1Da Jesus var på vej væk fra templet sammen med disciplene, gjorde de ham opmærksom på templets smukke bygninger. (Mark 13,1; Luk 21,5)2„Ja, det ser smukt ud,” sagde Jesus. „Men det siger jeg jer: Det hele vil blive jævnet med jorden.”
Jesus advarer om krige, katastrofer og forfølgelser
3Da de var nået over på Olivenbjerget, satte Jesus sig ned. Han var alene sammen med disciplene, som sluttede kreds om ham og spurgte: „Hvornår vil det med templet ske? Hvad er tegnet på, at du kommer, og det bliver verdens ende?” (Mark 13,3; Luk 21,7)4Jesus svarede: „Lad ikke nogen vildlede jer.5Mange vil komme og påstå, at de er Messias, og de vil føre mange mennesker på vildspor.6I vil høre om uro og krigshandlinger rundt omkring, men lad det ikke skræmme jer. Den slags er uundgåeligt, men det er endnu ikke afslutningen.7Folk og nationer vil bekrige hinanden, og mange steder bliver der hungersnød og jordskælv.8Men det er kun som de første veer inden en fødsel.9I vil blive forfulgt, og mange vil blive dræbt. I vil blive hadet af alle folkeslag, fordi I hører mig til.10Mange vil derfor opgive troen og endda forråde og hade hinanden.11Mange falske profeter vil dukke op, og de vil føre mange vild.12Efterhånden som ondskaben breder sig, vil kærligheden blive kold hos mange.13Men de, der holder ud indtil det sidste, skal blive frelst.14Og glædesbudskabet om Guds rige skal forkyndes i hele verden, så alle folkeslag kommer til at høre det—og så vil afslutningen komme.
Jerusalems ødelæggelse
15Når I ser ‚den afskyelige ødelægger’, som profeten Daniel[1] taler om, stå i helligdommen,” (må de, der læser det, forstå alvoren i det) (Dan 9,27; Mark 13,14; Luk 21,20)16„så skal de, der er i Judæa, flygte op i bjergene.17De, der opholder sig uden for deres hus, skal ikke løbe ind for at pakke deres ting,18og de, der arbejder i marken, skal ikke løbe hjem for at hente deres overtøj.19Ve de kvinder, der på det tidspunkt er gravide, og ve de mødre, der har små børn, som skal ammes.20Bed til Gud om, at jeres flugt ikke kommer til at ske om vinteren, og at den ikke falder på en sabbat.21For det bliver så forfærdeligt, som det ikke har været siden verdens begyndelse og heller aldrig vil blive igen.22Hvis ikke Gud afkortede den periode, ville intet menneske overleve. Men nu bliver den afkortet for de udvalgtes skyld.
Falske profeter
23Hvis der kommer nogen og fortæller jer, at Messias er kommet og befinder sig her eller der—så tro ikke på det. (Mark 13,21; Luk 17,23)24Der vil komme falske profeter og folk, der hævder at være Messias, og de vil gøre store mirakler for—om muligt—at vildlede endog Guds udvalgte.25Nu har jeg advaret jer!26Hvis nogen kommer og siger: ‚Se, Messias er ude i ødemarken!’ så lad være med at tage derud. Eller hvis de siger, at han skjuler sig på et bestemt sted, så lad være med at tro det.27For når Menneskesønnen kommer, så bliver det som lynet, der oplyser himlen fra øst til vest.28Hvor gribbene samles, der er ådslet.[2]
Tegnene på, at Jesus snart kommer igen
29Efter den tids frygtelige trængsler vil solen pludselig blive formørket og månen holde op med at skinne. Stjernerne vil falde ned fra deres positioner og himlens kræfter komme ud af balance.[3] (Es 13,10; Mark 13,24; Luk 21,25)30Tegnet på Menneskesønnens komme vil derefter vise sig på himlen, og alle jordens folkeslag vil jamre højlydt, når de ser Menneskesønnen komme på himlens skyer med kraft og megen herlighed.[4] (Dan 7,13)31Da vil jeg sende mine engle ud under gjaldende trompetfanfarer for at samle mine udvalgte fra alle fire verdenshjørner, fra jordens og himlens yderste grænser.32Lad mig bruge figentræet som billede. Når de nye skud bryder frem, og bladene folder sig ud, så ved I, at sommeren er på vej.33På samme måde kan I vide, at jeg er lige på trapperne, når I ser disse ting ske.34Det siger jeg jer: Mit udvalgte folk skal ikke forgå, selv om alt det her vil ske.[5]35Himlen og jorden skal forgå, men mine ord skal aldrig forgå.
