20. Pray that it will not be winter or a Sabbath day when these things happen and you have to run away,
21. because it will be a time of great trouble. There will be more trouble than has ever happened since the beginning of the world. And nothing as bad as that will ever happen again.
22. “But God has decided to make that terrible time short. If it were not made short, no one would continue living. But God will make that time short to help the people he has chosen.
23. “Someone might say to you at that time, ‘Look, there is the Messiah!’ Or someone else might say, ‘There he is!’ But don’t believe them.
24. False messiahs and false prophets will come and do great miracles and wonders, trying to fool the people God has chosen, if that is possible.
25. Now I have warned you about this before it happens.
26. “Someone might tell you, ‘The Messiah is there in the desert!’ But don’t go into the desert to look for him. Someone else might say, ‘There is the Messiah in that room!’ But don’t believe it.
27. When the Son of Man comes, everyone will see him. It will be like lightning flashing in the sky that can be seen everywhere.