Matius 24:15-28

The Abomination of Desolation

24:15 “So when you see the abomination of desolation ¹  – spoken about by Daniel the prophet – standing in the holy place (let the reader understand), 24:16 then those in Judea must flee ²  to the mountains. 24:17 The one on the roof ³  must not come down ⁴  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 ⁵  to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing their babies in those days! 24:20 Pray ⁶  that your flight may not be in winter or on a Sabbath. 24:21 For then there will be great suffering ⁷  unlike anything that has happened ⁸  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!’ ⁹  or ‘There he is!’ do not believe him. 24:24 For false messiahs ¹⁰  and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. 24:25 Remember, ¹¹  I have told you ahead of time. 24:26 So then, if someone ¹²  says to you, ‘Look, he is in the wilderness,’ ¹³  do not go out, or ‘Look, he is in the inner rooms,’ do not believe him. 24:27 For just like the lightning ¹⁴  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 ¹⁵  will gather. ¹⁶ 

Lukas 21:20-24

The Desolation of Jerusalem

21:20 “But when you see Jerusalem ¹⁷  surrounded ¹⁸  by armies, then know that its ¹⁹  desolation ²⁰  has come near. 21:21 Then those who are in Judea must flee ²¹  to the mountains. Those ²²  who are inside the city must depart. Those ²³  who are out in the country must not enter it, 21:22 because these are days of vengeance, ²⁴  to fulfill ²⁵  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 ²⁶  on the earth and wrath against this people. 21:24 They ²⁷  will fall by the edge ²⁸  of the sword and be led away as captives ²⁹  among all nations. Jerusalem ³⁰  will be trampled down by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled. ³¹ 

[24:15]  ¹ 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]  ² 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]  ³ 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]  ⁴ 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]  ⁵ tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

[24:20]  ⁶ tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

[24:21]  ⁷ tn Traditionally, “great tribulation.”

[24:21]  ⁸ 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]  ⁹ 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]  ¹⁰ tn Or “false christs”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”

[24:25]  ¹¹ tn Or “Pay attention!” Grk “Behold.”

[24:26]  ¹² tn Grk “they say.” The third person plural is used here as an indefinite and translated “someone” (ExSyn 402).

[24:26]  ¹³ tn Or “in the desert.”

[24:27]  ¹⁴ 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]  ¹⁵ 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]  ¹⁶ tn Grk “will be gathered.” The passive construction has been translated as an active one in English.

[21:20]  ¹⁷ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[21:20]  ¹⁸ 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]  ¹⁹ tn Grk “her,” referring to the city of Jerusalem (the name “Jerusalem” in Greek is a feminine noun).

[21:20]  ²⁰ 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]  ²¹ 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]  ²² tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[21:21]  ²³ tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[21:22]  ²⁴ tn Or “of punishment.” This is a time of judgment.

[21:22]  ²⁵ 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]  ²⁶ sn Great distress means that this is a period of great judgment.

[21:24]  ²⁷ tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[21:24]  ²⁸ tn Grk “by the mouth of the sword” (an idiom for the edge of a sword).

[21:24]  ²⁹ 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]  ³⁰ tn Grk “And Jerusalem.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[21:24]  ³¹ sn Until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled implies a time when Israel again has a central role in God’s plan.