Matthew 24:29-51

29“Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not provide its light, and the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.

30And at that time the sign of the Son of Man [coming in His glory] will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth [and especially Israel] will mourn [regretting their rebellion and rejection of the Messiah], and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory [in brilliance and splendor].

31And He will send His angels with a loud trumpet and they will gather together His elect (God’s chosen ones) 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 young shoots become tender and it puts out its leaves, you know that summer is near;

33so you, too, when you see all these things [taking place], know for certain that He is near, right at the door.

34I assure you and most solemnly say to you, this generation [the people living when these signs and events begin] will not pass away until all these things take place.

35Heaven and earth [as now known] will pass away, but My words will not pass away.

36“But of that [exact] day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son [in His humanity], but the Father alone.

37For the coming of the Son of Man (the Messiah) will be just like the days of Noah.

38For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the [very] day when Noah entered the ark,

39and they did not know or understand until the flood came and swept them all away; so will the coming of the Son of Man be [unexpected judgment].

40At that time two men will be in the field; one will be taken [for judgment] and one will be left.

41Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken [for judgment] and one will be left.

42“So be alert [give strict attention, be cautious and active in faith], for you do not know which day [whether near or far] your Lord is coming.

43But understand this: If the head of the house had known what time of the night the thief was coming, he would have been on the alert and would not have allowed his house to be broken into.

44Therefore, you [who follow Me] must also be ready; because the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not expect Him.

45“Who then is the faithful and wise servant whom his master has put in charge of his household to give the others [in the house] their food and supplies at the proper time?

46Blessed is that [faithful] servant when his master returns and finds him doing so.

47I assure you and most solemnly say to you that he will put him in charge of all his possessions.

48But if that servant is evil and says in his heart, ‘My master is taking his time [he will not return for a long while],’

49and 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 of which he is not aware,

51and will cut him in two and put him with the hypocrites; in that place there will be weeping [over sorrow and pain] and grinding of teeth [over distress and anger].