation will rise up in arms ⁶⁵  against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. 21:11 There will be great earthquakes, and famines ⁶⁶  and plagues in various places, and there will be terrifying sights ⁶⁷  and great signs ⁶⁸  from heaven. 21:12 But before all this, ⁶⁹  they will seize ⁷⁰  you and persecute you, handing you over to the synagogues ⁷¹  and prisons. You ⁷²  will be brought before kings and governors because of my name. 21:13 This will be a time for you to serve as witnesses. ⁷³  21:14 Therefore be resolved ⁷⁴  not to rehearse ⁷⁵  ahead of time how to make your defense. 21:15 For I will give you the words ⁷⁶  along with the wisdom ⁷⁷  that none of your adversaries will be able to withstand or contradict. 21:16 You will be betrayed even by parents, ⁷⁸  brothers, relatives, ⁷⁹  and friends, and they will have some of you put to death. 21:17 You will be hated by everyone because of my name. ⁸⁰  21:18 Yet ⁸¹  not a hair of your head will perish. ⁸²  21:19 By your endurance ⁸³  you will gain ⁸⁴  your lives. ⁸⁵ 

The Desolation of Jerusalem

21:20 “But when you see Jerusalem ⁸⁶  surrounded ⁸⁷  by armies, then know that its ⁸⁸  desolation ⁸⁹  has come near. 21:21 Then those who are in Judea must flee ⁹⁰  to the mountains. Those ⁹¹  who are inside the city must depart. Those ⁹²  who are out in the country must not enter it, 21:22 because these are days of vengeance, ⁹³  to fulfill ⁹⁴  all that is written. 21:23 Woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing their babies in those days! For there will be great distress ⁹⁵  on the earth and wrath against this people. 21:24 They ⁹⁶  will fall by the edge ⁹⁷  of the sword and be led away as captives ⁹⁸  among all nations. Jerusalem ⁹⁹  will be trampled down by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled. ¹⁰⁰ 

[24:2]  ¹ tn Grk “answering, he said to them.” The participle ἀποκριθείς (ajpokriqei") is redundant in English and has not been translated.

[24:2]  ² tn Grk “Truly (ἀμήν, amhn), I say to you.”

[24:2]  ³ sn With the statement not one stone will be left on another Jesus predicted the total destruction of the temple, something that did occur in a.d. 70.

[24:2]  ⁴ tn Grk “not one stone will be left here on another which will not be thrown down.”

[24:4]  ⁵ tn Grk “answering, Jesus said to them.” This is somewhat redundant and has been simplified in the translation.

[24:4]  ⁶ tn Or “Be on guard.”

[24:5]  ⁷ tn Or “Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”

[24:5]  sn See the note on Christ in 1:16.

[24:6]  ⁸ tn Grk “it is not yet the end.”

[24:7]  ⁹ tn For the translation “rise up in arms” see L&N 55.2.

[24:7]  ¹⁰ sn See Isa 5:13-14; 13:6-16; Hag 2:6-7; Zech 14:4.

[24:7]  ¹¹ tc Most witnesses (C Θ 0102 Ë^1,13 Ï) have “and plagues” (καὶ λοιμοί, kai loimoi) between “famines” (λιμοί, limoi) and “earthquakes” (σεισμοί, seismoi), while others have “plagues and famines and earthquakes” (L W 33 pc lat). The similarities between λιμοί and λοιμοί could explain how καὶ λοιμοί might have accidentally dropped out, but since the Lukan parallel has both terms (and W lat have the order λοιμοὶ καὶ λιμοί there too, as they do in Matthew), it seems more likely that scribes added the phrase here. The shorter reading does not enjoy overwhelming support ([א] B D 892 pc, as well as versional witnesses), but it is nevertheless significant; coupled with the internal evidence it should be given preference.

[24:8]  ¹² tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

[24:9]  ¹³ tn Or “all the Gentiles” (the same Greek word may be translated “nations” or “Gentiles”).

