Matthew 24:1 Cross References - AUV

¹ As Jesus left the Temple, His disciples approached Him as He was walking along the road and pointed out the Temple buildings.

²³ When He had come into the Temple, the leading priests and elders of the [Jewish] people came to Him while He was teaching, and said, “By what authority are you doing these things [i.e., miracles and teaching]? And who gave you this authority?”

³⁹ For I tell you, you will not see me from now on until [the time when] you will be saying, ‘Praise the one who is coming in the name of the Lord!’”

¹ As Jesus left the Temple, one of His disciples said to Him, “Teacher, look at the kind of stones these buildings are made of ” ² And Jesus responded to him, “Do you see these huge buildings? There will not be one stone left on another here that will not be thrown down.” ³ As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, over near the Temple, Peter, James, John and Andrew asked Him privately, ⁴ “Tell us, when will these things [you just spoke of] happen? And what will be the sign [that indicates] when all these things are about to be fulfilled?” ⁵ Then Jesus began saying to them, “Pay attention so that no one leads you astray [i.e., from the truth]. ⁶ [For] many [false teachers] will come, claiming to be me, and saying, ‘I am [the Christ] and they will lead many people astray. ⁷ And when you hear of wars [going on] and rumors of [other] wars [pending], do not worry, for such things must necessarily happen. But the end has not yet come. [Note: By “end” here Jesus probably alludes to the downfall of Jerusalem in AD 70, with its attending destruction of the Temple buildings]. ⁸ For nations will wage war against one another, and kingdoms will attack one another. And earthquakes will happen at various places [in the world], and there will be famines. These things are [only] the beginning of terrible times. ⁹ “But pay attention to yourselves, for people will turn you over to [Jewish] councils [i.e., for judgment] and you will be beaten in synagogues. You will stand trial before governors and kings for being loyal to me. [This will afford you an opportunity] for witnessing to them. ¹⁰ And the good news must first be preached to people of all nations. ¹¹ And when they lead you into court, and hand you over [to be judged], do not worry ahead of time about what you will say, but [just] say whatever you are told [i.e., by God] when the time comes. ¹² And [at that time] a person will turn his brother over to be killed, and the father will do the same to his child. And children will rebel against their parents and will turn them over to be killed. ¹³ You will be hated by all people because you belong to me, but the person who holds out [i.e., remains faithful to God] until the end [i.e., the end of this time of severe persecution] will be saved [from destruction]. ¹⁴ “But when you see that disgusting thing that causes total destruction [i.e., the Roman army. See Luke 21:20] standing where it ought not to be [i.e., surrounding the besieged city of Jerusalem], (let the reader understand [what is meant by this]), then those of you in Judea are to run away into the [nearby] mountains. ¹⁵ Also the person who is on a housetop [Note: This was a flat area where people retired for rest, prayer, etc., with its stairway on the outside] should not go down into his house to take anything out [when he flees]. ¹⁶ The person who is in a field [i.e., doing farm work] should not return [to his house] to get his coat [even]. ¹⁷ [It will be] too bad for those who are pregnant and those who are nursing babies in those days. ¹⁸ And pray that [your flight] will not be in the winter. ¹⁹ There will be great trouble during those days, such as had never been from the beginning of God’s creation until the present, or even will be [in the days to come]. ²⁰ And if the Lord had not kept those days as short as they were, no one would have been saved [i.e., from the devastating destruction]. But for the sake of the elect [i.e., God’s people], whom He chose, He kept those days short. ²¹ And then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is Christ,’ or ‘Look, there He is,’ do not believe him. ²² For false Christs and false prophets will appear and they will perform [miraculous] signs and [supernatural] wonders in order to lead astray [even] the elect, if possible. ²³ But pay attention, for I have told you [all this] ahead of time. ²⁴ “But after those days of terrible trouble [i.e., the next major event on God’s calendar will be], the sun will become dark, and [therefore] the moon will not [be able to] shed its [reflected] light, ²⁵ and the stars will be falling from the sky and the forces of the heavens will be shaken. [Note: From the description of these same events in Luke 21:25-26, it is possible that this is figurative language for great calamities happening on earth]. ²⁶ And then they will see the Son of man coming in the clouds with great power and splendor. ²⁷ And He will send out His angels and gather His elect [i.e., God’s people] from all directions, from the farthest part of the earth to the farthest part of the sky [i.e., from throughout the whole world]. ²⁸ “Now learn this parable from the fig tree. When its tender sprouts appear and its leaves begin to develop, you know that summer is near. ²⁹ In the same way also, when you see these things happening, you [should] know that He [i.e., Jesus] is as near as your [front] door. ³⁰ Truly I tell you, the people of this generation will not [all] die off before all these things [i.e., mentioned above] happen. ³¹ Although the sky and the earth will pass away [See II Pet. 3:10], my words will not pass away [i.e., they will certainly come true]. ³² But no one knows when that day or that hour will come; not even the angels in heaven or the Son of God know, but only the Father does. ³³ “You should pay attention; be alert and pray, for you do not know when the time will come [i.e., for the Lord to return]. ³⁴ It is like a man who left his house on a trip to another country. [Before leaving] he put his servants in charge of his affairs, giving each one a [particular] job to do, then he ordered the gatekeeper to stay alert [i.e., while he was gone]. ³⁵ So, be alert, because you do not know when the owner of the house will return, whether [some] evening, at midnight, at dawn, or at [mid-] morning. ³⁶ [Be alert], for he might come unexpectedly and find you asleep. ³⁷ And what I am telling you, I am telling everyone. Be alert ”

