Jesus Predicts the Destruction of the Temple

(Mark 13:1-2; Luke 21:5-6)

1As Jesus left the Temple and was walking away, his disciples came up to him to point out to him the Temple buildings. 2But he told them, “You see all these things, don’t you? I tell all of youa with certainty, there isn’t a single stone here that will be left standing on top of another. They will all be torn down.”

Cults, Revolutions, Famines, and Earthquakes

(Mark 13:3-13; Luke 21:7-19)

3While Jesusb was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately and said, “Tell us, when will these things take place, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?”

4Jesus answered them, “See to it that no one deceives you, 5because many will come in my name and say, ‘I’m the Messiah,’c and they will deceive many people. 6You’ll hear of wars and rumors of wars. See to it that you aren’t alarmed. These things must take place, but the end hasn’t come yet, 7because nation will rise up in arms against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. 8But all these things are only the beginning of the birth pains.”

Future Persecution, Apostasy, and Evangelism

(Mark 13:9-13; Luke 21:12-19)

9“Then they’ll hand you over to sufferd and will kill you, and you’ll be hated by all the nationse because of my name. 10Then many people will fall away, will betray one another, and will hate one another. 11Many false prophets will appear and deceive many people, 12and because lawlessness will increase, the love of many people will grow cold. 13But the person who endures to the end will be saved. 14And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the world as a testimony to all nations,f and then the end will come.”

Signs of the End

(Mark 13:14-23; Luke 21:20-24)

15“So when you see the destructive desecration, mentioned by the prophet Daniel, standing in the Holy Place (let the reader take note),g 16then those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains. 17Anyone who’s on the housetop must not come down to get what is in his house, 18and anyone who’s in the field must not turn back to get his coat.

19“How terrible it will be for women who are pregnant or who are nursing babies in those days! 20Pray that it may not be in winter or on a Sabbath when you flee, 21because at that time there will be great suffering,h the kind that hasn’t happened from the beginning of the world until now and certainly won’t ever happen again. 22If those days hadn’t been limited, no onei would survive. But for the sake of the elect, those days will be limited.

23“At that time, if anyone says to you, ‘Look! Here’s the Messiah!’j or ‘There he is!’, don’t believe it, 24because false messiahsk and false prophets will appear and display great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. 25Remember, I’ve told you this beforehand. 26So if they say to you, ‘Look! He’s in the wilderness,’ don’t go out looking for him.l And if they say, ‘Look! He’s in the storeroom,’ don’t believe it, 27because just as the lightning comes from the east and flashes as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 28Wherever there’s a corpse, there the vulturesm will gather.

The Coming of the Son of Man

(Mark 13:24-27; Luke 21:25-28)

29“Immediately after the troublesn of those days,

‘The sun will be darkened,

the moon will not give its light,

the stars will fall from the sky,

and the powers of heaven will be shaken loose.’o

30Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all ‘the tribes of the landp will mourn’q when they see ‘the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven’r with power and great glory. 31He’ll send out his angels with a loud trumpet blast, and they’ll gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to another.”

The Lesson from the Fig Tree

(Mark 13:28-31; Luke 21:29-33)

32“Now learn a lessons from the fig tree. When its branches become tender and it produces leaves, you know that summer is near. 33In the same way, when you see all these things, you’ll know that the Son of Mant is near, right at the door. 34I tell all of youu with certainty, this generation won’t disappear until these things happen. 35Heaven and earth will disappear, but my words will never disappear.”

The Unknown Day and Hour of Messiah’s Return

(Mark 13:32-37; Luke 17:20-36)

36“No one knows when that day or hour will comev —not the angels in heaven, nor the Son,w but only the Father, 37because just as it was in the days of Noah, so it will be when the Son of Man comes. 38In those days before the flood, peoplex were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage right up to the day when Noah went into the ark. 39They were unaware of what was happeningy until the flood came and swept all of them away. That’s how it will be when the Son of Man comes. 40At that time, two people will be in the field. One will be taken, and one will be left behind. 41Two women will be grinding grainz at the mill. One will be taken, and one will be left behind.

42“So keep on watching, because you don’t know on what day your Lord is coming. 43But be sure of this: if the owner of the house had known when duringaa the night the thief would be coming, he would have stayed awake and not allowed his house to be broken into. 44So you, too, must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour you are not expecting him.”

The Faithful or the Wicked Servant

(Luke 12:42-48)

45“Who, then, is the faithful and wise servant whom his master has put in charge of his household to give the othersbb their food at the right time? 46How blessed is that servant whom his master finds doing this when he comes! 47I tell all of youcc with certainty, he will put him in charge of all his property.

48“But if that wicked servant says to himself,dd ‘My master has been delayed,’ 49and begins to beat his fellow servants and eat and drink with the drunks, 50that servant’s master will come on a day when he doesn’t expect him and at an hour that he doesn’t know. 51Then his masteree will punish him severelyff and assign him a place with the hypocrites. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”gg