Matthew 24:23-51

231Then if anyone says to you, ‘Behold, here is the 2Christ,’ or ‘He is over here,’ do not believe him. 24For false christs and 3false prophets will arise and will provide great 45signs and wonders, so as to mislead, if possible, even 6the 7elect. 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. 278For just as the lightning comes from the east and flashes as far as the west, so will the 9coming of the 10Son of Man 11be. 2812Wherever the corpse is, there the 13vultures will gather.

29“But immediately after the 14tribulation of those days 15the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and 16the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 30And then 17the 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 18the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory. 31And 19He will send forth His angels with 20a great trumpet blast, and they will gather together His 2122elect from 23the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other.

32“Now learn the parable from the fig tree: as soon as its branch has become tender and sprouts its leaves, you know that summer is near; 33so you too, when you see all these things, 24recognize that 25He is near, right 26at the 27door. 34Truly I say to you, 28this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. 3529Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away.

36“But 30about that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone. 37For 31the 32coming of the Son of Man will be 33just like the days of Noah. 38For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, 34marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that 35Noah entered the ark, 39and they did not 36understand until the flood came and took them all away; so will the 37coming of the Son of Man be. 40At that time there will be two men in the field; one 38will be taken and one 39will be left. 4140Two women will be grinding at the 4142mill; one 43will be taken and one 44will be left.

42“Therefore 45be on the alert, for you do not know which day your Lord is coming. 43But 46be sure of this, that 47if the head of the house had known 48at 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. 44For this reason 49you must be ready as well; for 50the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not think He will.

45“51Who then is the 52faithful and 53sensible slave whom his 54master 55put in charge of his household slaves, to give them their food at the proper time? 46Blessed is that slave whom his 56master finds so doing when he comes. 47Truly I say to you that 57he will put him in charge of all his possessions. 48But if that evil slave says in his heart, ‘My 58master 59is not coming for a long time,’ 49and he begins to beat his fellow slaves, and he eats and drinks with those habitually drunk; 50then the 60master of that slave will come on a day that he does not expect, and at an hour that he does not know, 51and he will 61cut him in two and assign 62him a place with the hypocrites; in that place there will be 63weeping and gnashing of teeth.