M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan

The beginning of the birth pangs

24 Jesus left the Temple and went away. As he did so, his disciples came and pointed out the Temple buildings to him. ² “Yes,” he said, “and you see all these things? I’m telling you the truth: not one stone will be left standing upon another. All of them will be thrown down.”

³ As he was sitting on the Mount of Olives, his disciples came to him privately.

“Tell us,” they said, “when will these things happen? And what will be the sign that you are going to appear as king, and that the end of the age is upon us?”

⁴ “Watch out,” replied Jesus. “Don’t let anyone deceive you. ⁵ You see, there will be several who will come along, using my name, telling you ‘I’m the Messiah!’ They will fool lots of people. ⁶ You’re going to hear about wars, actual wars and rumored ones; make sure you don’t get alarmed. This has got to happen, but it doesn’t mean the end is coming yet. ⁷ Nations will rise against one another, and kingdoms against each other. There will be famines and earthquakes here and there. ⁸ All this is just the start of the birth pangs.

⁹ “Then they will hand you over to be tortured, and they will kill you. You will be hated by all nations because of my name. ¹⁰ Then several will find the going too hard, and they will betray each other and hate each other. ¹¹ Many false prophets will arise, and they will deceive many people. ¹² And because lawlessness will be on the increase, many will find their love growing cold. ¹³ But the one who lasts out to the end will be delivered. ¹⁴ And this gospel of the kingdom must be announced to the whole world, as a witness to all the nations. Then the end will come.”

The desolating sacrilege

¹⁵ “So when you see ‘the sacrilege that desolates,’ as Daniel the prophet put it, ‘standing in the holy place’ (the reader should understand), ¹⁶ then those who are in Judaea should take to their heels and run to the mountains. ¹⁷ If you’re up on your roof, don’t go down into the house to get things out. ¹⁸ If you’re in the fields, don’t go back to pick up your cloak. ¹⁹ It’s going to be terrible for pregnant and nursing women during those days. ²⁰ Pray that it won’t be winter when you have to run away, or for that matter a sabbath. ²¹ Yes: there’s going to be such great suffering then as has never been since the start of the world until now—no, and won’t ever be again. ²² And if those days had not been shortened, nobody at all would have been rescued. But for the sake of God’s chosen ones those days will be shortened.

²³ “Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look! Here is the Messiah!’ or ‘Look! There he is!’ don’t believe them. ²⁴ False messiahs will arise, you see, and false prophets too. They will provide great signs and portents, so as to deceive even God’s chosen ones, if that were possible. ²⁵ Remember, I’m telling you this beforehand!

²⁶ “So if someone says to you, ‘Look! He’s out in the wilderness,’ don’t go out. If they say, ‘Look, he’s in the inner room,’ don’t believe them. ²⁷ You see, the royal appearing of the son of man will be like the lightning that comes from the East and flashes across to the West. ²⁸ Where the carcass is, there the vultures will gather.”

The coming of the son of man

²⁹ “Straight away,” Jesus continued, “after the suffering that those days will bring,

³⁰ “And then the sign of the son of man will appear in heaven; then all the tribes of the earth will mourn. They will see ‘the son of man coming on the clouds of heaven’ with power and great glory. ³¹ He will send off his messengers with a great trumpet-blast, and they will collect his chosen ones from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

³² “Learn the hidden meaning from the fig tree. When its branch begins to sprout, and to push out its leaves, then you know that summer is nearly there. ³³ So with you: when you see all these things, you will know that it is near, at the very gates. ³⁴ I’m telling you the truth: this generation won’t be gone before all these things happen. ³⁵ Heaven and earth will disappear, but my words will never, ever disappear.”

The unexpected coming

³⁶ “Nobody knows what day or time this will happen,” Jesus went on. “The angels in heaven don’t know it, and nor does the son; only the father knows. ³⁷ You see, the royal appearing of the son of man will be like the days of Noah.

³⁸ “What does that mean? Well, in those days, before the flood, they were eating and drinking, they were getting married and giving children in marriage, right up to the day when Noah went into the ark. ³⁹ They didn’t know about it until the flood came and swept them all away. That’s what it’ll be like at the royal appearing of the son of man.

