Matthew 24:23-51

231Then if anyone says to you, ‘Behold, here is the 2Christ,’ or ‘3There He is,’ do not believe him. 24For false Christs and 4false prophets will arise and will 5show great 67signs and wonders, so as to mislead, if possible, even 8the 9elect. 25Behold, I have told you in advance. 26So if they say to you, ‘Behold, He is in the wilderness,’ do not go out, or, ‘Behold, He is in the inner rooms,’ do not believe them. 2710For just as the lightning comes from the east and flashes even to the west, so will the 11coming of the 12Son of Man be. 2813Wherever the corpse is, there the 14vultures will gather.

29“But immediately after the 15tribulation of those days 16the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and 17the stars will fall from 18the sky, and the powers of 19the heavens will be shaken. 30And then 20the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see 21the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory. 31And 22He will send forth His angels with 23a great trumpet and they will gather together His 2425elect from 26the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other.

32“Now learn the parable from the fig tree: when its branch has already become tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near; 33so, you too, when you see all these things, 27recognize that 28He is near, right 29at the 30door. 34Truly I say to you, 31this 32generation will not pass away until all these things take place. 3533Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away.

36“But 34of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone. 37For 35the 36coming of the Son of Man will be 37just like the days of Noah. 38For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, 38marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that 39Noah entered the ark, 39and they did not 40understand until the flood came and took them all away; so will the 41coming of the Son of Man be. 40Then there will be two men in the field; one 42will be taken and one 43will be left. 4144Two women will be grinding at the 4546mill; one 47will be taken and one 48will be left.

42“Therefore 49be on the alert, for you do not know which day your Lord is coming. 43But 50be sure of this, that 51if the head of the house had known 52at 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 53broken into. 44For this reason 54you also must be ready; for 55the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not think He will.

45“56Who then is the 57faithful and 58sensible slave whom his 59master 60put in charge of his household to give them their food at the proper time? 46Blessed is that slave whom his 61master finds so doing when he comes. 47Truly I say to you that 62he will put him in charge of all his possessions. 48But if that evil slave says in his heart, ‘My 63master 64is not coming for a long time,’ 49and begins to beat his fellow slaves and eat and drink with drunkards; 50the 65master of that slave will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour which he does not know, 51and will 66cut him in pieces and 67assign him a place with the hypocrites; in that place there will be 68weeping and gnashing of teeth.