This Bible reading plan takes you through most of the Holy Scriptures each weekday of the year. Each day has three Bible readings:
You're welcome to read one, two, or all three of the readings every weekday. And if you fall behind, don't worry! You can either use the weekends to catch up or you can simply dive in to the reading for that day, even if you've missed a few days, weeks, or even months!
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24:1 Jesus left the temple and was going away, when his disciples came to point out to him the buildings of the temple. 2 But he answered them, “You see all these, do you not? Truly, I say to you, there will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.”
3 As he sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?” 4 And Jesus answered them, “See that no one leads you astray. 5 For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and they will lead many astray. 6 And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet. 7 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. 8 All these are but the beginning of the birth pains.
9 “Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for my name’s sake. 10 And then many will fall away1 and betray one another and hate one another. 11 And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. 12 And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. 13 But the one who endures to the end will be saved. 14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.
15 “So when you see the abomination of desolation spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand), 16 then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. 17 Let the one who is on the housetop not go down to take what is in his house, 18 and let the one who is in the field not turn back to take his cloak. 19 And alas for women who are pregnant and for those who are nursing infants in those days! 20 Pray that your flight may not be in winter or on a Sabbath. 21 For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be. 22 And if those days had not been cut short, no human being would be saved. But for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short. 23 Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There he is!’ do not believe it. 24 For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect. 25 See, I have told you beforehand. 26 So, if they say to you, ‘Look, he is in the wilderness,’ do not go out. If they say, ‘Look, he is in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it. 27 For as the lightning comes from the east and shines as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 28 Wherever the corpse is, there the vultures will gather.
29 “Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 30 Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. 31 And he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.
32 “From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts out its leaves, you know that summer is near. 33 So also, when you see all these things, you know that he is near, at the very gates. 34 Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. 35 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.
36 “But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son,2 but the Father only. 37 For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 38 For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, 39 and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 40 Then two men will be in the field; one will be taken and one left. 41 Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one left. 42 Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. 43 But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. 44 Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.
45 “Who then is the faithful and wise servant,3 whom his master has set over his household, to give them their food at the proper time? 46 Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes. 47 Truly, I say to you, he will set him over all his possessions. 48 But if that wicked servant says to himself, ‘My master is delayed,’ 49 and begins to beat his fellow servants4 and eats and drinks with drunkards, 50 the master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know 51 and will cut him in pieces and put him with the hypocrites. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
[1] 24:10
[2] 24:36
[3] 24:45
[4] 24:49
(ESV)
It was not a pleasant experience. At the tender age of nine, my mother left me home alone for the first time. She had a couple of errands to run and figured now would be as good a time as any to teach me some independence. After all, she was only going to be gone for half an hour. I, however, was mortified at the prospect of having to spend a full thirty minutes alone in our big, creaky, creepy house. Nevertheless, my mother drove off and left me behind. I immediately dashed into my room and shut the door, petrified by the thought of burglars, which I was certain were lurking right outside the front door. Fifteen minutes passed. Then twenty. Then twenty-five. Then thirty minutes. And mom wasn't home yet! Finally, after a full thirty-four minutes, I couldn't take it anymore. I emerged from my room, dashed to the kitchen, and called my dad at work. "Dad," I said misty-eyed, "Mom said she was going to be gone half an hour and she's already been gone thirty-four minutes!" My mother came home three minutes later.
Although at age nine I was already having preteen moments of rebellion, trying to assert my independence, I still was not ready to be too independent. I still wanted to have someone around to protect me at all times. I still did not want to be left behind by my mother.
My sentiment as a child echoes the sentiment of many when it comes to the way the end times are talked about in popular Christian movies and literature. On the final day of 1995, a novel by Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins hit bookshelves everywhere and changed the way millions viewed that last days of history. The novel's title was Left Behind. The plot line tracks the life of an airplane pilot and his family after they are "left behind" following a rapture of the faithful. The moral of the story is self-evident: The end of history will be a dark, scary, tumultuous time. You don't want to live through it. So make sure you believe in Jesus and don't get left behind.
This may come as a shock to many, especially in light of my reticence even to be left behind at home by my mother as a child, but I actually want to be left behind. Not in the way that Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins talk about it, but in the way that our text for today from Matthew 24 talks about it. Jesus says, "As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left" (verses 37-41).
These words from Jesus are often marshaled to teach a rapture near the end of time. There will be groups of people, the doctrine goes, and some will be taken to be with the Lord, while others will be "left behind" to suffer the pain and misery and agony of the earth's final days.
Now, before you accuse me of losing my mind, wanting to endure such misery, it is first worth asking, "Is this what Jesus actually teaches here? Does Jesus really teach a rapture where some are taken to be with him while others are left behind?" Notice the analogy that Jesus draws in these verses. He begins with the days of Noah. He says in verse 39 that a "flood came and took them all away." In other words, in Jesus' analogy, it is bad to be "taken away." Because being "taken away" means suffering judgment and death. Conversely, then, it is good to be "left behind." Because being "left behind" means surviving judgment thanks to God's strong salvation. Thus, when Jesus speaks of two people, one being taken while the other is left behind, he wants us to be the ones who are left behind! Because being "left behind" means being "left behind" with Jesus! Indeed, this is the tone that Jesus sets from the very beginning of this chapter: "See that no one leads you astray. For many will come in my name, saying, 'I am the Christ,' and they will lead many astray" (verses 4-5). Jesus says, "Don't get led astray and taken away by all the false christs and false doctrines and false messiahs out there. Instead, stay behind with me! For I am your only hope for salvation." Peter reminds us likewise: "Be on guard so that you will not be carried away by the errors of these wicked people and lose your own secure footing" (2 Peter 3:17).
