World English Bible · Under Rome
Matthew 24
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went out from , and was going on his way. His came to him to show him the buildings of . But he answered them, "You see all of these things, don't you? Most certainly I tell you, there will not be left here one stone on another, that will not be thrown down." As he sat on , came to him privately, saying, "Tell us, when will these things be? What is the sign of your coming, and of the end of the age?" answered them, "Be careful that no one leads you astray. For many will come in my name, saying, 'I am ,' and will lead many astray. You will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you aren't troubled, for all this must happen, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; and there will be , plagues, and earthquakes in various places. But all these things are the beginning of birth pains. "Then they will you up to and will kill you. You will be hated by all of the nations for my name's sake. Then many will stumble, and will up one another, and will hate one another. Many false will arise and will lead many astray. Because will be multiplied, the love of many will grow cold. But he who endures to the end will be . This of will be preached in the whole world for a to all the nations, and then the end will come. "When, therefore, you see the of desolation, which was spoken of through the , standing in the place (let the reader understand), then let those who are in flee to the mountains. Let him who is on the housetop not go down to take out the things that are in his house. 18Let him who is in the field not return back to get his clothes. But woe to those who are with child and to nursing mothers in those days! that your flight will not be in the winter nor on a , for then there will be great suffering, such as has not been of the world until now, no, nor ever will be. Unless those days had been shortened, no would have been . But for the sake of the chosen ones, those days will be shortened. "Then if any man tells you, 'Behold, here is !' or, 'There!' don't it. For false christs and false will arise, and they will show great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the chosen ones. "Behold, I have told you beforehand. 26"If therefore they tell you, 'Behold, he is in ,' don't go out; or 'Behold, he is in the inner rooms,' don't it. For as the lightning flashes from the east, and is seen even to the west, so will the coming of be. For wherever the carcass is, that is where the vultures gather together. "But immediately after the suffering of those days, the sun will be darkened, the moon will not give its , the stars will fall from , and the powers of will be shaken; and then the sign of will appear in . Then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see coming on the clouds of with and great . He will send out his with a great sound of a , and they will gather together his chosen ones from the four winds, from one end of to the other. "Now from the fig tree learn this : When its branch has now become tender and produces its leaves, you know that the summer is near. Even so you also, when you see all these things, know that he is near, even at the doors. Most certainly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all these things are accomplished. and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away. "But no one knows of that day and hour, not even the of , but only. As the days of were, so will the coming of be. For as in those days which were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that entered into the ship, and they didn't know until the flood came and took them all away, so will the coming of be. Then two men will be in the field: one will be taken and one will be left. Two women will be grinding at the mill: one will be taken and one will be left. Watch therefore, for you don't know in what hour your comes. But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what watch of the night the thief was coming, he would have watched, and would not have allowed his house to be broken into. Therefore also be ready, for in an hour that you don't expect, will come. "Who then is the and servant, whom his has set over his household, to give them their food in due season? is that servant whom his finds doing so when he comes. Most certainly I tell you that he will set him over all that he has. But if that evil servant should say in , 'My is delaying his coming,' and begins to beat his fellow servants, and eat and drink with the drunkards, of that servant will come in a day when he doesn't expect it and in an hour when he doesn't know it, and will cut him in pieces and appoint his with the . That is where the weeping and grinding of teeth will be.
A public domain modern English translation, free to read and share. Notes and cards are EKLI’s own.
The world at this moment · Under Rome, 63 BC to AD 100 ›
Judea as a client kingdom and then a province. Roads, garrisons, taxes, crucifixion, and a common Greek language that let a message travel the empire faster than any before it.
- Rome
- The republic tears itself apart in civil war and comes out as an empire under Augustus. What follows is two centuries of relative peace across the whole Mediterranean, enforced by legions and paid for by taxes, with safe roads and safe sea lanes. Every one of Paul's journeys depends on that.
- Judea
- Governed first through Herod the Great, a client king of enormous ability and enormous brutality who rebuilds the temple into one of the wonders of the ancient world, then directly by Roman prefects. Crucifixion is the standard penalty for sedition and is used often and publicly.
- The wider world
- Greek is spoken from Spain to Syria, which means a letter written in Corinth can be read in Rome without translation. Jewish communities already exist in most major cities, which is where the first Christian preaching lands. Mystery religions, imperial cult, and philosophy all compete in the same marketplace.
- Further afield
- The Han dynasty rules China and trades silk westward along routes that touch the Roman world at second hand. In Britain the Roman conquest begins within a decade of the crucifixion.