[24:9]  ¹⁴ sn See Matt 5:10-12; 1 Cor 1:25-31.

[24:10]  ¹⁵ tn Or “many will fall away.” This could also refer to apostasy.

[24:11]  ¹⁶ tn Or “and lead many astray.”

[24:13]  ¹⁷ sn But the person who endures to the end will be saved. Jesus was not claiming here that salvation is by works. He was simply arguing that genuine faith evidences itself in persistence through even the worst of trials.

[24:14]  ¹⁸ tn Or “all the Gentiles” (the same Greek word may be translated “nations” or “Gentiles”).

[24:15]  ¹⁹ sn The reference to the abomination of desolation is an allusion to Dan 9:27. Though some have seen the fulfillment of Daniel’s prophecy in the actions of Antiochus IV (or a representative of his) in 167 b.c., the words of Jesus seem to indicate that Antiochus was not the final fulfillment, but that there was (from Jesus’ perspective) still another fulfillment yet to come. Some argue that this was realized in a.d. 70, while others claim that it refers specifically to Antichrist and will not be fully realized until the period of the great tribulation at the end of the age (cf. Mark 13:14, 19, 24; Rev 3:10).

[24:16]  ²⁰ sn Fleeing to the mountains is a key OT image: Gen 19:17; Judg 6:2; Isa 15:5; Jer 16:16; Zech 14:5.

[24:17]  ²¹ sn On the roof. Most of the roofs in the NT were flat roofs made of pounded dirt, sometimes mixed with lime or stones, supported by heavy wooden beams. They generally had an easy means of access, either a sturdy wooden ladder or stone stairway, sometimes on the outside of the house.

[24:17]  ²² sn The swiftness and devastation of the judgment will require a swift escape. There will be no time to come down from the roof and pick up anything from inside one’s home.

[24:19]  ²³ tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

[24:20]  ²⁴ tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

[24:21]  ²⁵ tn Traditionally, “great tribulation.”

[24:21]  ²⁶ 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]  ²⁷ 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]  ²⁸ tn Or “false christs”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”

[24:25]  ²⁹ tn Or “Pay attention!” Grk “Behold.”

[24:26]  ³⁰ tn Grk “they say.” The third person plural is used here as an indefinite and translated “someone” (ExSyn 402).

[24:26]  ³¹ tn Or “in the desert.”

[13:2]  ³² sn With the statement not one stone will be left on another Jesus predicted the total destruction of the temple, something that did occur in a.d. 70.

[13:2]  ³³ tn Grk “not one stone will be left here on another which will not be thrown down.”

[13:5]  ³⁴ tn Or “Be on guard.”

[13:6]  ³⁵ tn That is, “I am the Messiah.”

[13:7]  ³⁶ tn Grk “it is not yet the end.”

[13:8]  ³⁷ tn For the translation “rise up in arms” see L&N 55.2.

[13:8]  ³⁸ sn See Isa 5:13-14; 13:6-16; Hag 2:6-7; Zech 14:4.

[13:9]  ³⁹ tn Grk “They will hand you over.” “They” is an indefinite plural, referring to people in general. The parallel in Matt 10:17 makes this explicit.

[13:9]  ⁴⁰ sn Councils in this context refers to local judicial bodies attached to the Jewish synagogue. This group would be responsible for meting out justice and discipline within the Jewish community.

[13:9]  ⁴¹ sn See the note on synagogue in 1:21.

[13:9]  ⁴² sn These statements look at persecution both from a Jewish context as the mention of councils and synagogues suggests, and from a Gentile one as the reference to governors and kings suggests. Some fulfillment of Jewish persecution can be seen in Acts.

[13:11]  ⁴³ tn Grk “in that hour.”

[13:12]  ⁴⁴ tn Or “will rebel against.”

[13:13]  ⁴⁵ sn See 1 Cor 1:25-31.

[13:13]  ⁴⁶ sn But the one who endures to the end will be saved. Jesus was not claiming here that salvation is by works, because he had already taught that it is by grace (cf. 10:15). He was simply arguing that genuine faith evidences itself in persistence through even the worst of trials.

