Discovery BoxMatthew 24:23-27 
Context24:23 Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ 1 or ‘There he is!’ do not believe him. 24:24 For false messiahs 2 and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. 24:25 Remember, 3 I have told you ahead of time. 24:26 So then, if someone 4 says to you, ‘Look, he is in the wilderness,’ 5 do not go out, or ‘Look, he is in the inner rooms,’ do not believe him. 24:27 For just like the lightning 6 comes from the east and flashes to the west, so the coming of the Son of Man will be.
1 tn Or “Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”
sn See the note on Christ in 1:16.
2 tn Or “false christs”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”
3 tn Or “Pay attention!” Grk “Behold.”
4 tn Grk “they say.” The third person plural is used here as an indefinite and translated “someone” (ExSyn 402).
5 tn Or “in the desert.”
6 sn The Son of Man’s coming in power will be sudden and obvious like lightning. No one will need to point it out.
