Jesus Foretells Destruction of the Temple
1
1And as he came out of the temple, one of his disciples said to him, "Look, Teacher, what wonderful stones and what wonderful buildings!"
2
And Jesus said to him, "Do you see these great buildings? 2There will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down."
Signs of the Close of the Age
3
And as he sat on 3the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, 4Peter and James and John and 5Andrew asked him 6privately,
4
"Tell us, 7when will these things be, and what will be the sign when all these things are about to be accomplished?"
5
And Jesus began to say to them, 8"See that no one leads you astray.
7
And when you hear of wars and rumors of wars, 11do not be alarmed. This 12must take place, but the end is not yet.
8
For 13nation will rise against nation, and 14kingdom against kingdom. There will be 15earthquakes in various places; there will be 16famines. These are but the beginning of the birth pains.
9
17"But 18be on your guard. For they will deliver you over to councils, and you will be beaten 19in synagogues, and you will stand before 20governors and 21kings for my sake, 22to bear witness before them.
10
And the gospel must first be proclaimed 23to all nations.
11
And when they bring you to trial and deliver you over, 24do not be anxious beforehand what you are to say, but say 25whatever is given you in that hour, 26for it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit.
12
27And brother will deliver brother over to death, and the father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death.
13
28And you will be hated by all for my name's sake. 29But the one who endures to the end will be saved.
The Abomination of Desolation
14
"But when you see 30the abomination of desolation standing where he ought not to be (31let the reader understand), then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.
16
and let the one who is in the field not turn back to take his cloak.
17
And 34alas for women who are pregnant and for those who are nursing infants in those days!
18
Pray that it may not happen in winter.
19
For in those days there will be 35such 36tribulation as has not been 37from the beginning of the creation that 38God created until now, and never will be.
20
And if the Lord had not cut short the days, no human being would be saved. But for 39the sake of the elect, whom 40he chose, he shortened the days.
21
And 41then if anyone says to you, 'Look, here is the Christ!' or 'Look, there he is!' do not believe it.
22
42For false christs and false prophets will arise and 43perform signs and wonders, 44to lead astray, if possible, 45the elect.
The Coming of the Son of Man
24
"But in those days, after 48that tribulation, 49the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light,
25
and 50the stars will be falling from heaven, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken.
27
And then 53he will send out the angels and 54gather 55his elect from 56the four winds, from 57the ends of the earth 58to the ends of heaven.
The Lesson of the Fig Tree
28
"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.
29
So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that he is near, 59at the very gates.
30
60Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place.
No One Knows That Day or Hour
32
"But concerning that day or that hour, 63no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, 64nor the Son, 65but only the Father.
34
68It is like a man 69going on a journey, when he leaves home and puts his servantsb in charge, 70each with his work, and commands 71the doorkeeper to stay awake.
35
72Therefore stay awake--for you do not know when the master of the house will come, 73in the evening, or 74at midnight, or 75when the rooster crows,c or 76in the morning--
37
And what I say to you I say to all: 79Stay awake."
The English Standard Version is published with the permission of Good News Publishers.
(English Standard Version - The Holy Bible Online)