Matthew 24 Background Information with Maps and Images (Picture Study Bible - Matthew) Free Bible Online

Matthew 24

1 - Jesus went out from the temple, and was going on his way. His disciples came to him to show him the buildings of the temple.

2 - 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."

3 - As he sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples 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?"

4 - Jesus answered them,"Be careful that no one leads you astray.

5 - For many will come in my name, saying, 'I am the Christ,' and will lead many astray.

6 - 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.

7 - For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; and there will be famines, plagues, and earthquakes in various places.

8 - But all these things are the beginning of birth pains.

9 - Then they will deliver you up to oppression, and will kill you. You will be hated by all of the nations for my name's sake.

10 - Then many will stumble, and will deliver up one another, and will hate one another.

11 - Many false prophets will arise, and will lead many astray.

12 - Because iniquity will be multiplied, the love of many will grow cold.

13 - But he who endures to the end, the same will be saved.

14 - This Good News of the Kingdom will be preached in the whole world for a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come.

15 - "When, therefore, you see the abomination of desolation,Daniel 9:27; 11:31; 12:11which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand),

16 - then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.

then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.

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17 - Let him who is on the housetop not go down to take out the things that are in his house.

18 - Let him who is in the field not return back to get his clothes.

19 - But woe to those who are with child and to nursing mothers in those days!

20 - Pray that your flight will not be in the winter, nor on a Sabbath,

21 - for then there will be great oppression, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, nor ever will be.

22 - Unless those days had been shortened, no flesh would have been saved. But for the sake of the chosen ones, those days will be shortened.

23 - "Then if any man tells you, 'Behold, here is the Christ,' or, 'There,' don't believe it.

24 - For there will arise false christs, and false prophets, and they will show great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the chosen ones.

25 - "Behold, I have told you beforehand.

26 - If therefore they tell you, 'Behold, he is in the wilderness,' don't go out; 'Behold, he is in the inner rooms,' don't believe it.

27 - For as the lightning flashes from the east, and is seen even to the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.

28 - For wherever the carcass is, there is where the vulturesgather together.

29 - But immediately after the oppression of those days, the sun will be darkened, the moon will not give its light, the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken;Isaiah 13:10; 34:4

30 - and then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky. Then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory.

31 - He will send out his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together his chosen ones from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other.

32 - "Now from the fig tree learn this parable. When its branch has now become tender, and produces its leaves, you know that the summer is near.

33 - Even so you also, when you see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors.

34 - Most certainly I tell you, this generationwill not pass away, until all these things are accomplished.

35 - Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.

36 - But no one knows of that day and hour, not even the angels of heaven,but my Father only.

37 - "As the days of Noah were, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.

38 - For as in those days which were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ship,

39 - and they didn't know until the flood came, and took them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.

40 - Then two men will be in the field: one will be taken and one will be left;

41 - two women grinding at the mill, one will be taken and one will be left.

42 - Watch therefore, for you don't know in what hour your Lord comes.

43 - 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.

44 - Therefore also be ready, for in an hour that you don't expect, the Son of Man will come.

45 - "Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom his lord has set over his household, to give them their food in due season?

46 - Blessed is that servant whom his lord finds doing so when he comes.

47 - Most certainly I tell you that he will set him over all that he has.

48 - But if that evil servant should say in his heart, 'My lord is delaying his coming,'

49 - and begins to beat his fellow servants, and eat and drink with the drunkards,

50 - the lord of that servant will come in a day when he doesn't expect it, and in an hour when he doesn't know it,

51 - and will cut him in pieces, and appoint his portion with the hypocrites. There is where the weeping and grinding of teeth will be.

The Book of Matthew

Matthew 2:2 - Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.

Matthew 18:3 - And Jesus said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.

Matthew in The New Testament - A Brief Overview

Painting of St. Matthew with Angel by Rembrandt

The Word Gospel. The first book of the English Bible that most of us read from is the Gospel of Matthew. Matthew is the first of the four gospel writings, yet there is only one gospel about Jesus Christ and there are four different writers: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. The word "Gospel" means "good news", and the good news is about Jesus Christ dying on the cross and then 3 days later conquering death and rising from the dead, offering salvation to all mankind, this is the Gospel.

Summary of the Book of Matthew

Brief Summary. Jesus of Nazareth is indeed the long awaited Messiah King of he Jews as foretold by the ancient Jewish prophets. He came to reveal how to enter the "Kingdom of Heaven."

Purpose. It is very obvious that the Gospel of Matthew was written for the purpose of revealing that the man Jesus of Nazareth was actually the King of the Jews, the long awaited Messiah, the sovereign Lord Jehovah who came from heaven to this world revealing to mankind the "kingdom of heaven". The King of the Jews, the Messiah Jesus fulfilled every prophecy that was spoken about Him in the ancient Jewish Scriptures, in the Old Testament. The prophecies that spoke of the "Kingdom" that the Messiah would bring would be a spiritual Kingdom that would never be destroyed.

