Matthew 24:18-28

18 if you're out in the field, don't go back and get your coat.
19 Pregnant and nursing mothers will have it especially hard.
20 Hope and pray this won't happen during the winter or on a Sabbath.
21 "This is going to be trouble on a scale beyond what the world has ever seen, or will see again.
22 If these days of trouble were left to run their course, nobody would make it. But on account of God's chosen people, the trouble will be cut short.
23 "If anyone tries to flag you down, calling out, 'Here's the Messiah!' or points, 'There he is!' don't fall for it.
24 Fake Messiahs and lying preachers are going to pop up everywhere. Their impressive credentials and dazzling performances will pull the wool over the eyes of even those who ought to know better.
25 But I've given you fair warning.
26 "So if they say, 'Run to the country and see him arrive!' or, 'Quick, get downtown, see him come!' don't give them the time of day.
27 The Arrival of the Son of Man isn't something you go to see. He comes like swift lightning to you!
28 Whenever you see crowds gathering, think of carrion vultures circling, moving in, hovering over a rotting carcass. You can be quite sure that it's not the living Son of Man pulling in those crowds.
Published by permission. Originally published by NavPress in English as THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright 2002 by Eugene Peterson. All rights reserved.