[13:14]  ⁴⁷ sn The reference to the abomination of desolation is an allusion to Dan 9:27. Though some have seen the fulfillment of Daniel’s prophecy in the actions of Antiochus IV (or a representative of his) in 167 b.c., the words of Jesus seem to indicate that Antiochus was not the final fulfillment, but that there was (from Jesus’ perspective) still another fulfillment yet to come. Some argue that this was realized in a.d. 70, while others claim that it refers specifically to Antichrist and will not be fully realized until the period of the great tribulation at the end of the age (cf. Mark 13:19, 24; Matt 24:21; Rev 3:10).

[13:14]  ⁴⁸ sn Fleeing to the mountains is a key OT image: Gen 19:17; Judg 6:2; Isa 15:5; Jer 16:16; Zech 14:5.

[13:15]  ⁴⁹ sn Most of the roofs in the NT were flat roofs made of pounded dirt, sometimes mixed with lime or stones, supported by heavy wooden beams. They generally had an easy means of access, either a sturdy wooden ladder or stone stairway, sometimes on the outside of the house.

[13:15]  ⁵⁰ sn The nature of the judgment coming upon them will be so quick and devastating that one will not have time to come down or go inside to take anything out of his house. It is best just to escape as quickly as possible.

[13:19]  ⁵¹ tn Traditionally, “tribulation.”

[13:19]  ⁵² 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.

[13:20]  ⁵³ tn Grk “the days.”

[13:21]  ⁵⁴ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

[13:21]  ⁵⁵ tn Or “the Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”

[13:21]  sn See the note on Christ in 8:29.

[13:22]  ⁵⁶ tn Or “false christs”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”

[21:6]  ⁵⁷ sn With the statement days will come when not one stone will be left on another Jesus predicted the total destruction of the temple, something that did occur in a.d. 70.

[21:6]  ⁵⁸ tn Grk “the days will come when not one stone will be left on another that will not be thrown down.”

[21:8]  ⁵⁹ tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

[21:8]  ⁶⁰ tn Or “Be on guard.”

[21:8]  ⁶¹ tn That is, “I am the Messiah.”

[21:9]  ⁶² tn Social and political chaos also precedes the end. This term refers to revolutions (L&N 39.34).

[21:9]  ⁶³ tn This is not the usual term for fear, but refers to a deep sense of terror and emotional distress (Luke 24:37; BDAG 895 s.v. πτοέω).

[21:9]  ⁶⁴ sn The end will not come at once. This remark about timing not only indicates that there will be events before the end, but that some time will also pass before it comes.

[21:10]  ⁶⁵ tn For the translation “rise up in arms” see L&N 55.2.

[21:11]  ⁶⁶ sn See Isa 5:13-14; 13:6-16; Hag 2:6-7; Zech 14:4.

[21:11]  ⁶⁷ tn This term, φόβητρον (fobhtron), occurs only here in the NT. It could refer to an object, event, or condition that causes fear, but in the context it is linked with great signs from heaven, so the translation “sights” was preferred.

[21:11]  ⁶⁸ sn See Jer 4:13-22; 14:12; 21:6-7.

[21:12]  ⁶⁹ sn But before all this. Another note of timing is present, this one especially important in understanding the sequence in the discourse. Before the things noted in vv. 8-11 are the events of vv. 12-19.

[21:12]  ⁷⁰ tn Grk “will lay their hands on you.”

[21:12]  ⁷¹ sn Some of the persecution is of Jewish origin (the synagogues). Some fulfillment of this can be seen in Acts. See the note on synagogues in 4:15.

[21:12]  ⁷² tn Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.

[21:13]  ⁷³ tn Grk “This will turn out to you for [a] testimony.”

[21:14]  ⁷⁴ tn Grk “determine in your hearts.”

[21:14]  ⁷⁵ tn This term could refer to rehearsing a speech or a dance. On its syntax, see BDF §392.2.

