Daniel 11:35

11:35 Even some of the wise will stumble, resulting in their refinement, purification, and cleansing until the time of the end, for it is still for the appointed time.

Matthew 24:5-12

24:5 For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ ¹  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. ²  24:7 For nation will rise up in arms ³  against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines ⁴  and earthquakes ⁵  in various places. 24:8 All ⁶  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 ⁷  because of my name. ⁸  24:10 Then many will be led into sin, ⁹  and they will betray one another and hate one another. 24:11 And many false prophets will appear and deceive ¹⁰  many, 24:12 and because lawlessness will increase so much, the love of many will grow cold.

Matthew 24:2

24:2 And he said to them, ¹¹  “Do you see all these things? I tell you the truth, ¹²  not one stone will be left on another. ¹³  All will be torn down!” ¹⁴ 

Matthew 2:3

2:3 When King Herod ¹⁵  heard this he was alarmed, and all Jerusalem with him.

Matthew 2:2

2:2 saying, “Where is the one who is born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose ¹⁶  and have come to worship him.”

Matthew 3:1-5

The Ministry of John the Baptist

3:1 In those days John the Baptist came into the wilderness ¹⁷  of Judea proclaiming, 3:2 “Repent, ¹⁸  for the kingdom of heaven is near.” 3:3 For he is the one about whom Isaiah the prophet had spoken: ¹⁹ 

“The voice ²⁰  of one shouting in the wilderness,

‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make ²¹  his paths straight.’” ²² 

3:4 Now John wore clothing made from camel’s hair with a leather belt around his waist, and his diet consisted of locusts and wild honey. ²³  3:5 Then people from Jerusalem, ²⁴  as well as all Judea and all the region around the Jordan, were going out to him,

Matthew 4:4

4:4 But he answered, ²⁵  “It is written, ‘Man ²⁶  does not live ²⁷  by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” ²⁸ 

[24:5]  ¹ tn Or “Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”

[24:6]  ² tn Grk “it is not yet the end.”

[24:7]  ³ tn For the translation “rise up in arms” see L&N 55.2.

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

[24:7]  ⁵ 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]  ⁶ tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

[24:9]  ⁷ tn Or “all the Gentiles” (the same Greek word may be translated “nations” or “Gentiles”).

[24:9]  ⁸ sn See Matt 5:10-12; 1 Cor 1:25-31.

[24:10]  ⁹ tn Or “many will fall away.” This could also refer to apostasy.

[24:11]  ¹⁰ tn Or “and lead many astray.”

[24:2]  ¹¹ tn Grk “answering, he said to them.” The participle ἀποκριθείς (ajpokriqei") is redundant in English and has not been translated.

[24:2]  ¹² tn Grk “Truly (ἀμήν, amhn), I say to you.”

[24:2]  ¹³ 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]  ¹⁴ tn Grk “not one stone will be left here on another which will not be thrown down.”

[2:3]  ¹⁵ sn See the note on King Herod in 2:1.

[2:2]  ¹⁶ tn Or “in its rising,” referring to the astrological significance of a star in a particular portion of the sky. The term used for the “East” in v. 1 is ἀνατολαί (anatolai, a plural form that is used typically of the rising of the sun), while in vv. 2 and 9 the singular ἀνατολή (anatolh) is used. The singular is typically used of the rising of a star and as such should not normally be translated “in the east” (cf. BDAG 74 s.v. 1: “because of the sg. and the article in contrast to ἀπὸ ἀνατολῶν, vs. 1, [it is] prob. not a geograph. expr. like the latter, but rather astronomical…likew. vs. 9”).

[3:1]  ¹⁷ tn Or “desert.”

[3:2]  ¹⁸ tn Grk “and saying, ‘Repent.’” The participle λέγων (legwn) at the beginning of v. 2 is redundant in English and has not been translated.

[3:3]  ¹⁹ tn Grk “was spoken of by Isaiah the prophet, saying.” The participle λέγοντος (legonto") is redundant and has not been translated. The passive construction has also been rendered as active in the translation for the sake of English style.

[3:3]  ²⁰ tn Or “A voice.”

[3:3]  ²¹ sn This call to “make paths straight” in this context is probably an allusion to preparation through repentance.

[3:3]  ²² sn A quotation from Isa 40:3.

[3:4]  ²³ sn John’s lifestyle was in stark contrast to many of the religious leaders of Jerusalem who lived in relative ease and luxury. While his clothing and diet were indicative of someone who lived in the desert, they also depicted him in his role as God’s prophet (cf. Zech 13:4); his appearance is similar to the Prophet Elijah (2 Kgs 1:8). Locusts and wild honey were a common diet in desert regions, and locusts (dried insects) are listed in Lev 11:22 among the “clean” foods.

[3:5]  ²⁴ tn Grk “Then Jerusalem.”

[4:4]  ²⁵ tn Grk “answering, he said.” The participle ἀποκριθείς (apokriqeis) is redundant, but the syntax of the phrase has been changed for clarity.

[4:4]  ²⁶ tn Or “a person.” Greek ὁ ἄνθρωπος (Jo anqrwpo") is used generically for humanity. The translation “man” is used because the emphasis in Jesus’ response seems to be on his dependence on God as a man.

[4:4]  ²⁷ tn Grk “will not live.” The verb in Greek is a future tense, but it is unclear whether it is meant to be taken as a command (also known as an imperatival future) or as a statement of reality (predictive future).

[4:4]  ²⁸ sn A quotation from Deut 8:3.