Destruction of the Temple Predicted

1As Jesus left and was going out of the •temple complex,a His disciplesb came up and called His attention to the temple buildings. 2Then He replied to them, “Don’t you see all these things? •I assure you: 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 Olives, the disciples approached Him privately and said, “Tell us, when will these things happen? And what is the sign of Your coming and of the end of the age? ”c

4Then Jesus replied to them: “Watch out that no one deceivesd you. 5For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the •Messiah,’ and they will deceive many.e 6You are going to hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, because these things must take place, but the end is not yet. 7For nation will rise up against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be faminesf,g and earthquakes in various places.h 8All these events are the beginning of birth pains.i

Persecutions Predicted

9“Then they will hand you over for persecution,j and they will kill you. You will be hated by all nations because of My name.k 10Then many will •take offense, betray one another and hate one another. 11Many false prophetsl will rise up and deceive many. 12Because lawlessnessm will multiply, the love of many will grow cold. 13But the one who endures to the end will be delivered.n 14This good news of the kingdom will be proclaimed in all the worldo as a testimony to all nations.p And then the end will come.q

The Great Tribulation

15“So when you see the abomination that causes desolation,r,s spoken of by the prophet Daniel,t standing in the holy place”u (let the reader understandv), 16“then those in Judea must flee to the mountains! 17A man on the housetopw must not come down to get things out of his house.x 18And a man in the field must not go back to get his clothes. 19Woe to pregnant women and nursing mothers in those days! 20Pray that your escape may not be in winter or on a Sabbath. 21For at that time there will be great tribulation,y the kind that hasn’t taken place from the beginning of the world until now and never will again! 22Unless those days were limited, no one wouldz survive.aa But those days will be limited because of the elect.ab

23“If anyone tells you then, ‘Look, here is the Messiah! ’ac or, ‘Over here! ’ do not believe it!ad 24False messiahsae and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders to lead astray,af if possible, even the elect. 25Take note: I have told you in advance. 26So if they tell you, ‘Look, He’s in the wilderness! ’ don’t go out; ‘Look, He’s in the inner rooms! ’ do not believe it. 27For as the lightning comes from the east and flashes as far as the west, so will be the coming of the •Son of Man.ag 28Wherever the carcass is, there the vulturesah will gather.ai

The Coming of the Son of Man

29“Immediately after the tribulationaj of those days:

The sun will be darkened,

and the moon will not shed its light;

the stars will fall from the sky,

and the celestial powers will be shaken.

30“Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the peoples of the earthak will mourn;al and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.am 31He will send out His angels with a loud trumpet,an and they will gather His elect from the four winds,ao from one end of the sky to the other.

The Parable of the Fig Tree

32“Now learn this parableap from the fig tree: As soon as its branch becomes tender and sprouts leaves, you know that summer is near. 33In the same way, when you see all these things, recognizeaq that Hear is near — at the door!as 34I assure you: This generation will certainly not pass away until all these things take place.at 35Heaven and earth will pass away,au but My words will never pass away.av

No One Knows the Day or Hour

36“Now concerning that day and hour no one knows — neither the angels in heaven, nor the Sonaw — except the Father only.ax 37As the days of Noah were, so the coming of the Son of Man will be. 38For in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day Noah boarded the ark.ay 39They didn’t knowaz until the flood came and swept them all away. So this is the way the coming of the Son of Man will be: 40Then two men will be in the field: one will be taken and one left. 41Two women will be grinding at the mill: one will be taken and one left.ba 42Therefore be alert, since you don’t know what daybb your Lord is coming.bc 43But know this: If the homeowner had known what timebd the thief was coming, he would have stayed alert and not let his house be broken into.be 44This is why you also must be ready, because the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.bf

Faithful Service to the Messiah

45“Who then is a faithful and sensible •slave,bg whom his master has put in charge of his household, to give them food at the proper time?bh 46That slave whose master finds him workingbi when he comes will be rewarded. 47I assure you: He will put him in charge of all his possessions. 48But if that wicked slave says in his heart, ‘My master is delayed,’ 49and starts to beat his fellow slaves, and eats and drinks with drunkards,bj 50that slave’s master will come on a day he does not expect and at an hour he does not know. 51He will cut him to piecesbk and assign him a place with the hypocrites. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.