Translation
Paraphrase
Pay attention and watch out! There is a reason why I am telling you this before it happens.
Footnotes
1
This is the word the King James always translates as “behold.” It means “Look!” and it was used in three ways, to show amazement, to get someone’s attention or to issue a warning. In this case it is part of a warning.
2
Expect hard times. Expect deception. Don’t be fooled. Don’t be led astray. Keep your focus on the right things so you do not compromise your faith.
The fact that Jesus follows His prediction with this kind of a warning tells me that the followers of Jesus have a role to play, we have to do our part against deception; we cannot simply rely on being part of the “chosen ones” as if that means we will be protected from such deceptions and there is no possibility of us falling for it. I believe that God does His part, but we must do our part. God offers us help in many ways so we can avoid yielding to temptation or deceit, but we have choices we must make. God does not do our part for us.