Watch, Endure, and Be Ready for the King’s Return

24:1 Now as Jesus was going out of the temple courts and walking away, his disciples came to show him the temple buildings. 24:2 And he said to them, "Do you see all these things? I tell you the truth, not one stone will be left on another. All will be torn down!" 24:3 As he was sitting on the Mount of Olives, his disciples came to him privately and said, "Tell us, when will these things happen? And what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?" 24:4 Jesus answered them, "Watch out that no one misleads you. 24:5 For many will come in my name, saying, 'I am the Christ,' 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. 24:7 For nation will rise up in arms against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. 24:8 All these things are the beginning of birth pains. 24:9 "Then they will hand you over to be persecuted and will kill you. You will be hated by all the nations because of my name. 24:10 Then many will be led into sin, and they will betray one another and hate one another. 24:11 And many false prophets will appear and deceive 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. 24:14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached throughout the whole inhabited earth as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come. 24:15 "So when you see the abomination of desolation - spoken about by Daniel the prophet - standing in the holy place (let the reader understand), 24:16 then those in Judea must flee to the mountains. 24:17 The one on the roof must not come down 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 to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing their babies in those days! 24:20 Pray that your flight may not be in winter or on a Sabbath. 24:21 For then there will be great suffering unlike anything that has happened 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!' or 'There he is!' do not believe him. 24:24 For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. 24:25 Remember, I have told you ahead of time. 24:26 So then, if someone says to you, 'Look, he is in the wilderness,' do not go out, or 'Look, he is in the inner rooms,' do not believe him. 24:27 For just like the lightning 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 will gather. 24:29 "Immediately after the suffering 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. 24:30 Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and all the tribes of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man arriving on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. 24:31 And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet blast, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. 24:32 "Learn this parable from the fig tree: Whenever its branch becomes tender and puts out its leaves, you know that summer is near. 24:33 So also you, when you see all these things, know that he is near, right at the door. 24:34 I tell you the truth, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. 24:35 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away. 24:36 "But as for that day and hour no one knows it - not even the angels in heaven - except the Father alone. 24:37 For just like the days of Noah were, so the coming of the Son of Man will be. 24:38 For in those days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day Noah entered the ark. 24:39 And they knew nothing until the flood came and took them all away. It will be the same at the coming of the Son of Man. 24:40 Then there will be two men in the field; one will be taken and one left. 24:41 There will be two women grinding grain with a mill; one will be taken and one left. 24:42 "Therefore stay alert, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. 24:43 But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have been alert and would not have let his house be broken into. 24:44 Therefore you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him. 24:45 "Who then is the faithful and wise slave, whom the master has put in charge of his household, to give the other slaves their food at the proper time? 24:46 Blessed is that slave whom the master finds at work when he comes. 24:47 I tell you the truth, the master will put him in charge of all his possessions. 24:48 But if that evil slave should say to himself, 'My master is staying away a long time,' 24:49 and he begins to beat his fellow slaves and to eat and drink with drunkards, 24:50 then the master of that slave will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not foresee, 24:51 and will cut him in two, and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 25:1 "At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. 25:2 Five of the virgins were foolish, and five were wise. 25:3 When the foolish ones took their lamps, they did not take extra olive oil with them. 25:4 But the wise ones took flasks of olive oil with their lamps. 25:5 When the bridegroom was delayed a long time, they all became drowsy and fell asleep. 25:6 But at midnight there was a shout, 'Look, the bridegroom is here! Come out to meet him.' 25:7 Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps. 25:8 The foolish ones said to the wise, 'Give us some of your oil, because our lamps are going out.' 25:9 'No,' they replied. 'There won't be enough for you and for us. Go instead to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.' 25:10 But while they had gone to buy it, the bridegroom arrived, and those who were ready went inside with him to the wedding banquet. Then the door was shut. 25:11 Later, the other virgins came too, saying, 'Lord, lord! Let us in!' 25:12 But he replied, 'I tell you the truth, I do not know you!' 25:13 Therefore stay alert, because you do not know the day or the hour. 25:14 "For it is like a man going on a journey, who summoned his slaves and entrusted his property to them. 25:15 To one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. 25:16 The one who had received five talents went off right away and put his money to work and gained five more. 25:17 In the same way, the one who had two gained two more. 25:18 But the one who had received one talent went out and dug a hole in the ground and hid his master's money in it. 25:19 After a long time, the master of those slaves came and settled his accounts with them. 25:20 The one who had received the five talents came and brought five more, saying, 'Sir, you entrusted me with five talents. See, I have gained five more.' 25:21 His master answered, 'Well done, good and faithful slave! You have been faithful in a few things. I will put you in charge of many things. Enter into the joy of your master.' 25:22 The one with the two talents also came and said, 'Sir, you entrusted two talents to me. See, I have gained two more.' 25:23 His master answered, 'Well done, good and faithful slave! You have been faithful with a few things. I will put you in charge of many things. Enter into the joy of your master.' 25:24 Then the one who had received the one talent came and said, 'Sir, I knew that you were a hard man, harvesting where you did not sow, and gathering where you did not scatter seed, 25:25 so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. See, you have what is yours.' 25:26 But his master answered, 'Evil and lazy slave! So you knew that I harvest where I didn't sow and gather where I didn't scatter? 25:27 Then you should have deposited my money with the bankers, and on my return I would have received my money back with interest! 25:28 Therefore take the talent from him and give it to the one who has ten. 25:29 For the one who has will be given more, and he will have more than enough. But the one who does not have, even what he has will be taken from him. 25:30 And throw that worthless slave into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.' 25:31 "When the Son of Man comes in his glory and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. 25:32 All the nations will be assembled before him, and he will separate people one from another like a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 25:33 He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. 25:34 Then the king will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. 25:35 For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 25:36 I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.' 25:37 Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 25:38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or naked and clothe you? 25:39 When did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?' 25:40 And the king will answer them, 'I tell you the truth, just as you did it for one of the least of these brothers or sisters of mine, you did it for me.' 25:41 "Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you accursed, into the eternal fire that has been prepared for the devil and his angels! 25:42 For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink. 25:43 I was a stranger and you did not receive me as a guest, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.' 25:44 Then they too will answer, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not give you whatever you needed?' 25:45 Then he will answer them, 'I tell you the truth, just as you did not do it for one of the least of these, you did not do it for me.' 25:46 And these will depart into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life."

