Charles Ellicott Commentary Matthew 24:4

"And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man lead you astray." — Matthew 24:4 (ASV)

Jesus answered and said to them... — The great discourse that follows is given with substantial agreement by Mark and Luke. The variations are such as would naturally occur in reports made from memory, likely after an interval of many years.

In all probability, the written record first came from the lips of Peter, and it is therefore instructive to compare its eschatology (its teaching about the last things) with what we find in his discourses and epistles. Paul’s reference to the day of the Lord coming as a thief in the night (1 Thessalonians 5:2) suggests that its substance was known at a relatively early date. However, it was probably not published—that is, not circulated as a written document among Christian Jews—until the time was near when its warnings would be needed. This may partly account for the variations with which it then appeared.