Destruction of the Temple Predicted

1Asa He was going out of the •temple complex,b one of His disciples said to Him, “Teacher,c look! What massive stones! What impressive buildings! ”d

2Jesus said to him, “Do you see these great buildings?e Not one stone will be left here on another that will not be thrown down! ”

Signs of the End of the Age

3While He was sitting on the •Mount of Olivesf across from the temple complex,g Peter,h James,i John,j and Andrewk asked Him privately, 4“Tell us, when will these things happen? And what will be the sign when all these things are about to take place? ”

5Then Jesus began by telling them: “Watch out that no one deceives you. 6Many will come in My name,l saying, ‘I am He,’m and they will deceiven many. 7When you hear of wars and rumors of wars,o don’t be alarmed;p these things must take place,q but the end is not yet. 8For nation will rise up against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.r There will be earthquakes in various places, and famines.s These are the beginningt of birth pains.u

Persecutions Predicted

9“But you, be on your guard! They will hand you over to sanhedrins,v,w and you will be floggedx in the •synagogues.y You will stand before governors and kingsz because of Me,aa as a witnessab to them.ac 10And the good newsad,ae must first be proclaimed to all nations. 11So when they arrest you and hand you over, don’t worry beforehand what you will say. On the contrary, whatever is given to you in that hour — say it. For it isn’t you speaking, but the Holy Spirit. 12Then brother will betrayaf brother to death,ag and a father his child. Children will rise up against parents and put them to death. 13And you will be hated by everyone because of My name.ah But the one who endures to the end will be delivered.ai,aj

The Great Tribulation

14“When you see the abomination that causes desolationak,al standing where it should not” (let the reader understandam), “then those in Judeaan must flee to the mountains! 15A man on the housetop must not come down or go in to get anything out of his house.ao 16And a man in the field must not go back to get his clothes.ap 17Woeaq to pregnant women and nursing mothers in those days! 18Prayar itas won’t happen in winter. 19For those will be days of tribulation,at the kind that hasn’t been from the beginningau of the world,av,aw which God created, until now and never will be again! 20Unless the Lordax limited those days,ay no one would survive.az But He limited those days because of the elect,ba whom He chose.bb

21“Then if anyone tells you, ‘Look, here is the •Messiah!bc Look — there! ’ do not believe it! 22For false messiahsbd and false prophets will rise up and will perform signs and wondersbe to lead astray, if possible, the elect. 23And you must watch! I have told you everything in advance.

The Coming of the Son of Man

24“But in those days, after that tribulation:bf

The sun will be darkened,

and the moon will not shed its light;

25the starsbg will be falling from the sky,

and the celestial powers will be shaken.bh

26Then they will see the •Son of Manbi comingbj in cloudsbk with great powerbl and glory.bm 27He will send out the angelsbn and gather His electbo from the four winds, from the end of the earth to the end of the sky.bp

The Parable of the Fig Tree

28“Learnbq this parablebr from the figbs tree: As soon as its branch becomes tender and sprouts leaves, you know that summer is near.bt 29In the same way, when you see these things happening, knowbu that Hebv is near — at the door! 30•I assure you:bw This generation will certainly not pass away until all these things take place. 31Heaven and earthbx will pass away,by but My words will never pass away.bz

No One Knows the Day or Hour

32“Now concerning that dayca or hour no one knows — neither the angelscb in heaven nor the Soncc — except the Father.cd 33Watch! Be alert!ce For you don’t know when the timecf is coming.cg 34It is likech a man on a journey, who left his house, gave authority to his •slaves,ci gave each one his work, and commanded the doorkeeper to be alert. 35Therefore be alert,cj since you don’t know when the masterck of the house is coming — whether in the evening or at midnight or at the crowing of the rooster or early in the morning. 36Otherwise, he might come suddenly and find you sleeping.cl 37And what I say to you, I say to everyone: Be alert! ”