¹⁹ I tell you this beforehand, so that when it happens you will believe that I am the Messiah.^[a]

²⁹ I have told you these things before they happen so that when they do happen, you will believe.

¹⁷ When I saw him, I fell at his feet as if I were dead. But he laid his right hand on me and said, “Don’t be afraid! I am the First and the Last. ¹⁸ I am the living one. I died, but look—I am alive forever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and the grave.^[a]

⁴ Yes, I’m telling you these things now, so that when they happen, you will remember my warning. I didn’t tell you earlier because I was going to be with you for a while longer.

²³ Jesus continued, “You are from below; I am from above. You belong to this world; I do not. ²⁴ That is why I said that you will die in your sins; for unless you believe that I am who I claim to be,^[a] you will die in your sins.”

The Coming Day of Judgment

3 “Look! I am sending my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me. Then the Lord you are seeking will suddenly come to his Temple. The messenger of the covenant, whom you look for so eagerly, is surely coming,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.

⁵⁸ Jesus answered, “I tell you the truth, before Abraham was even born, I am!^[a]”

²⁵ See, I have warned you about this ahead of time.

³ “Are you the Messiah we’ve been expecting,^[a] or should we keep looking for someone else?”