Discovery BoxMatthew 24:6-14
Context24:6 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. 1 24:7 For nation will rise up in arms 2 against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines 3 and earthquakes 4 in various places. 24:8 All 5 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 6 because of my name. 7 24:10 Then many will be led into sin, 8 and they will betray one another and hate one another. 24:11 And many false prophets will appear and deceive 9 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. 10 24:14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached throughout the whole inhabited earth as a testimony to all the nations, 11 and then the end will come.
Matthew 24:29-31
Context24:29 “Immediately 12 after the suffering 13 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. 14 24:30 Then 15 the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, 16 and 17 all the tribes of the earth will mourn. They 18 will see the Son of Man arriving on the clouds of heaven 19 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 20 to the other.
[24:6] 1 tn Grk “it is not yet the end.”
[24:7] 2 tn For the translation “rise up in arms” see L&N 55.2.
[24:7] 3 sn See Isa 5:13-14; 13:6-16; Hag 2:6-7; Zech 14:4.
[24:7] 4 tc Most witnesses (C Θ 0102 Ë1,13 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] 3 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
[24:9] 4 tn Or “all the Gentiles” (the same Greek word may be translated “nations” or “Gentiles”).
[24:9] 5 sn See Matt 5:10-12; 1 Cor 1:25-31.
[24:10] 5 tn Or “many will fall away.” This could also refer to apostasy.
[24:11] 6 tn Or “and lead many astray.”
[24:13] 7 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] 8 tn Or “all the Gentiles” (the same Greek word may be translated “nations” or “Gentiles”).
[24:29] 9 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
[24:29] 10 tn Traditionally, “tribulation.”
[24:29] 11 sn An allusion to Isa 13:10, 34:4 (LXX); Joel 2:10. The heavens were seen as the abode of heavenly forces, so their shaking indicates distress in the spiritual realm. Although some take the powers as a reference to bodies in the heavens (like stars and planets, “the heavenly bodies,” NIV) this is not as likely.
[24:30] 10 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated.
[24:30] 11 tn Or “in the sky”; the Greek word οὐρανός (ouranos) may be translated “sky” or “heaven,” depending on the context.
[24:30] 12 tn Here τότε (tote, “then”) has not been translated to avoid redundancy in English.
[24:30] 13 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated.
[24:30] 14 sn An allusion to Dan 7:13. Here is Jesus returning with full authority to judge.
[24:31] 11 tn Or “of the sky”; the Greek word οὐρανός (ouranos) may be translated “sky” or “heaven,” depending on the context.