So today, declare your intention to be "left behind." Not as a result of some rapture where you have to suffer some terrible tribulation, but declare your intention to be left behind from the leadings of sin, lies, and wickedness. For when those leave you behind, you are left standing with Jesus. And he's a guy I'm happy to be left behind with any day.
6 “Flee from the midst of Babylon;
let every one save his life!
Be not cut off in her punishment,
for this is the time of the LORD’s vengeance,
the repayment he is rendering her.
7 Babylon was a golden cup in the LORD’s hand,
making all the earth drunken;
the nations drank of her wine;
therefore the nations went mad.
8 Suddenly Babylon has fallen and been broken;
wail for her!
Take balm for her pain;
perhaps she may be healed.
9 We would have healed Babylon,
but she was not healed.
Forsake her, and let us go
each to his own country,
for her judgment has reached up to heaven
and has been lifted up even to the skies.
10 The LORD has brought about our vindication;
come, let us declare in Zion
the work of the LORD our God.
11 “Sharpen the arrows!
Take up the shields!
The LORD has stirred up the spirit of the kings of the Medes, because his purpose concerning Babylon is to destroy it, for that is the vengeance of the LORD, the vengeance for his temple.
12 “Set up a standard against the walls of Babylon;
make the watch strong;
set up watchmen;
prepare the ambushes;
for the LORD has both planned and done
what he spoke concerning the inhabitants of Babylon.
13 O you who dwell by many waters,
rich in treasures,
your end has come;
the thread of your life is cut.
14 The LORD of hosts has sworn by himself:
Surely I will fill you with men, as many as locusts,
and they shall raise the shout of victory over you.
15 “It is he who made the earth by his power,
who established the world by his wisdom,
and by his understanding stretched out the heavens.
16 When he utters his voice there is a tumult of waters in the heavens,
and he makes the mist rise from the ends of the earth.
He makes lightning for the rain,
and he brings forth the wind from his storehouses.
17 Every man is stupid and without knowledge;
every goldsmith is put to shame by his idols,
for his images are false,
and there is no breath in them.
18 They are worthless, a work of delusion;
at the time of their punishment they shall perish.
19 Not like these is he who is the portion of Jacob,
for he is the one who formed all things,
and Israel is the tribe of his inheritance;
the LORD of hosts is his name.
20 “You are my hammer and weapon of war:
with you I break nations in pieces;
with you I destroy kingdoms;
21 with you I break in pieces the horse and his rider;
with you I break in pieces the chariot and the charioteer;
22 with you I break in pieces man and woman;
with you I break in pieces the old man and the youth;
with you I break in pieces the young man and the young woman;
23 with you I break in pieces the shepherd and his flock;
with you I break in pieces the farmer and his team;
with you I break in pieces governors and commanders.
24 “I will repay Babylon and all the inhabitants of Chaldea before your very eyes for all the evil that they have done in Zion, declares the LORD.
25 “Behold, I am against you, O destroying mountain,
declares the LORD,
which destroys the whole earth;
I will stretch out my hand against you,
and roll you down from the crags,
and make you a burnt mountain.
26 No stone shall be taken from you for a corner
and no stone for a foundation,
but you shall be a perpetual waste,
declares the LORD.
(ESV)
God spoke to the exiles telling them that when the time would come for God's judgment on Babylon to be carried out, that they should flee. Babylon was described as a golden cup in the LORD's hand, golden because of it's strength and splendor, but even as God caused the nations to drink from the golden cup of Babylon, now God was going to make Babylon taste His wrath. The voice of the exiles replied: "The Lord has brought about our vindication; come, let us declare in Zion the work of the Lord our God." God's vengeance on Babylon would come in the form the kings of the Medes. How is it that God can raise up a nation like the Babylonians and then, bring them down at the hands of a successor empire? How is it that a nation can be God's servant at one moment, and be the recipient of His righteous judgment in the next? The reason is that: "It is he who made the earth by his power, who established the world by his wisdom, and by his understanding stretched out the heavens. God is LORD over all creation. He uses the nations for His purposes. Those who fail to recognize the difference between the one true God and the idols created by a craftsman are "stupid" and "without knowledge." No one is like the God of Jacob. Babylon may have been God's hammer, but now the one who shattered kingdoms and commanders would soon be repaid for the evil they did in Zion. Babylon, the "destroying mountain" would become a heap of rubble, a perpetual wasteland, by God's decree. The irony of the poetry in this word of judgment is stark and powerful.
97:1 The LORD reigns, let the earth rejoice;
let the many coastlands be glad!
2 Clouds and thick darkness are all around him;
righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne.
3 Fire goes before him
and burns up his adversaries all around.
4 His lightnings light up the world;
the earth sees and trembles.
5 The mountains melt like wax before the LORD,
before the Lord of all the earth.
6 The heavens proclaim his righteousness,
and all the peoples see his glory.
7 All worshipers of images are put to shame,
who make their boast in worthless idols;
worship him, all you gods!
8 Zion hears and is glad,
and the daughters of Judah rejoice,
because of your judgments, O LORD.
9 For you, O LORD, are most high over all the earth;
you are exalted far above all gods.
10 O you who love the LORD, hate evil!
He preserves the lives of his saints;
he delivers them from the hand of the wicked.
11 Light is sown1 for the righteous,
and joy for the upright in heart.
12 Rejoice in the LORD, O you righteous,
and give thanks to his holy name!
[1] 97:11
(ESV)