Signs of Christ’s Return

1And coming out from the temple, Jesus was going along, and His disciples came up to point out the temple buildings to Him. 2And He answered and said to them, “Do you not see all these things? Truly I say to you, not one stone here will be left upon another, which will not be torn down.”

3Now as He was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things happen, and what will be the sign of Your coming and of the [†]end of the age?”

4And Jesus answered and said to them, “See to it that no one deceives you. 5For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the [†]Christ,’ and will deceive many. 6And you are going to hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for those things must take place, but that is not yet the end. 7For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and in various places there will be famines and earthquakes. 8But all these things are merely the beginning of birth pains.

9“Then they will deliver you to tribulation, and will kill you, and you will be hated by all nations because of My name. 10And at that time many will [†]fall away and will [†]betray one another and hate one another. 11Many false prophets will arise and will deceive many. 12And because lawlessness is multiplied, [†]most people’s love will grow cold. 13But the one who endures to the end, he will be saved. 14And this gospel of the kingdom shall be proclaimed in the whole [†]world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.

Abomination of Desolation and the Tribulation

15“Therefore when you see the ABOMINATION OF DESOLATION which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand), 16then those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains. 17[†]Whoever is on the housetop must not go down to get the things out that are in his house. 18And [†]whoever is in the field must not turn back to get his garment. 19But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! 20But pray that your flight will not be in the winter, or on a Sabbath. 21For then there will be a great tribulation, such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will. 22And unless those days had been cut short, no [†]life would have been saved; but for the sake of the [†]elect those days will be cut short. 23Then if anyone says to you, ‘Behold, here is the [†]Christ,’ or ‘[†]There He is,’ do not believe him. 24For false christs and false prophets will arise and will [†]show great [†]signs and wonders, so as to deceive, if possible, even the [†]elect. 25Behold, I have told you in advance. 26Therefore, if they say to you, ‘Behold, He is in the wilderness,’ do not go out, or, ‘Behold, He is in the inner rooms,’ do not believe them. 27For just as the lightning comes from the east and appears even to the west, so will the coming of the Son of Man be. 28Wherever the corpse is, there the [†]vultures will gather.

The Coming of the Son of Man

29“But immediately after the tribulation of those days THE SUN WILL BE DARKENED, AND THE MOON WILL NOT GIVE ITS LIGHT, AND THE STARS WILL FALL from [†]the sky, and the POWERS OF [†]THE HEAVENS will be shaken. 30And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the SON OF MAN COMING ON THE CLOUDS OF THE SKY with power and great glory. 31And He will send forth His angels with A GREAT TRUMPET and THEY WILL GATHER TOGETHER His [†]elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the [†]other.

The Parable of the Fig Tree

32“Now learn the parable from the fig tree: when its branch has already become tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near; 33so, you too, when you see all these things, [†]recognize that [†]He is near, right at the [†]door. 34Truly I say to you, this [†]generation will not pass away until all these things take place. 35Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away.

36“But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone. 37For just as the days of Noah were, so the coming of the Son of Man will be. 38For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, 39and they did not [†]understand until the flood came and took them all away; so will the coming of the Son of Man be. 40Then there will be two in the field; one [†]will be taken, and one [†]will be left. 41Two women will be grinding grain at the [†]mill; one [†]will be taken and one [†]will be left.

Be Ready for His Coming

42“Therefore stay awake, for you do not know which day your Lord is coming. 43But [†]be sure of this, that if the head of the house had known at what time of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have allowed his house to be [†]broken into. 44For this reason you also must be ready; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not think He will.

45“Who then is the faithful and prudent slave whom his [†]master put in charge of his household to give them their food at the proper time? 46Blessed is that slave whom his [†]master finds so doing when he comes. 47Truly I say to you that he will put him in charge of all his possessions. 48But if that evil slave says in his heart, ‘My [†]master [†]is not coming for a long time,’ 49and begins to beat his fellow slaves and eat and drink with drunkards; 50the [†]master of that slave will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour which he does not know, 51and will [†]cut him in pieces and [†]assign him a place with the hypocrites; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.