Audience. When reading the book of Matthew it becomes clear that the writer was speaking to a Jewish audience. One of the obvious reasons is that the "Kingdom of Heaven" is mentioned over 30 times and never the Kingdom of God. This is because the Jews do not speak the name of God and this could be the very reason that Matthew used this phrase. There are many times while reading the book that an event happens and a prophecy is cited. The event is mentioned as the direct fulfillment of a promise made to the Jews by one of their Jewish prophets, and the fulfillment of the prophecy was happening before their very eyes. It is clear that the audience of people are the Jews, they were awaiting their King, and Matthew records that the King had come and they rejected their King.

Authorship. Early Christian writings and traditions have attributed the authorship of the Gospel of Matthew to the apostle Matthew. Many scholars question whether or not Matthew was the true author of the first Gospel, but there is no way at this current time to be absolutely positive based on historical evidence. Most agree that Matthew was the author. The Bible reveals that Matthew, or Levi, as he was sometimes called, collected taxes for the Romans. One day Jesus passed by and called Matthew to come and follow him, and Matthew did so. The Bible also records that Matthew held a banquet at his house with several of his tax collector friends and Jesus being invited to the banquet was the guest of honor (Mark 2:14-15). The Bible also provides a list of the 12 apostles and Matthew was named among them.

Date. There is no way to determine with absolute certainty the date that the book of Matthew was written. Most scholars agree that the book of Matthew was written before the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D., this is because Jesus spoke of many events as though they had not happened yet. A large number of scholars do not believe in the miracle of prophecy and therefore insist that the Gospel of Matthew was written after the fall of Jerusalem because of the accuracy of the predicted events.

Language. There are many references among the books in the history of the early church that state that the Gospel of Matthew was originally written by Matthew in the biblical Hebrew language, and he was writing to an audience of  Jews throughout the world who had become followers of Jesus. Unfortunately there is no evidence whatsoever of a Hebrew or Aramaic manuscript, so many scholars have agreed that the Gospel of Matthew is not actually a translation from Hebrew into Greek, but was actually written in Greek. The whole subject of the Gospel of Matthew being written in Hebrew must remain speculation rather than fact.

Outline of the Book of Matthew

The King Comes and His Kingdom is Rejected - Matthew 1-12
The Rejection of the King's Teaching and Ministry - Matthew 13-25
The King's Trial and Crucifixion - Matthew 26-27
The King's Victory and Resurrection - Matthew 28
The King's Commissioning of His Apostles - Matthew 28

Matthew - Interesting Notes

Matthew mentions four women in his genealogy which is not typical for Jewish genealogical records: Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, Bathsheeba who were all associated with some sort of immorality. Tamar (incest), Rahab (harlotry), Ruth (a descendant of Moab who committed incest) and Bathsheba (adultery). Christ's greatness was in Himself not his genealogy.

There are many intimations for the word "King" in Matthew if one takes the time to look. For example in chapter one there is a royal genealogy mentioning king David at the start. Chapter two reveals the kingly gifts of the Magi. Chapter three calls John the Baptist a "herald" which is a cultural term that represents a herald for a king. Etc. 

There are similarities with the number four. The four colors in the veil of the Temple were purple, scarlet, white, and blue. The four faces of the cherubim are the lion, ox, man, eagle. The four Gospel accounts are Matthew, Mark, Luke, John. 

Quick Reference Maps - Matthew

Israel in New Testament Times

The Kingdom of Herod the Great

The Divisions of Herod's Kingdom

The Flight into Egypt

The Baptism of Jesus

The Beginning of Christ's Ministry

Nazareth and the Sea of Galilee

Jesus Ministers in Galilee

Jesus Comes to Jerusalem

Jerusalem in the Time of Jesus

Jesus Journeys from Nazareth to Jerusalem

The Final Journey of Jesus to Jerusalem

The Name Jesus In Ancient Hebrew Text
"Yeshua" in First Century Hebrew Text. This is how the name "Jesus" would have been written in ancient Hebrew documents. The four letters or consonants from right to left are Yod, Shin, Vav, Ayin (Y, SH, OO, A). Jesus is the Greek name for the Hebrew name Joshua or Y'shua which means "The LORD or Yahweh is Salvation".

Matthew Resources

Outline of the Life of Jesus in Harmony
Simple Map of First Century Israel
Topographical Map of First Century Israel
Map of the Ministry of Jesus
Map of the Roads in Ancient Israel
Map of the Roman Empire