44 Then I answered, “If I’ve found favour in your sight, and if it’s possible, and if I’m worthy, 45 show me this also, whether there’s more to come than is past, or whether the greater part has gone over us. 46 Because what’s gone I know, but I don’t know what’s to come.”

47 He said to me, “Stand up on my right side, and I’ll explain the parable to you.”

48 So I stood, looked, and saw a hot burning oven passed by before me. It happened that when the flame had gone by I looked, and saw that the smoke remained. 49 After this, a watery cloud passed in front of me, and sent down much rain with a storm. When the stormy rain was past, the drops still remained in it.”

50 Then he said to me, “Consider with yourself; as the rain is more than the drops, and the fire is greater than the smoke, so the quantity which is past was far greater; but the drops and the smoke still remained.”

51 Then I prayed, and said, “Do you think that I’ll live until that time? Or who’ll be alive in those days?”

52 He answered me, “As for the signs you asked me about, I may tell you of them in part; but I wasn’t sent to tell you about your life, for I don’t know.