⁴⁰ “On that day there will be two people working in the field. One will be taken, the other will be left. ⁴¹ There will be two women grinding corn in the mill. One will be taken, the other will be left.

⁴² “So keep alert! You don’t know what day your master will come. ⁴³ But bear this in mind: if the householder had known what time of night the burglar was going to come, he would have stayed awake and wouldn’t have let his house get broken into. ⁴⁴ So you too must be ready! The son of man is coming at a time you don’t expect.”

The wise and wicked slaves

⁴⁵ “So,” Jesus went on, “who then is the trustworthy and sensible slave, the one the master will set over his household, so that he will give them their meals at the right time? ⁴⁶ Blessings on the servant whom the master finds doing just that when he comes. ⁴⁷ I’m telling you the truth: he’ll promote him to be over all his property. ⁴⁸ But if the wicked slave says in his heart, ‘My master’s taking his time,’ ⁴⁹ and starts to beat the other slaves, and to feast and drink with the drunkards, ⁵⁰ the master of that slave will come on a day he doesn’t expect, and at a time he doesn’t know. ⁵¹ He will cut him in two, and put him along with the hypocrites, where people will weep and grind their teeth.”

Bring on the barristers

24 After five days, Ananias the high priest came down to Caesarea with some of the elders, and with a barrister named Tertullus. They told the governor what they had against Paul. ² Paul was summoned, and Tertullus began his speech of accusation.

“Most excellent Felix! We are enjoying great peace because of you! Through your wise foresight and planning things have greatly improved for this people. ³ We welcome it in every way, in every place, and with every feeling of gratitude. ⁴ But, so as not to keep you waiting any longer, I beg you, of your forbearance, to listen to us briefly.

⁵ “We find this fellow to be a public nuisance. He stirs up civil strife among all the Jews, all over the world. He is a ringleader in the sect of the Nazoreans. ⁶ He even tried to defile the Temple! But we caught him. ⁸ If you examine him yourself you will be able to find out about all these things of which we’re accusing him.”

⁹ The Jews added their voices to this speech, agreeing that it was just as it had been said.

A defense of the Hope

¹⁰ The governor motioned to Paul to speak.

“I understand that you have been governor of this nation for several years,” he began, “and therefore I am all the more pleased to make my defense before you. ¹¹ You will be able to discover that it is not more than twelve days since I came up to worship at Jerusalem. ¹² They didn’t find me disputing with anybody in the Temple; nor was I stirring up a crowd, either in the synagogues or elsewhere in the city. ¹³ They can provide no proof of any of the charges they are now bringing against me.

¹⁴ “But this much I will confess to you: it is true that I do worship the God of my ancestors according to the Way which they call a ‘sect.’ I believe everything which is written in the law and the prophets, ¹⁵ and I hold to the hope in God, for which they also long, that there will be a resurrection of the righteous and the unrighteous. ¹⁶ For that reason I make it my settled aim always to have a clear conscience before God and all people.

¹⁷ “For several years I have been collecting alms and offerings to bring to my nation. ¹⁸ That was the business I was engaged in when they found me purified in the Temple, without any crowds and without any riot. ¹⁹ There were some Jews from Asia there; they are the ones who should appear before you and bring any accusations against me that they may have. ²⁰ Or let these people themselves say what wrong they found in me when I stood before the Sanhedrin— ²¹ unless it is about this one thing, which I shouted out as I was standing among them: ‘It’s because of the resurrection of the dead that I am being judged before you today.’ ”

Felix calms (and slows) things down

²² Felix was quite well informed about the Way. He adjourned the hearing.

“When Lysias the tribune comes down,” he said, “then I will make my decision about your business.”

²³ He told the centurion to keep Paul under guard, to allow him some freedom, and not to stop any of his companions from looking after him.

²⁴ After some days, Felix came with Drusilla his wife, who was Jewish. They sent for Paul and listened to him speaking about faith in the Messiah Jesus. ²⁵ As he talked about justice, self-control and the judgment to come, Felix became afraid.

“That’s quite enough for now,” he said. “You can go. When I get a good opportunity I’ll call for you again another time.”

²⁶ At the same time he was hoping that Paul would give him money, and so he sent for him frequently and talked with him. ²⁷ After two years Felix handed over the reins of office to Porcius Festus. He wanted to do the Jews a favor, and so he left Paul in prison.