[21:15]  ⁷⁶ tn Grk “a mouth.” It is a metonymy and refers to the reply the Lord will give to them.

[21:15]  ⁷⁷ tn Grk “and wisdom.”

[21:16]  ⁷⁸ sn To confess Christ might well mean rejection by one’s own family, even by parents.

[21:16]  ⁷⁹ tn Grk “and brothers and relatives,” but καί (kai) has not been translated twice here since English normally uses a coordinating conjunction only between the last two elements in a series of three or more.

[21:17]  ⁸⁰ sn See Luke 6:22, 27; 1 Cor 1:25-31.

[21:18]  ⁸¹ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “yet” to indicate the contrast present in this context.

[21:18]  ⁸² sn Given v. 16, the expression not a hair of your head will perish must be taken figuratively and refer to living ultimately in the presence of God.

[21:19]  ⁸³ sn By your endurance is a call to remain faithful, because trusting in Jesus is the means to life.

[21:19]  ⁸⁴ tc Some important Greek witnesses plus the majority of mss (א D L W Ψ Ë¹ Ï) read the aorist imperative κτήσασθε (kthsasqe) here, though some mss (A B Θ Ë¹³ 33 pc lat sa) read the future indicative κτήσεσθε (kthsesqe). A decision is difficult because the evidence is so evenly balanced, but the aorist imperative is the harder reading and better explains the rise of the other. J. A. Fitzmyer assesses the translation options this way: “In English one has to use something similar [i.e., a future indicative], even if one follows the [aorist imperative]” (Luke [AB], 2:1341); in the same vein, although this translation follows the aorist imperative, because of English requirements it has been translated as though it were a future indicative.

[21:19]  ⁸⁵ tn Grk “your souls,” but ψυχή (yuch) is frequently used of one’s physical life. In light of v. 16 that does not seem to be the case here. The entire phrase could be taken as an idiom meaning “you will save yourselves” (L&N 21.20), or (as in v. 18) this could refer to living ultimately in the presence of God.

[21:20]  ⁸⁶ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[21:20]  ⁸⁷ sn See Luke 19:41-44. This passage refers to the events associated with the fall of Jerusalem, when the city is surrounded by armies.

[21:20]  ⁸⁸ tn Grk “her,” referring to the city of Jerusalem (the name “Jerusalem” in Greek is a feminine noun).

[21:20]  ⁸⁹ sn The phrase its desolation is a reference to the fall of the city, which is the only antecedent present in Luke’s account. The parallels to this in Matt 24:15 and Mark 13:14 refer to the temple’s desolation, though Matthew’s allusion is clearer. They focus on the parallel events of the end, not on the short term realization in a.d. 70. The entire passage has a prophetic “two events in one” typology, where the near term destruction (a.d. 70) is like the end. So the evangelists could choose to focus on the near time realization (Luke) or on its long term fulfillment, which mirrors it (Matthew, Mark).

[21:21]  ⁹⁰ sn Fleeing to the mountains is a key OT image: Gen 19:17; Judg 6:2; Isa 15:5; Jer 16:16; Zech 14:5.

[21:21]  ⁹¹ tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[21:21]  ⁹² tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[21:22]  ⁹³ tn Or “of punishment.” This is a time of judgment.

[21:22]  ⁹⁴ tn The passive construction with the infinitive πλησθῆναι (plhsqhnai) has been translated as an active construction for simplicity, in keeping with contemporary English style.

[21:23]  ⁹⁵ sn Great distress means that this is a period of great judgment.

[21:24]  ⁹⁶ tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[21:24]  ⁹⁷ tn Grk “by the mouth of the sword” (an idiom for the edge of a sword).

[21:24]  ⁹⁸ sn Here is the predicted judgment against the nation until the time of Gentile rule has passed: Its people will be led away as captives.

[21:24]  ⁹⁹ tn Grk “And Jerusalem.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[21:24]  ¹⁰⁰ sn Until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled implies a time when Israel again has a central role in God’s plan.