Matthew 24:25
in Matthew 24See, I have told you in advance.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
Behold, I have told you beforehand.
KJV
Behold, I have told you before.
⋯
This verse in Matthew 24
Commentary
15 notes on this verseA commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
Behold, I have told you before - Mark adds Mar 13:23, “take ye heed.” The reason why he told them before was that they might be on their guard, and be prepared for those calamities.
This site's exposition
here is the Christ
on Matthew 24:23-26
Verses 23 to 26 return to the warning of verse 5, with false Christs and false prophets able to "perform great signs and wonders". The claims that he is "in the wilderness" or "in the inner rooms" name two false expectations. The next verses answer both with a public appearing.
This site's exposition
I have told you in advance
Mark sets a call to take heed beside these words, at Mark 13:23. Barnes gives the reason: disciples told in advance could keep watch and be ready for the calamities. Ryle calls Josephus the best comment on these words.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers4 voices
A commentator
Apostolic ConstitutionsApostolic Constitutions (Book VII), Section 2, XXXII · Written before 380.
proposed
For in the last days false prophets shall be multiplied, and such as corrupt the word; and the sheep shall be changed into wolves, and love into hatred: for through the abounding of iniquity the love of many shall wax cold. For men shall hate, and persecute, and betray one another. And then shall appear the deceiver of the world, the enemy of the truth, the prince of lies, [2 Thessalonians 2:3-12] whom the Lord Jesus "shall destroy with the spirit of His mouth, who takes away the wicked with His lips; and many shall be offended at Him. But they that endure to the end, the same shall be saved. And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven;" [Isaiah 11:4; Matthew 24:1-51] and afterwards shall be the voice of a trumpet by the archangel; and in that interval shall be the revival of those that were asleep. And then shall the Lord come, and all His saints with Him, with a great concussion above the clouds, with the angels of His power, [Matthew 16:27] in the throne of His kingdom, to condemn the devil, the deceiver of the world, and to render to every one according to his deeds. "Then shall the wicked go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous shall go into life eternal," [Matthew 25:46] to inherit those things "which eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man, such things as God has prepared for them that love Him;" [1 Corinthians 2:9] and they shall rejoice in the kingdom of God, which is in Christ Jesus.
If then any one assert to you that Christ tarries in the desert of the Gentiles, or in the teaching of the Philosophers, or in the secret chambers of the heretics, who promise the hidden things of God, believe Him not, but believe that the Catholic Faith shines from east to west in the Churches. Or by this, in the desert, or in the secret chambers, He means that in times of persecution and distress, the false Prophets always find place for deceiving.
(Verses 25, 26.) So if they say to you, 'Look, he is in the wilderness,' do not go out; 'Look, he is in the inner rooms,' do not believe it.
Watch for your life's sake. Let not your lamps be quenched, nor your loins unloosed; but be ye ready, for ye know not the hour in which our Lord cometh. But often shall ye come together, seeking the things which are befitting to your souls: for the whole time of your faith will not profit you, if ye be not made perfect in the last time. For in the last days false prophets and corrupters shall be multiplied, and the sheep shall be turned into wolves, and love shall be turned into hate; for when lawlessness increaseth, they shall hate and persecute and betray one another, and then shall appear the world-deceiver as Son of God, and shall do signs and wonders, and the earth shall be delivered into his hands, and he shall do iniquitous things which have never yet come to pass since the beginning. Then shall the creation of men come into the fire of trial, and many shall be made to stumble and shall perish; but they that endure in their faith shall be saved from under the curse itself. And then shall appear the signs of the truth; first, the sign of an out-spreading in heaven; then the sign of the sound of the trumpet; and the third, the resurrection of the dead; yet not of all, but as it is said: The Lord shall come and all His saints with Him. Then shall the world see the Lord coming upon the clouds of heaven.
The Medieval Church1 voice
Since the disciples had brought two questions to Him, one concerning the captivity of Jerusalem, and the other, the Lord's second coming, having already spoken of the captivity of Jerusalem, here He begins to speak of His own coming, and of the end of the …
7 more voices on this verse
The Medieval Church2 voices
And as darts, when foreseen, are less likely to hit, He adds, Lo, I have told you. Our Lord announces the woes which are to precede the destruction of the world, that when they come they may alarm the less from having been foreknown.
Behold I have told it to you beforehand, because, according to Gregory, darts that are foreseen wound less; Amos 3:7: The Lord God will do nothing without revealing his secret.
