Things to Come

1As He was going out of the temple, one of His disciples *said to Him, “Teacher, look! [a]What wonderful stones and [b]what wonderful buildings!” 2And Jesus said to him, “Do you see these great buildings? Not one stone will be left upon another, which will not be torn down.”

3As He was sitting on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter, [c]James, John, and Andrew were questioning Him privately, 4“Tell us, when will these things come about, and what will be the [d]sign when all these things are going to be fulfilled?” 5And Jesus began to say to them, “See to it that no one misleads you. 6Many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am He!’ and they will mislead many. 7When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed; those things must take place; but that is not yet the end. 8For nation will rise up against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; there will be earthquakes in various places; there will also be famines. These things are only the beginning of birth pains.

9“But [e]be on your guard; for they will hand you over to the [f]courts, and you will be flogged in the synagogues, and you will stand before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them. 10And the gospel must first be preached to all the nations. 11And when they [g]arrest you and hand you over, do not worry beforehand about what you are to say, but say whatever is given you at that time; for you are not the ones speaking, but it is the Holy Spirit. 12And brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents and [h]have them put to death. 13And you will be hated by everyone because of My name, but it is the one who has endured to the end who will be saved.

14“Now when you see the ABOMINATION OF DESOLATION standing where it should not be—[i]let the [j]reader understand—then those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains. 15[k]Whoever is on the [l]housetop must not go down, nor go in to get anything out of his house. 16And [m]whoever is in the field must not turn back to get his cloak. 17But woe to those women who are pregnant, and to those who are nursing babies in those days! 18Moreover, pray that it will not happen in winter. 19For those days will be such a time of tribulation as has not occurred since the beginning of the creation which God created until now, and never will again. 20And if the Lord had not shortened those days, no [n]life would have been saved; but for the sake of the [o]elect, whom He chose, He shortened the days. 21And then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the [p]Christ’; or, ‘Look, there He is’; do not believe it; 22for false christs and false prophets will arise, and will provide signs and wonders, in order to mislead, if possible, the elect. 23But beware; I have told you everything in advance.

The Return of Christ

24“But in those days, after that tribulation, THE SUN WILL BE DARKENED AND THE MOON WILL NOT GIVE ITS LIGHT, 25AND THE STARS WILL BE FALLING from heaven, and the powers that are in the heavens will be shaken. 26And then they will see THE SON OF MAN COMING IN CLOUDS with great power and glory. 27And then He will send forth the angels, and will gather together His [q]elect from the four winds, from the end of the earth to the end of heaven.

28“Now learn the parable from the fig tree: as soon as its branch has become tender and sprouts its leaves, you know that summer is near. 29So you too, when you see these things happening, [r]recognize that [s]He is near, right at the [t]door. 30Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. 31Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away. 32But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone.

33“Watch out, stay alert; for you do not know when the appointed time is. 34It is like a man away on a journey, who upon leaving his house and [u]putting his slaves in charge, assigning to each one his task, also commanded the doorkeeper to stay alert. 35Therefore, stay alert—for you do not know when the [v]master of the house is coming, whether in the evening, at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or in the morning— 36so that he does not come suddenly and find you asleep. 37What I say to you I say to all: ‘Stay alert!’”

[a] 1 Or How great the
[b] 1 Or How great the
[c] 3 Or Jacob
[d] 4 I.e., confirming miracle
[e] 9 Lit look to yourselves
[f] 9 Or Sanhedrin; or Council
[g] 11 Lit lead
[h] 12 Lit put them to death
[i] 14 Or the reader is to understand
[j] 14 I.e., of the book of Daniel
[k] 15 Lit The one who
[l] 15 Housetops were flat living areas
[m] 16 Lit The one who
[n] 20 Lit flesh
[o] 20 Or chosen ones
[p] 21 I.e., Messiah
[q] 27 Or chosen ones
[r] 29 Or know
[s] 29 Or it
[t] 29 Lit doors
[u] 34 Lit giving the authority to
[v] 35 Or lord