The end times
1 As he left the temple compound, one of his disciples remarked, “Teacher, look! Such stones, such buildings!”
2 “See these magnificent buildings?” Jesus asked. “Not one stone will be left on another; they will all be demolished.”
3 And when he sat down on the Mount of Olives facing the temple compound, Peter, James, John, and Andrew asked him about this privately: 4 “When will this take place, and what sign will indicate that it’s all about to happen?”
5 Then Jesus began to tell them: “Beware, so you are not deceived! 6 Many will come in my name and say, ‘I am the one!’ and they will deceive many people. 7 But when you hear about battles near and far, don’t be alarmed; these things must happen but it is not yet the end. 8 For nation will rise up against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; there will be earthquakes in various places; there will be famine. These are just the beginning of labor pains.
9 “Watch out! They will hand you over to face councils and you will be beaten in synagogues. You will stand before governors and kings on my account, as a testimony to them. 10 But first the good news must be proclaimed in all the nations. 11 And when they hand you over, don’t worry about what you will say, because the words will be given to you at that moment; it won’t be you talking but the Holy Spirit.
12 ”Siblings will hand each other over to be executed; fathers will hand over their own children to die, and children will do the same to their own parents. 13 Everyone will despise you on my account, but the one who endures to the end will be saved.
14 “Whenever you see ’the disgusting thing that completely ruins’ standing where it shouldn’t (let the one reading this to others make sure this is clear!), then those in Judea must run away into the mountains; 15 those on housetops must not go down into the houses to get anything out of them; 16 those out in the fields must not turn back to get their clothing. 17 But woe to those who are pregnant or nursing in those days! 18 And pray that this will not happen in winter.
19 “The suffering of those days will be unlike anything that has happened since God first created the world until now, and will never be again. 19 20 In fact, if the Master didn’t cut those days short, no living thing would survive. But those days will be cut short for the sake of his chosen ones. 21 And if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is Christ!’, don’t believe them. 22 For false anointed ones and false prophets will rise up and perform signs and miracles, to try and lure away the chosen ones— if that were possible. 23 But watch out! I have told you everything ahead of time.
24 “In the days following that suffering, ‘the sun will be darkened and the moon will give no light; 25 the stars will fall out of the sky, and the forces in the heavenly places will be shaken.’ 25 26 Then they will see the Human coming in the clouds with power and majesty. 27 He will send out the angels to gather his chosen ones from every direction, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven.
28 “Now learn a lesson from the fig tree: When its branches have become tender and its leaves begin to sprout, you know that summer is near. 29 Likewise, when you see all these things happening, you know that they are near— right at the door! 30 I tell you truly that this generation will definitely not pass away until all of these things have come to pass. 31 The sky and earth will pass away, but not my words!
Many will be caught by surprise
32 “But no one knows the day or hour; not even the angels in heaven nor the Human, but only the Father. 33 So watch and stay alert, since you don’t know when the time will come. 34 Think of it as when someone leaves home and puts their house under the care of managers, with each one being assigned a particular responsibility, including one to guard the door. 35 So be alert! You don’t know when the owner of the house will come; it may be in the evening, or maybe midnight, or at dawn, or in the morning. 36 Don’t let him come unexpectedly and find you sleeping! 37 What I say to you, I say to everyone: be alert!”
- 19 Daniel 12:1
- 25 Isaiah 10 and 34:4