²⁹ “But immediately after the trouble of those days,

³⁰ Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the land will mourn, and they will see ‘the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven’^[b] with power and great glory. ³¹ He will send out His angels with a great shofar, and they will gather together His chosen from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.”^[c]

Watching for Messiah’s Return

³² “Now learn the parable from the fig tree. When its branch becomes tender and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near. ³³ So also, when you see all these things, know that it is near, at the door. ³⁴ Amen, I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all these things happen. ³⁵ Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will never pass away. ^{[d] 36} But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven nor the Son,^[e] except the Father alone.

³⁷ “For just as the days of Noah were, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. ³⁸ For in those days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day Noah entered the ark. ³⁹ And they did not understand until the flood came and swept them all away.^[f] So shall it be at the coming of the Son of Man.

¹³ Therefore stay alert, for you know neither the day nor the hour.”

Keep Watch

²⁸ “Now learn the parable from the fig tree. When its branch becomes tender and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near. ²⁹ So also, when you see all these things happening, know that it is near, at the door. ³⁰ Amen, I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all these things happen. ³¹ Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will never pass away. ³² But of that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven nor the Son, except the Father.

³³ “Keep on the lookout! Stay alert! For you do not know when the time is. ³⁴ It is like a man away on a journey. After leaving his house and putting his servants in charge and giving each his task, he also commanded the doorkeeper to watch. ³⁵ Therefore stay alert, for you do not know when the master of the house is coming, whether in the evening, at midnight, when the rooster crows, or in the early morning. ³⁶ So watch in case, coming suddenly, he finds you asleep. ³⁷ What I say to you I say to all: ‘Stay alert!’”

Keep Watch for the Day of the Lord

5 Now concerning the times and seasons,^[a] brothers and sisters, you have no need for anything to be written to you. ² For you yourselves know very well that the Day of the Lord^[b] comes like a thief in the night. ³ When they are saying, “Shalom and safety,”^[c] sudden destruction comes upon them like a woman having birth pains in the womb—there is no way they will escape. ⁴ But you, brothers and sisters, are not in the dark, so that the Day might overtake you like a thief. ^{[d] 5} For you all are sons of light and sons of day. We are not of night or of darkness— ⁶ so then, let us not sleep as the others do, but let us remain on the alert and sober-minded. ⁷ For those who sleep, sleep at night; and those who get drunk, get drunk at night. ⁸ But since we are of the day, let us be sober-minded—putting on the breastplate of faithfulness and love, and the hope of salvation as a helmet. ^{[e] 9} For God did not destine us for wrath but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Yeshua the Messiah. ¹⁰ He died for us so that, whether we may be awake or asleep,^[f] we may live together with Him. ¹¹ Therefore encourage one another and build each other up—just as you in fact are doing.