ERV -Mark 13:24-37

²⁴"During the days after this trouble happens, 'The sun will become dark, and the moon will not give light. ²⁵The stars will fall from the sky, and everything in the sky will be changed.' Isaiah 13:10; 34:4

²⁶"Then people will see the Son of Man* coming in the clouds with power and great glory. ²⁷The Son of Man will send his angels all around the earth. The angels will gather his chosen people from every part of the earth. ²⁸"The fig tree teaches us a lesson: When the fig tree's branches become green and soft, and new leaves begin to grow, then you know that summer is near. ²⁹It is the same with these things that I told you would happen. When you see all these things happening, then you will know that the time* is near, ready to come. ³⁰I tell you the truth. All these things will happen while the people of this time are still living. ³¹The whole world, earth and sky, will be destroyed. But the words I have said will never be destroyed. ³²"No person knows when that day or time will be. The Son and the angels in heaven don't know when that day or time will be. Only the Father knows. ³³Be careful! Always be ready! You don't know when that time will be. ³⁴This is like a man that goes on a trip and leaves his house. The man lets his servants take care of the house. He gives each servant a special job to do. One servant has the work of guarding the door. The man tells this servant to always be ready. This is the same as I am now telling you. ³⁵So you must always be ready. You don't know when the owner of the house will come back. He might come in the afternoon, or at midnight, or in the early morning, or when the sun rises. ³⁶The owner might come back quickly. If you are always ready, then he will not find you sleeping. ³⁷I tell you this, and I say this to every person: 'Be ready!'"

Son of Man A name Jesus used for himself. In Dan. 7:13-14, this is the name for the Messiah, the one God chose to save his people. time The time that Jesus has been talking about when something important will happen. See Lk. 21:31, where Jesus says that this is the time for God's kingdom to come.