²³ “At that time, if anyone says to you, ‘Look here! The Messiah!’^[a] or ‘There he is!’,^[b] don’t believe it, ²⁴ because false messiahs^[c] and false prophets will have arisen and will produce great signs and startling demonstrations so as to deceive, if possible, even the elect. ²⁵ Remember, I’ve told you beforehand. ²⁶ So if they say to you, ‘Look! He’s in the wilderness,’ don’t go out looking for him.^[d] And if they say, ‘Look! He’s in the storeroom,’ don’t believe it, ²⁷ because just as the lightning comes from the east and flashes as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. ²⁸ Wherever there’s a corpse, there the vultures^[e] will gather.

The Unknown Day and Hour of Messiah’s Return^(A)

³⁶ “No one knows when that day and hour will come^[a]—neither the heavenly angels nor the Son,^[b] but only the Father, ³⁷ because just as it was in Noah’s time, so it will be when the Son of Man comes. ³⁸ In those days before the flood, people^[c] were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage right up to the day when Noah went into the ark. ³⁹ They were unaware of what was happening^[d] until the flood came and swept all of them away. That’s how it will be when the Son of Man appears. ⁴⁰ At that time, two people will be in the field. One will be taken, and one will be left behind. ⁴¹ Two women will be grinding grain^[e] at the mill. One will be taken, and one will be left behind.