Vær altid parat
36Ingen kender dagen eller tidspunktet, hvornår det vil ske, ikke engang Guds engle, end ikke jeg selv. Kun Faderen ved det. (Mark 13,32; Luk 12,39; Luk 17,26; Luk 21,34)37Som det gik i Noas dage, skal det gå ved Menneskesønnens komme.38Dengang fortsatte de med deres fester og bryllupper, lige til Noa gik ind i arken.39Folk forstod ikke, hvad der ventede dem. Det gik ikke op for dem, før vandmasserne kom og skyllede dem alle bort. Sådan bliver det ved mit komme.40To mænd vil arbejde sammen i marken, den ene bliver taget med, den anden bliver ladt tilbage.41To kvinder vil arbejde sammen i huset, den ene bliver taget med, den anden bliver ladt tilbage.42Derfor skal I altid være parate, for I ved ikke, hvornår jeres Herre kommer tilbage.43I ved, at hvis en husejer havde fået at vide, hvornår tyven ville komme, så ville han have holdt vagt for at forhindre indbruddet.44Sådan skal I være parate, for Menneskesønnen kommer på et tidspunkt, I ikke regner med.45En klog og god forvalter passer sin herres ejendom godt og sørger for, at alle de øvrige tjenere får noget at spise til rette tid.46Lykkelig den forvalter, som trofast er i gang med at udføre sit arbejde, når hans herre vender tilbage.47Det siger jeg jer: Hans herre vil give ham ansvaret for alt, hvad han ejer.48En dårlig forvalter tænker derimod: ‚Det varer nok længe, inden min herre viser sig.’49Derfor har han ingen skrupler ved at mishandle sine medtjenere og bruge tiden til at feste med sine venner.50Når så hans herre kommer på et uventet tidspunkt,51bliver forvalteren hårdt straffet og kommer til at dele skæbne med hyklerne. Dér, hvor de kommer hen, er der gråd og stor fortvivlelse.”
Mattæus 24
King James Version
1And Jesus went out, and departed from the temple: and his disciples came to him for to shew him the buildings of the temple.2And Jesus said unto them, See ye not all these things? verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.3And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?4And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you.5For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.6And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.7For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.8All these are the beginning of sorrows.9Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake.10And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another.11And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.12And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.13But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.14And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.15When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:)16Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains:17Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house:18Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes.19And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days!20But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day:21For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.22And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened.23Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not.24For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.25Behold, I have told you before.26Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not.27For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.28For wheresoever the carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered together.29Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:30And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.31And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.32Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh:33So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors.34Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.35Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.36But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.37But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.38For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark,39And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.40Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left.41Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left.42Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.43But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up.44Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.45Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season?46Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing.47Verily I say unto you, That he shall make him ruler over all his goods.48But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming;49And shall begin to smite his fellowservants, and to eat and drink with the drunken;50The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of,51And shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
The destruction of the temple and signs of the end times
1Jesus left the temple and was walking away when his disciples came up to him to call his attention to its buildings.2‘Do you see all these things?’ he asked. ‘Truly I tell you, not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down.’3As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately. ‘Tell us,’ they said, ‘when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?’4Jesus answered: ‘Watch out that no-one deceives you.5For many will come in my name, claiming, “I am the Messiah,” and will deceive many.6You will hear of wars and rumours of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come.7Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places.8All these are the beginning of birth-pains.9‘Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me.10At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other,11and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people.12Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold,13but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved.14And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.15‘So when you see standing in the holy place “the abomination that causes desolation,” spoken of through the prophet Daniel – let the reader understand – (Dan 9,27; Dan 11,31; Dan 12,11)16then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.17Let no-one on the housetop go down to take anything out of the house.18Let no-one in the field go back to get their cloak.19How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers!20Pray that your flight will not take place in winter or on the Sabbath.21For then there will be great distress, unequalled from the beginning of the world until now – and never to be equalled again.22‘If those days had not been cut short, no-one would survive, but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened.23At that time if anyone says to you, “Look, here is the Messiah!” or, “There he is!” do not believe it.24For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.25See, I have told you in advance.26‘So if anyone tells you, “There he is, out in the desert,” do not go out; or, “Here he is, in the inner rooms,” do not believe it.27For as lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.28Wherever there is a carcass, there the vultures will gather.29‘Immediately after the distress of those days ‘ “the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.” (Es 13,10; Es 34,4)30‘Then will appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven. And then all the peoples of the earth[1] will mourn when they see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory.[2] (Dan 7,13)31And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.32‘Now learn this lesson from the fig-tree: as soon as its twigs become tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near.33Even so, when you see all these things, you know that it[3] is near, right at the door.34Truly I tell you, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened.35Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.
