So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors.

MATTHEW 24:33KJV
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Matthew 24:33 (KJV)

What does Matthew 24:33 mean?

Matthew 24:33 records Jesus telling his disciples that, when they see all the things he has described, they are to recognize that what he has spoken of is very near. The verse presents those events as signs that help them understand how close the expected moment is.

Jesus draws the conclusion from the fig-tree picture in the previous verses. “At the doors” pictures something close enough to be at the entrance, rather than far away. The KJV says “it is near”; the Greek can also be understood as “he is near.”

The Greek behind Matthew 24:33

  • “know” — γινώσκω (ginōskō): The word can carry the sense of recognizing or coming to understand. Here, Jesus connects what the disciples see with what they can recognize from it.
  • “near” — ἐγγύς (engys): This word means close or near. In this sentence, the added picture of the doors gives that nearness a vivid sense of immediacy.

Why Matthew 24:33 matters

  • Jesus speaks of the signs together. His words “all these things” point back to the events he has been describing, rather than identifying one event by itself as the whole sign.
  • The verse links nearness with a limit on what the disciples can know. Matthew 24:36 says that the day and hour are not known, even though Jesus tells them to recognize when the time is near.

Where else these words appear

“near” Greek G1451 · used in 30 verses

  • Matthew 24:32 Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh:
  • John 6:4 And the passover, a feast of the Jews, was nigh.
  • Acts 9:38 And forasmuch as Lydda was nigh to Joppa, and the disciples had heard that Peter was there, they sent unto him two men, desiring him that he would not delay to come to them.

“doors” Greek G2374 · used in 37 verses

  • Matthew 6:6 But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.
  • John 10:1 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber.
  • Acts 12:13 And as Peter knocked at the door of the gate, a damsel came to hearken, named Rhoda.

“when” Greek G3752 · used in 118 verses

  • Matthew 5:11 Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.
  • Luke 6:22 Blessed are ye, when men shall hate you, and when they shall separate you from their company, and shall reproach you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of man's sake.
  • John 16:13 Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.