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
Behold, I have told you before.
Note, Christ's warnings are designed to engage our watchfulness; and though the elect shall be preserved from delusion, yet they shall be preserved by the use of appointed means, and a due regard to the cautions of the word; we are kept through faith, faith in Christ's word, which he has told us before. [1.] We must not believe those who say, Lo, here is Christ; or, Lo, he is there,
The Nineteenth Century3 voices
One main subject of this part of our Lord’s prophecy is the taking of Jerusalem by the Romans. That great event took place about forty years after the words we have now read were spoken. A full account of it is to be found in the writings of the historian Josephus. Those writings are the best comment on our Lord’s words; they are a striking proof of the accuracy of every title of his predictions.
One main subject of this part of our Lord’s prophecy is the taking of Jerusalem by the Romans. That great event took place about forty years after the words we have now read were spoken. A full account of it is to be found in the writings of the historian Josephus. Those writings are the best comment on our Lord’s words; they are a striking proof of the accuracy of every title of his predictions. The horrors and miseries which the Jews endured throughout the siege of their city exceed anything on record: it was truly a time of tribulation, so as was not since the beginning of the world It surprises some to find so much importance attached to the taking of Jerusalem: they would rather regard the whole chapter as unfulfilled. Such persons forget that Jerusalem and the temple were the heart of the old Jewish dispensation. When they were destroyed, the old Mosaic system came to an end. The daily sacrifice, the yearly feasts, the altar, the holy of holies and the priesthood were all essential parts of revealed religion, till Christ came—but no longer. When he died upon the cross, their work was done: they were dead, and it only remained that they should be buried. But it was not fitting that this thing should be done quietly. The ending of a dispensation given with so much solemnity at Mount Sinai might well be expected to be marked with particular solemnity; the destruction of the holy temple, where so many old saints had seen “shadows of good things to come,” might well be expected to form a subject of prophecy: and so it was. The Lord Jesus specially predicts the desolation of “the holy place.” The great High Priest describes the end of the dispensation which had been a schoolmaster to bring men to himself. But we must not suppose that this part of our Lord’s prophecy is exhausted by the first taking of Jerusalem.
Behold, I have told you before - That is, I have forewarned you.
The words behind it
3 Greek wordsEvery Greek word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Greek | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ἰδοὺ | idou | Behold | G2400 → | 200 times |
| προείρηκα | proeireka | I have foretold [it] | G4280 → | |
| ὑμῖν. | humin | to you. | G4771 → | 2973 times |
ἰδοὺBehold
idouG2400 →200 times
προείρηκαI have foretold [it]
proeirekaG4280 →
ὑμῖν.to you.
huminG4771 →2973 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
John 16:1“I have told you these things so that you will not fall away.
it leads to
- 1 Peter 2:8
and, “A stone of stumbling and a rock of offense.” They stumble because they disobey the word—and to this they were appointed.
- Matthew 13:21
But since he has no root, he remains for only a season. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, he quickly falls away.
- Matthew 26:31–33
Then Jesus said to them, “This very night you will all fall away on account of Me. For it is written: ‘I will strike the Shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be…
- Matthew 24:10
At that time many will fall away and will betray and hate one another,
- John 15:18–27
If the world hates you, understand that it hated Me first.
- 1 Peter 2:8
Through
Luke 21:13This will be your opportunity to serve as witnesses.
it leads to
- Philippians 1:28
without being frightened in any way by those who oppose you. This is a clear sign of their destruction but of your salvation, and it is from God.
- Philippians 1:12
Now I want you to know, brothers, that my circumstances have actually served to advance the gospel.
- 2 Thessalonians 1:5
All this is clear evidence of God’s righteous judgment. And so you will be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are suffering.
- Philippians 1:28
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies22
On this verse
About Matthew
This page draws on 14 works. Open the list of works
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Apostolic Constitutions, Apostolic Constitutions (Book VII), Section 2, XXXII; Didache, The Didache, Chapter 16; Gregory the Dialogist, Catena Aurea by Aquinas; J.C. Ryle, Expository Thoughts on the Gospels: Matthew; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; Jerome, Catena Aurea by Aquinas; Jerome, Commentary on Matthew; John Gill, Exposition of the New Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the New Testament (1746-1748); Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible; Theophylact of Ohrid, Commentary on Matthew and Thomas Aquinas, Commentary on Matthew.