The day and hour unknown
36‘But about that day or hour no-one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son,[4] but only the Father.37As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.38For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark;39and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.40Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left.41Two women will be grinding with a hand-mill; one will be taken and the other left.42‘Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come.43But understand this: if the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into.44So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.45‘Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of the servants in his household to give them their food at the proper time?46It will be good for that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns.47Truly I tell you, he will put him in charge of all his possessions.48But suppose that servant is wicked and says to himself, “My master is staying away a long time,”49and he then begins to beat his fellow servants and to eat and drink with drunkards.50The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of.51He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
When the temple will be destroyed and the signs of the end
1Jesus left the temple. He was walking away when his disciples came up to him. They wanted to call his attention to the temple buildings.2‘Do you see all these things?’ Jesus asked. ‘What I’m about to tell you is true. Not one stone here will be left on top of another. Every stone will be thrown down.’3Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives. There the disciples came to him in private. ‘Tell us’, they said. ‘When will this happen? And what will be the sign of your coming? What will be the sign of the end?’4Jesus answered, ‘Keep watch! Be careful that no one fools you.5Many will come in my name. They will claim, “I am the Messiah!” They will fool many people.6You will hear about wars. You will also hear people talking about future wars. Don’t be alarmed. Those things must happen. But the end still isn’t here.7Nation will fight against nation. Kingdom will fight against kingdom. People will go hungry. There will be earthquakes in many places.8All these are the beginning of birth-pains.9‘Then people will hand you over to be treated badly and killed. All nations will hate you because of me.10At that time, many will turn away from their faith. They will hate each other. They will hand each other over to their enemies.11Many false prophets will appear. They will fool many people.12Because evil will grow, most people’s love will grow cold.13But the one who remains strong in the faith will be saved.14This good news of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world. It will be a witness to all nations. Then the end will come.15‘The prophet Daniel spoke about “the hated thing that destroys.” Someday you will see it standing in the holy place. The reader should understand this. (Dan 9,27; Dan 11,31; Dan 12,11)16Then those who are in Judea should escape to the mountains.17No one on the housetop should go down into the house to take anything out.18No one in the field should go back to get their coat.19How awful it will be in those days for pregnant women! How awful for nursing mothers!20Pray that you will not have to escape in winter or on the Sabbath day.21There will be terrible suffering in those days. It will be worse than any other from the beginning of the world until now. And there will never be anything like it again.22‘If the time had not been cut short, no one would live. But because of God’s chosen people, it will be shortened.23At that time someone may say to you, “Look! Here is the Messiah!” Or, “There he is!” Do not believe it.24False messiahs and false prophets will appear. They will do great signs and miracles. They will try to fool God’s chosen people if possible.25See, I have told you in advance.26‘So if anyone tells you, “He is a long way out in the desert,” do not go out there. Or if anyone says, “He is deep inside the house,” do not believe it.27Lightning that comes from the east can be seen in the west. It will be the same when the Son of Man comes.28The vultures will gather wherever there is a dead body.29‘Right after the terrible suffering of those days, ‘ “The sun will be darkened. The moon will not shine. The stars will fall from the sky. The heavenly bodies will be shaken.” (Es 13,10; Es 34,4)30‘Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven. At that time, all the peoples of the earth will mourn. They will mourn when they see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven. He will come with power and great glory.31He will send his angels with a loud trumpet call. They will gather his chosen people from all four directions. They will bring them from one end of the heavens to the other.32‘Learn a lesson from the fig tree. As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near.33In the same way, when you see all these things happening, you know that the end is near. It is right at the door.34What I’m about to tell you is true. The people living now will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened.35Heaven and earth will pass away. But my words will never pass away.
