SIGNS OF THE END OF THE AGE

 

Matthew 24

Jesus left the Temple and was walking away

When His Disciples came up to Him

To call His attention to its Buildings.

2 'DO YOU SEE ALL THESE THINGS?'

He asked.

'I TELL YOU THE TRUTH,

NOT ONE STONE HERE WILL BE LEFT ON ANOTHER;

EVERY ONE WILL BE THROWN DOWN.'

3 As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives,

The Disciples came to Him privately.

'TELL US,' they said,

'WHEN WILL THIS HAPPEN,

AND WHAT WILL BE THE SIGN OF YOUR COMING

AND THE END OF THE AGE?'

4 Jesus answered:

'WATCH OUT THAT NO ONE DECEIVES YOU.

5 FOR MANY WILL COME IN MY NAME,

CLAIMING, 'I AM THE CHRIST,'

AND WILL DECEIVE MANY.

6 YOU WILL HEAR OF WARS AND RUMORS OF WARS,

BUT THE END IS STILL TO COME.

7 NATION WILL RISE AGAINST NATION,

AND KINGDOM AGAINST KINGDOM.

THERE WILL BE FAMINES AND EARTHQUAKES

IN VARIOUS PLACES.

8 ALL THESE ARE THE BEGINNING OF BIRTH PAINS.

9 THEN YOU WILL BE HANDED OVER TO BE PERSECUTED

AND PUT TO DEATH,

AND YOU WILL BE HATED BY ALL NATIONS

BECAUSE OF ME.

10 AT THAT TIME MANY WILL TURN AWAY FROM THE FAITH

AND WILL BETRAY AND HATE EACH OTHER,

11 AND MANY FALSE PROPHETS WILL APPEAR

AND DECEIVE MANY PEOPLE.

12 BECAUSE OF THE INCREASE OF WICKEDNESS,

THE LOVE OF MOST WILL GROW COLD,

13 BUT HE WHO STANDS FIRM TO THE END

WILL BE SAVED.

14 AND THIS GOSPEL OF THE KINGDOM

WILL BE PREACHED IN THE WHOLE WORLD

AS A TESTIMONY TO ALL NATIONS,

AND THEN THE END WILL COME.

15 SO WHEN YOU SEE STANDING IN THE HOLY PLACE

THE ABOMINATION THAT CAUSES DESOLATION,

SPOKEN OF THROUGH THE PROPHET DANIEL--

LET THE READER UNDERSTAND--

16 THEN LET THOSE WHO ARE IN JUDEA

FLEE TO THE MOUNTAINS.

17 LET NO ONE ON THE ROOF OF HIS HOUSE

GO DOWN TO TAKE ANYTHING OUT OF THE HOUSE.

18 LET NO ONE IN THE FIELD

GO BACK TO GET HIS CLOAK.

19 HOW DREADFUL IT WILL BE IN THOSE DAYS

FOR PREGNANT WOMEN AND NURSING MOTHERS!

20 PRAY THAT YOUR FLIGHT WILL NOT TAKE PLACE

IN THE WINTER OR ON THE SABBATH.

21 FOR THERE WILL BE GREAT DISTRESS,

UNEQUALED FROM THE BEGINNING OF THE WORLD

UNTIL NOW--

AND NEVER TO BE EQUALED AGAIN.

22 IF THOSE DAYS HAD NOT BEEN CUT SHORT,

NO ONE WOULD SURVIVE,

BUT FOR THE SAKE OF THE ELECT

THOSE DAYS WILL BE SHORTENED.

23 AT THAT TIME IF ANYONE SAYS TO YOU,

'LOOK, HERE IS THE CHRIST!'

OR, 'THERE HE IS!'

DO NOT BELIEVE IT.

24 FOR FALSE CHRISTS AND FALSE PROPHETS WILL APPEAR

AND PERFORM GREAT SIGNS AND MIRACLES

TO DECEIVE EVEN THE ELECT--

IF THAT WERE POSSIBLE.

25 SEE, I HAVE TOLD YOU AHEAD OF TIME.

26 SO IF ANYONE TELLS YOU,

'THERE HE IS, OUT IN THE DESERT,'

DO NOT GO OUT;

OR, 'HERE HE IS, IN THE INNER ROOMS,'

DO NOT BELIEVE IT.

27 FOR AS THE LIGHTNING COMES FROM THE EAST

AND FLASHES TO THE WEST,

SO WILL BE THE COMING OF THE SON OF MAN.