⁵ Then, as someone [i.e., of His disciples. See Mark 13:1], spoke of how the Temple was decorated with beautiful stones and objects dedicated as gifts, Jesus said, ⁶ “As for these things you are looking at, the time will come when there will not be one stone left on another here that will not be thrown down.” ⁷ So, they asked Him, saying, “Teacher, when will these things [you just spoke of] happen? And what will be the sign [that indicates] when these things are about to be fulfilled?” ⁸ And He replied, “Pay attention, so that you are not led astray [from the truth]. For many [false teachers] will come, claiming to be me, and saying, ‘I am [the Christ],’ and ‘The time is near.’ [But] do not go after them. ⁹ And when you hear of wars and uprisings [going on], do not be afraid, for such things must necessarily happen first. But the end will not come right away.” [Note: By “the end” here Jesus probably alludes to the downfall of Jerusalem, in AD 70, with its attending destruction of the Temple buildings]. ¹⁰ Then Jesus said to His disciples, “Nations will wage war against one another and kingdoms will attack one another. ¹¹ And great earthquakes will happen, and at various places there will be famines and disease epidemics. And there will be fearful events and great [supernatural] signs from heaven. ¹² But before all these things happen, the authorities will grab hold of you, and persecute you, and turn you over to the synagogues and prisons [i.e., for punishment and confinement]. They will take you in front of kings and governors for being loyal to me. ¹³ It will result in [an opportunity for] witnessing to them. ¹⁴ Determine in your hearts, therefore, not to plan ahead how you will answer them [when interrogated], ¹⁵ for I will give you a mouth [i.e., the ability to speak properly] and wisdom [i.e., the knowledge of what to say], which none of your opponents will be able to resist or speak against. ¹⁶ But you will be turned over [i.e., to the authorities for punishment] even by [your own] parents and brothers and relatives and friends. And they will [even] put some of you to death. ¹⁷ And you will be hated by all people for being loyal to me. ¹⁸ However, not one hair of your head will be lost. ¹⁹ [But], by holding out steadfastly, you will gain your life. [Note: This means either “preserve your earthly life,” or “attain never ending life”]. ²⁰ “So, when you see Jerusalem surrounded by [Roman] armies, then you will know that her total destruction is near. ²¹ Then those [of you] in Judea are to run away into the [nearby] mountains. And those who are inside of the city are to leave it [immediately]. And those who are in the countryside should not enter the city. ²² For these are times for punishment [i.e., to be inflicted on Jerusalem], so that everything written [i.e., by the prophets] may be fulfilled [i.e., about Jerusalem’s destruction. See Dan. 9:26-27]. ²³ It will be too bad for pregnant women and those who are nursing [babies] in those days! For there will be great distress in this land [i.e., Judea, and especially Jerusalem], and raging anger [will be shown] against these people [i.e., by the Roman armies]. ²⁴ And people will die by the sword and be led captive into all nations. And Jerusalem will be trampled on by the [unconverted] Gentiles [i.e., by the Romans and later by others] until the times of [domination by] the Gentiles are fulfilled. ²⁵ “Then [Note: This event answers to the “immediately” of Matt. 24:29, and suggests the next major event on God’s calendar] there will be [supernatural] signs [evident] in the sun and moon and stars. And on earth [there will be] distress among nations; they will be perplexed by the roaring of the ocean’s churning waves. [Note: Probably this is figurative language for highly agitated conditions on earth]. ²⁶ Men will become despondent from fear, and from dreading the [terrible] things which will come upon the earth, for the forces of the heavens will be shaken. ²⁷ And then they will see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great splendor [Note: This no doubt refers to the second coming of Christ. See II Pet. 3:9-10; Matt. 24:30-31; Rev. 1:7]. ²⁸ But when these things begin to happen, stand up and lift up your heads [i.e., in anticipation], for your redemption [i.e., deliverance, either from destruction or condemnation] is getting closer.” ²⁹ Then Jesus told them a parable: “Look at the fig tree, as well as all [other] trees: ³⁰ When they begin to sprout their leaves you know when you look at them, without being told, that summer is near. ³¹ In the same way also, when you see these things happening [i.e., the above mentioned “signs”], you can know that the kingdom of God [i.e., either its heavenly phase or the destruction of Jerusalem] is near. ³² Truly I tell you, the people of this generation will not [all] die off before all these things [i.e., mentioned above] happen. ³³ Although the sky and the earth will pass away [See II Pet. 3:10], my words will not pass away [i.e., they will certainly come true]. ³⁴ “But pay attention to yourselves so that your hearts do not become overburdened by carousing, and drunkenness, and the worries of life. [If you do], that ‘day’ [i.e., Jesus’ second coming and judgment] will arrive suddenly, like a trap [i.e., which catches an animal by surprise]. ³⁵ For that is the way this ‘day’ will arrive for everyone [else] living on the entire earth. ³⁶ But you should be alert at all times, offering earnest prayers, so that you will be strong enough to escape all these things that will happen, and to appear [acceptable] in front of the Son of man [on that day].”

²⁰ But the Jews said, “It took forty-six years to build this Temple, and are you going to rebuild it in three days?”