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The Coming of the Son of Man

24 “But in those days, after that suffering,

the sun will be darkened,
    and the moon will not give its light,(A)
25 and the stars will be falling from heaven,
    and the powers in the heavens will be shaken.

26 “Then they will see ‘the Son of Man coming in clouds’ with great power and glory.(B) 27 Then he will send out the angels and gather the[a] elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven.

The Lesson of the Fig Tree

28 “From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near. 29 So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that he[b] is near, at the very gates. 30 Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all these things have taken place.(C) 31 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.(D)

The Necessity for Watchfulness

32 “But about that day or hour no one knows, neither the angels in heaven nor the Son, but only the Father.(E) 33 Beware, keep alert,[c] for you do not know when the time will come.(F) 34 It is like a man going on a journey, when he leaves home and puts his slaves in charge, each with his work, and commands the doorkeeper to be on the watch.(G) 35 Therefore, keep awake, for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening or at midnight or at cockcrow or at dawn,(H) 36 or else he may find you asleep when he comes suddenly. 37 And what I say to you I say to all: Keep awake.”

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Footnotes

  1. 13.27 Other ancient authorities read his
  2. 13.29 Or it
  3. 13.33 Other ancient authorities add and pray

When the Son of Man Appears

(Matthew 24.29-31; Luke 21.25-28)

24 (A) In those days, right after this time of suffering,

“The sun will become dark,
and the moon
    will no longer shine.
25 (B) The stars will fall,
and the powers in the sky[a]
    will be shaken.”

26 (C) Then the Son of Man will be seen coming in the clouds with great power and glory. 27 He will send his angels to gather his chosen ones from all over the earth.

A Lesson from a Fig Tree

(Matthew 24.32-35; Luke 21.29-33)

28 Learn a lesson from a fig tree. When its branches sprout and start putting out leaves, you know summer is near. 29 So when you see all these things happening, you will know that the time has almost come.[b] 30 You can be sure that some of the people of this generation will still be alive when all this happens. 31 The sky and the earth will not last forever, but my words will.

No One Knows the Day or Time

(Matthew 24.36-44)

32 (D) No one knows the day or the time. The angels in heaven don't know, and the Son himself doesn't know. Only the Father knows. 33 So watch out and be ready! You don't know when the time will come. 34 (E) It is like what happens when a man goes away for a while and places his servants in charge of everything. He tells each of them what to do, and he orders the guard to keep alert. 35 So be alert! You don't know when the master of the house will come back. It could be in the evening or at midnight or before dawn or in the morning. 36 But if he comes suddenly, don't let him find you asleep. 37 I tell everyone just what I have told you. Be alert!

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Footnotes

  1. 13.25 the powers in the sky: In ancient times people thought that the stars were spiritual powers.
  2. 13.29 the time has almost come: Or “he (that is, the Son of Man) will soon be here.”