Scripture quoted by permission. Quotations designated (NET) are from the NET Bible®, copyright ©1996, 2019 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. All rights reserved.

Jesus brings together the coming ruin of the temple, the distress that follows, and the final judgment in one teaching. He warns his followers not to be deceived, not to panic, and not to grow careless. His people must endure, stay faithful, and remain ready, because he will return openly, gather his people, and judge all people.

Jesus gave this teaching after saying that the temple would be torn down. His disciples asked when these things would happen, what sign would show his coming, and what would mark the end of the age. Jesus did not answer by giving a simple date. Instead, he warned them first about deception. Many would claim to speak for him. There would also be wars, rumors of wars, famines, and earthquakes. But these things would not yet be the end. They are the beginning of birth pains.

Jesus then spoke about persecution. His followers would be hated, betrayed, and tested. False prophets would arise, lawlessness would increase, and many people’s love would grow cold. Yet the one who endures to the end will be saved. The gospel of the kingdom will also be preached to all nations before the end comes.

He next spoke of the “abomination of desolation,” using Daniel’s language. When that sign appears, those in Judea must flee at once. This shows urgency, not delay. Jesus warned that the coming trouble would be unlike anything before it. Even so, God would shorten those days for the sake of the elect. Jesus also warned again against false messiahs and secret claims that the Christ had appeared somewhere hidden. His coming will not be private or secret. It will be as clear as lightning across the sky.

After that suffering, the Son of Man will come in glory. The sun and moon will be darkened, and the powers of heaven will be shaken. Then the Son of Man will send his angels and gather his elect. Jesus said that his words will never pass away, even though heaven and earth will pass away. No one knows the exact day or hour except the Father, so his followers must stay alert.

Jesus then gave several pictures of readiness. In the days of Noah, people carried on with ordinary life and were not ready for judgment. A thief also comes when he is not expected. So disciples must be ready at all times. The faithful servant keeps doing his master’s work, while the evil servant abuses others and lives carelessly. The wise virgins are ready when the bridegroom arrives, but the foolish ones are shut out. The servants with talents are judged by what they did with what was entrusted to them. Delay does not cancel the master’s return. It reveals who was faithful and who was not.

The teaching ends with the judgment of the nations. The Son of Man sits on his throne and separates people like a shepherd separates sheep from goats. The righteous are welcomed into the kingdom. The unrighteous are sent away into eternal punishment. The works named in this scene show whether people truly belonged to the King. In this way Jesus teaches that true allegiance to him shows itself in faithful, loving action. In the source’s wording, the phrase “my brothers” most naturally refers to Jesus’ disciples, especially his vulnerable representatives.

This passage calls believers to steady trust, active obedience, and clear-minded watchfulness. Do not be fooled by false claims. Do not panic over world turmoil. Do not treat delay as safety. Keep serving Christ, because he will return in glory and set all things right.

• The ruined temple is the immediate setting for Jesus’ teaching.
• Wars, disasters, and unrest are not yet the final end.
• Deception is a major danger in the last days.
• The “abomination of desolation” points to a real desecrating crisis tied to Judea and the holy place.
• Jesus’ coming will be open and unmistakable, not hidden.
• No one knows the exact day or hour except the Father.
• Believers must stay alert, faithful, and ready during delay.
• The Son of Man will send his angels and gather his elect at the end.
• The Son of Man will judge all people at the end.
• Eternal life and eternal punishment are both real and final.

• Watch out that no one misleads you.
• Do not be alarmed by wars and rumors of wars.
• Do not believe claims that the Christ is in a wilderness or inner room.
• Stay alert, because you do not know the day or hour.
• Be ready, because the Son of Man will come when you do not expect him.
• Endure to the end.
• Use what the Master has entrusted to you faithfully.
• Do not treat delay as a reason for carelessness or abuse.

God’s plan moves from the temple’s coming ruin to the final appearing of the Son of Man. He allows distress, limits it for the sake of the elect, sends the gospel to the nations, sends his angels to gather his people, and finally brings judgment and reward through Jesus Christ.

Do not let headlines or fear control you. Keep trusting Christ, keep doing the work he has given you, and keep loving those who belong to him, especially those who bear his name and represent him. Live as someone who expects the King to return at any time.

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