The day and hour are not known
36‘But no one knows about that day or hour. Not even the angels in heaven know. The Son does not know. Only the Father knows.37Remember how it was in the days of Noah. It will be the same when the Son of Man comes.38In the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking. They were getting married. They were giving their daughters to be married. They did all those things right up to the day Noah entered the ark.39They knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be when the Son of Man comes.40Two men will be in the field. One will be taken and the other left.41Two women will be grinding with a hand-mill. One will be taken and the other left.42‘So keep watch. You do not know on what day your Lord will come.43You must understand something. Suppose the owner of the house knew what time of night the robber was coming. Then he would have kept watch. He would not have let his house be broken into.44So you also must be ready. The Son of Man will come at an hour when you don’t expect him.45‘Suppose a master puts one of his slaves in charge of the other slaves in his house. The slave’s job is to give them their food at the right time. The master wants a faithful and wise slave for this.46It will be good for the slave if the master finds him doing his job when the master returns.47What I’m about to tell you is true. The master will put that slave in charge of everything he owns.48But suppose that slave is evil. Suppose he says to himself, “My master is staying away a long time.”49Suppose he begins to beat the other slaves. And suppose he eats and drinks with those who drink too much.50The master of that slave will come back on a day the slave doesn’t expect him. He will return at an hour the slave does not know.51Then the master will cut him to pieces. He will send him to the place where pretenders go. There people will weep and grind their teeth.
1Jesus left the temple and was going away, when his disciples came to point out to him the buildings of the temple. (Matt 21,23; Mark 13,1; Luk 21,5)2But he answered them, “You see all these, do you not? Truly, I say to you, there will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.” (Luk 19,44)
15“So when you see the abomination of desolation spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand), (Dan 9,22; Dan 9,25; Dan 9,27; Dan 11,31; Dan 12,11; Joh 11,48; Ap G 6,13; Ap G 21,28; Åb 1,3)16then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.17Let the one who is on the housetop not go down to take what is in his house, (Luk 5,19; Luk 17,31)18and let the one who is in the field not turn back to take his cloak.19And alas for women who are pregnant and for those who are nursing infants in those days! (Luk 23,29)20Pray that your flight may not be in winter or on a Sabbath.21For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be. (Dan 12,1; Matt 24,29; Åb 7,14; Åb 16,18)22And if those days had not been cut short, no human being would be saved. But for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short. (Es 65,8; Matt 22,14; Matt 24,24; Matt 24,31; Luk 18,7)23Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There he is!’ do not believe it. (Matt 24,5; Matt 24,26; Luk 17,23)24For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect. (5.Mos 13,1; Matt 24,11; Ap G 8,9; 2.Thess 2,9; 1.Joh 2,18; Åb 13,13; Åb 16,14; Åb 19,20)25See, I have told you beforehand. (Joh 13,19; Joh 14,29; 2.Pet 3,17)26So, if they say to you, ‘Look, he is in the wilderness,’ do not go out. If they say, ‘Look, he is in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it. (Ap G 21,38)27For as the lightning comes from the east and shines as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. (Matt 24,3; Matt 24,37; Matt 24,39; Luk 17,24)28Wherever the corpse is, there the vultures will gather. (Job 39,30; Luk 17,37)
32“From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts out its leaves, you know that summer is near.33So also, when you see all these things, you know that he is near, at the very gates. (Jak 5,9; Åb 3,20)34Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. (Matt 16,28)35Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away. (Salm 102,26; Salm 119,89; Es 40,8; Es 51,6; Matt 5,18; Heb 12,27; 1.Pet 1,23; 1.Pet 1,25; 2.Pet 3,10)
No One Knows That Day and Hour
36“But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son,[2] but the Father only. (Zak 14,7; Matt 25,13; Ap G 1,7; Filip 2,6; 1.Thess 5,1)37For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. (Matt 24,27; Luk 17,26)38For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, (1.Mos 7,7; Matt 22,30; Matt 24,37)39and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. (Matt 24,37)40Then two men will be in the field; one will be taken and one left.41Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one left. (2.Mos 11,5; Es 47,2; Luk 17,35)42Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. (Mark 14,34; Luk 12,37; Luk 21,36; Joh 13,13; Ap G 20,31; 1.Thess 5,6)43But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. (Luk 12,39; 1.Thess 5,2; 2.Pet 3,10; Åb 3,3)44Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect. (Matt 24,27; Matt 25,10)45“Who then is the faithful and wise servant,[3] whom his master has set over his household, to give them their food at the proper time? (Matt 7,24; Matt 10,16; Matt 25,2; Matt 25,21; 1.Kor 4,2; Heb 3,5)46Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes. (Joh 13,17; Åb 16,15)47Truly, I say to you, he will set him over all his possessions. (Matt 25,21; Matt 25,23)48But if that wicked servant says to himself, ‘My master is delayed,’ (Matt 25,5)49and begins to beat his fellow servants[4] and eats and drinks with drunkards, (1.Thess 5,7)50the master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know (Matt 25,13; 2.Pet 3,12)51and will cut him in pieces and put him with the hypocrites. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. (Matt 8,12)