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¹ As Jesus[fn] was leaving the temple, one of his disciples said to him, "Look, Teacher, what large stones and what beautiful buildings!"[xr] ² Jesus said to him, "Do you see these large buildings? Not one stone here will be left on another that will not be torn down."[xr] ³ As Jesus[fn] was sitting on the Mount of Olives facing the temple, Peter, James, John, and Andrew were asking him privately, ⁴ "Tell us, when will these things take place, and what will be the sign when these things will be put into effect?"[xr]

⁵ Jesus began to say to them, "See to it that no one deceives you.[xr] ⁶ Many will come in my name and say, 'I am he,' and they will deceive many people. ⁷ But when you hear of wars and rumors of wars, stop being alarmed. These things must take place, but the end hasn't come yet. ⁸ For nation will rise up in arms against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes and famines in various places. These things are only the beginning of the birth pains."[xr] ⁹ "As for yourselves, be on your guard! People[fn] will hand you over to local councils, and you will be beaten in their synagogues. You will stand before governors and kings to testify to them because of me.[xr] ¹⁰ But first, the gospel must be proclaimed to all nations.[fn][xr] ¹¹ "When they take you away and hand you over for trial, don't worry ahead of time about what you will say. Instead, say whatever is given to you in that hour, for it won't be you speaking, but the Holy Spirit.[xr] ¹² Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child. Children will rebel against their parents and have them put to death.[xr] ¹³ You will be hated continuously by everyone because of my name. But the person who endures to the end will be saved."[xr]

¹⁴ "So when you see the destructive desecration standing where it should not be (let the reader take note),[fn] then those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains.[xr] ¹⁵ The person who is on his housetop must not come down and go into his house to take anything out of it, ¹⁶ and the person who is in the field must not turn back to get his coat. ¹⁷ "How terrible it will be for women who are pregnant or who are nursing babies in those days![xr] ¹⁸ Pray that it may not be in winter. ¹⁹ For those days will be a time of suffering,[fn] a kind that has not happened from the beginning of the creation that God made until now and certainly will never happen again.[xr] ²⁰ If the Lord did not limit those days, no one would be saved. But for the sake of the elect whom he has chosen, he has limited those days. ²¹ "At that time, if anyone says to you, 'Look! Here is the Christ!',[fn] or, 'Look! There he is!', don't believe it.[xr] ²² For false christs and false prophets will appear and produce signs and omens to deceive, if possible, the elect. ²³ So be on your guard! I've told you everything before it happens."[xr]

²⁴ "But after the suffering of those days,[xr] 'The sun will be darkened, the moon will not give its light, ²⁵ the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of heaven will be shaken loose.'[fn] ²⁶ Then people[fn] will see 'the Son of Man coming in clouds'[fn] with great power and glory.[xr] ²⁷ He will send out his angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven."

²⁸ "Now learn a lesson[fn] from the fig tree. When its branches become tender and it produces leaves, you know that summer is near.[xr] ²⁹ In the same way, when you see these things taking place, you will know that he is near, right at the door. ³⁰ Truly I tell you, this generation will not disappear until all these things take place. ³¹ Heaven and earth will disappear, but my words will never disappear."[xr] ³² "No one knows when that day or hour will come[fn] - not the angels in heaven, not the Son, but only the Father. ³³ Be careful! Watch out! For you don't know when the time will come.[xr] ³⁴ "It's like a man who went on a trip. As he left home, he put his servants in charge, each with his own work, and he ordered the doorkeeper to be alert.[xr] ³⁵ So keep on watching, because you don't know when the master of the house is coming - whether in the evening, at three o'clock in the morning,[fn] or at dawn.[xr] ³⁶ Otherwise, he may come suddenly and find you asleep. ³⁷ I'm telling you what I'm telling everyone: Be alert!"