M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan

Here comes the sequel!

1 Dear Theophilus,

The previous book which I wrote was about everything Jesus began to do and teach. ² I took the story as far as the day when he was taken up, once he had given instructions through the holy spirit to his chosen apostles.

³ He showed himself to them alive, after his suffering, by many proofs. He was seen by them for forty days, during which he spoke about God’s kingdom. ⁴ As they were having a meal together, he told them not to go away from Jerusalem, but to wait, as he put it, “for the father’s promise, which I was telling you about earlier. ⁵ John baptized with water, you see; but in a few days from now you will be baptized with the holy spirit.”

When, what and how?

⁶ So when the apostles came together, they put this question to Jesus.

“Master,” they said, “is this the time when you are going to restore the kingdom to Israel?”

⁷ “It’s not your business to know about times and dates,” he replied. “The father has placed all that under his own direct authority. ⁸ What will happen, though, is that you will receive power when the holy spirit comes upon you. Then you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judaea and Samaria, and to the very ends of the earth.”

Ascension!

⁹ As Jesus said this, he was lifted up while they were watching, and a cloud took him out of their sight. ¹⁰ They were gazing into heaven as he disappeared. Then, lo and behold, two men appeared, dressed in white, standing beside them.

¹¹ “Galileans,” they said, “why are you standing here staring into heaven? This Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you saw him go into heaven.”

¹² Then they went back to Jerusalem from the hill called the Mount of Olives, which is close to Jerusalem, about the distance you could travel on a sabbath. ¹³ They then entered the city (“they” here means Peter, John, James, Andrew, Philip, Thomas, Bartholomew, Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus, Simon the zealot, and Judas the son of James) and went to the upstairs room where they were staying. ¹⁴ They all gave themselves single-heartedly to prayer, with the women, including Mary, Jesus’ mother, and his brothers.

Restoring the Twelve

¹⁵ Around that time Peter stood up in the middle of the gathering, which by this stage numbered about a hundred and twenty.

¹⁶ “My dear family,” he said, “the holy spirit spoke long ago, through the mouth of David, about Judas, who became a guide to the people who arrested Jesus. There it is in the Bible, and it had to come true. ¹⁷ He was counted along with us, and he had his own share in the work we’ve been given.”

(¹⁸ Judas, you see, had bought a field with the money his wickedness had brought him, where he fell headlong and burst open, with all his innards gushing out. ¹⁹ This became known to everyone who lived in Jerusalem, so that the field was called, in their local language, “Akeldamach,” which means “Blood-place.”)

²⁰ “For this is what it says in the book of Psalms:

and again,

²¹ “So this is what has to be done. There are plenty of people who have gone about with us all the time that our master Jesus was coming and going among us, ²² starting from John’s baptism until the day he was taken from us. Let one of them be chosen to be alongside us as a special witness of his resurrection.”

²³ So they chose two: Joseph who was called Barsabbas, with the surname Justus, and Matthias.

²⁴ “Lord,” they prayed, “you know the hearts of all people. Show us which one of these two you have chosen ²⁵ to receive this particular place of service and apostleship, from which Judas went away to go to his own place.”

²⁶ So they cast lots for them. The lot fell on Matthias, and he was enrolled along with the eleven apostles.

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.”