28 WHEREVER THERE IS A CARCASS,

THERE THE VULTURES WILL GATHER.

29 Immediately after the Distress of those day

'The sun will be Darkened,

And the moon will not give its light;

The stars will fall from the sky,

And the heavenly bodies will be Shaken.'

30 AT THAT TIME THE SIGN OF THE SON OF MAN

WILL APPEAR IN THE SKY,

AND ALL THE NATIONS OF THE EARTH WILL MOURN.

THEY WILL SEE THE SON OF MAN

COMING ON THE CLOUDS OF THE SKY,

WITH POWER AND GREAT GLORY.

31 AND HE WILL SEND HIS ANGELS

WITH A LOUD TRUMPET CALL,

AND THEY WILL GATHER HIS ELECT

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 TWIGS GET TENDER

AND ITS LEAVES COME OUT,

YOU KNOW THAT SUMMER IS NEAR.

33 EVEN SO, WHEN YOU SEE ALL THESE THINGS,

YOU KNOW THAT IT IS NEAR,

RIGHT AT THE DOOR.

34 I TELL YOU THE TRUTH,

THIS GENERATION WILL CERTAINLY NOT PASS AWAY

UNTIL ALL THESE THINGS HAVE HAPPENED.

35 HEAVEN AND EARTH WILL PASS AWAY,

BUT MY WORDS WILL NEVER PASS AWAY.

The Day And Hour Unknown

36 NO ONE KNOWS ABOUT THAT DAY OR HOUR,

NOT EVEN THE ANGELS IN HEAVEN, NOR THE SON,

BUT ONLY THE FATHER.

37 AS IT WAS IN THE DAYS OF NOAH,

SO IT WILL BE AT THE COMING OF THE SON OF MAN.

38 FOR IN THE DAYS BEFORE THE FLOOD,

PEOPLE WERE EATING AND DRINKING,

MARRYING AND GIVING IN MARRIAGE,

UP TO THE DAY NOAH ENTERED THE ARK;

39 AND THEY KNEW NOTHING ABOUT WHAT WOULD HAPPEN

UNTIL THE FLOOD CAME AND TOOK THEM ALL AWAY.

THAT IS HOW IT WILL BE AT THE COMING OF THE SON OF MAN.

40 TWO MEN WILL BE IN THE FIELD'

ONE WILL BE TAKEN AND THE OTHER LEFT.

41 TWO WOMEN WILL BE GRINDING WITH A HANDMILL'

ONE WILL BE TAKEN AND THE OTHER LEFT.

42 THEREFORE KEEP WATCH,

BECAUSE YOU DO NOT KNOW ON WHAT DAY

YOUR LORD WILL COME.

43 BUT UNDERSTAND THIS:

IF THE OWNER OF THE HOUSE HAD KNOWN

AT WHAT TIME OF THE NIGHT THE THIEF WAS COMING,

HE WOULD HAVE KEPT WATCH

AND WOULD NOT HAVE LET HIS HOUSE BE BROKEN INTO.

44 SO YOU ALSO MUST BE READY,

BECAUSE THE SON OF MAN WILL COME AT AN HOUR

WHEN YOU DO NOT EXPECT HIM.

45 WHO THEN IS THE FAITHFUL AND WISE SERVANT,

WHOM THE MASTER HAS PUT IN CHARGE

OF THE SERVANTS IN HIS HOUSEHOLD

TO GIVE THEM THEIR FOOD AT THE PROPER TIME?

46 IT WILL BE GOOD FOR THAT SERVANT

WHO'S MASTER FINDS HIM DOING SO WHEN HE RETURNS.

47 I TELL YOU THE TRUTH,

HE WILL PUT HIM IN CHARGE OF ALL HIS POSSESSIONS.

48 BUT SUPPOSE THAT SERVANT IS WICKED

AND SAYS TO HIMSELF,

'MY MASTER IS STAYING AWAY A LONG TIME,'

49 AND HE THEN BEGINS TO BEAT HIS FELLOW SERVANTS

AND TO EAT AND DRINK WITH DRUNKARDS.

50 THE MASTER OF THAT SERVANT WILL COME

ON A DAY WHEN HE DOES NOT EXPECT HIM

AND AT AN HOUR HE IS NOT AWARE OF.

51 HE WILL CUT HIM TO PIECES

AND ASSIGN HIM A PLACE WITH THE HYPOCRITES,

WHERE THERE WILL BE WEEPING AND GNASHING OF TEETH.

(Matthew 24)