The Authority of Jesus Challenged

^23 (A)And when he entered the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came up to him ^(B)as he was teaching, and said, ^(C)“By what authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority?”

Jesus Foretells Destruction of the Temple

13 ^(A)And as he came out of the temple, one of his disciples said to him, “Look, Teacher, what wonderful stones and what wonderful buildings!” ² And Jesus said to him, “Do you see these great buildings? ^(B)There will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.”

Signs of the Close of the Age

³ And as he sat on ^(C)the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, ^(D)Peter and James and John and ^(E)Andrew asked him ^(F)privately, ⁴ “Tell us, ^(G)when will these things be, and what will be the sign when all these things are about to be accomplished?” ⁵ And Jesus began to say to them, ^(H)“See that no one leads you astray. ^6 (I)Many will come in my name, saying, ^(J)‘I am he!’ and they will lead many astray. ⁷ And when you hear of wars and rumours of wars, ^(K)do not be alarmed. This ^(L)must take place, but the end is not yet. ⁸ For ^(M)nation will rise against nation, and ^(N)kingdom against kingdom. There will be ^(O)earthquakes in various places; there will be ^(P)famines. These are but the beginning of the birth pains.

^9 (Q)“But ^(R)be on your guard. For they will deliver you over to councils, and you will be beaten ^(S)in synagogues, and you will stand before ^(T)governors and ^(U)kings for my sake, ^(V)to bear witness before them. ¹⁰ And the gospel must first be proclaimed ^(W)to all nations. ¹¹ And when they bring you to trial and deliver you over, ^(X)do not be anxious beforehand what you are to say, but say ^(Y)whatever is given you in that hour, ^(Z)for it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit. ^12 (AA)And brother will deliver brother over to death, and the father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death. ^13 (AB)And you will be hated by all for my name's sake. ^(AC)But the one who endures to the end will be saved.

The Abomination of Desolation

¹⁴ “But when you see ^(AD)the abomination of desolation standing where he ought not to be (^(AE)let the reader understand), then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. ^15 (AF)Let the one who is on ^(AG)the housetop not go down, nor enter his house, to take anything out, ¹⁶ and let the one who is in the field not turn back to take his cloak. ¹⁷ And ^(AH)alas for women who are pregnant and for those who are nursing infants in those days! ¹⁸ Pray that it may not happen in winter. ¹⁹ For in those days there will be ^(AI)such ^(AJ)tribulation as has not been ^(AK)from the beginning of the creation that ^(AL)God created until now, and never will be. ²⁰ And if the Lord had not cut short the days, no human being would be saved. But for ^(AM)the sake of the elect, whom ^(AN)he chose, he shortened the days. ²¹ And ^(AO)then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘Look, there he is!’ do not believe it. ^22 (AP)For false christs and false prophets will arise and ^(AQ)perform signs and wonders, ^(AR)to lead astray, if possible, ^(AS)the elect. ²³ But ^(AT)be on guard; ^(AU)I have told you all things beforehand.

The Coming of the Son of Man

²⁴ “But in those days, after ^(AV)that tribulation, ^(AW)the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, ²⁵ and ^(AX)the stars will be falling from heaven, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken. ²⁶ And then they will see ^(AY)the Son of Man coming in clouds ^(AZ)with great power and glory. ²⁷ And then ^(BA)he will send out the angels and ^(BB)gather ^(BC)his elect from ^(BD)the four winds, from ^(BE)the ends of the earth ^(BF)to the ends of heaven.

The Lesson of the Fig Tree

²⁸ “From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts out its leaves, you know that summer is near. ²⁹ So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that he is near, ^(BG)at the very gates. ^30 (BH)Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. ^31 (BI)Heaven and earth will pass away, but ^(BJ)my words will not pass away.

No One Knows That Day or Hour

³² “But concerning that day or that hour, ^(BK)no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, ^(BL)nor the Son, ^(BM)but only the Father. ^33 (BN)Be on guard, ^(BO)keep awake.^[a] For you do not know when the time will come. ^34 (BP)It is like a man ^(BQ)going on a journey, when he leaves home and puts his servants^[b] in charge, ^(BR)each with his work, and commands ^(BS)the doorkeeper to stay awake. ^35 (BT)Therefore stay awake—for you do not know when the master of the house will come, ^(BU)in the evening, or ^(BV)at midnight, or ^(BW)when the cock crows,^[c] or ^(BX)in the morning— ³⁶ lest ^(BY)he come suddenly and ^(BZ)find you asleep. ³⁷ And what I say to you I say to all: ^(CA)Stay awake.”

Jesus Foretells Destruction of the Temple

^5 (A)And while some were speaking of the temple, how it was adorned with noble stones and offerings, he said, ⁶ “As for these things that you see, ^(B)the days will come when there will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.” ⁷ And they asked him, “Teacher, ^(C)when will these things be, and what will be the sign when these things are about to take place?” ⁸ And he said, ^(D)“See that you are not led astray. For ^(E)many will come in my name, saying, ^(F)‘I am he!’ and, ^(G)‘The time is at hand!’ Do not go after them. ⁹ And when you hear of wars and tumults, do not be ^(H)terrified, for these things ^(I)must first take place, but the end will not be at once.”

Jesus Foretells Wars and Persecution

¹⁰ Then he said to them, ^(J)“Nation will rise against nation, and ^(K)kingdom against kingdom. ¹¹ There will be great ^(L)earthquakes, and in various places ^(M)famines and pestilences. And there will be ^(N)terrors and great ^(O)signs from heaven. ¹² But before all this ^(P)they will lay their hands on you and persecute you, delivering you up to ^(Q)the synagogues and ^(R)prisons, and you ^(S)will be brought before ^(T)kings and ^(U)governors for my name's sake. ^13 (V)This will be your opportunity to bear witness. ¹⁴ Settle it therefore in your minds ^(W)not to meditate beforehand how to answer, ¹⁵ for ^(X)I will give you a mouth and ^(Y)wisdom, which none of your adversaries will be able to withstand or ^(Z)contradict. ¹⁶ You will be delivered up ^(AA)even by parents and brothers^[a] and relatives and friends, and some of you they will put to death. ^17 (AB)You will be hated by all for my name's sake. ¹⁸ But ^(AC)not a hair of your head will perish. ¹⁹ By your ^(AD)endurance you will gain your lives.

Jesus Foretells Destruction of Jerusalem

²⁰ “But ^(AE)when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that ^(AF)its desolation has come near. ²¹ Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, and let those who are inside the city depart, and let not those who are out in the country enter it, ²² for these are ^(AG)days of ^(AH)vengeance, to fulfil ^(AI)all that is written. ^23 (AJ)Alas for women who are pregnant and for those who are nursing infants in those days! For there will be great distress upon the earth and ^(AK)wrath against this people. ²⁴ They will fall by the edge of the sword and ^(AL)be led captive among all nations, and ^(AM)Jerusalem will be trampled underfoot by the Gentiles, ^(AN)until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.

The Coming of the Son of Man

²⁵ “And ^(AO)there will be signs in sun and moon ^(AP)and stars, and on the earth ^(AQ)distress of nations in perplexity because of the roaring of the sea and the waves, ²⁶ people fainting with fear and with foreboding of what is coming on the world. For ^(AR)the powers of the heavens will be shaken. ²⁷ And then they will see ^(AS)the Son of Man coming in a cloud ^(AT)with power and great glory. ²⁸ Now when these things begin to take place, straighten up and ^(AU)raise your heads, because ^(AV)your redemption is drawing near.”

The Lesson of the Fig Tree

²⁹ And he told them a parable: “Look at the fig tree, and all the trees. ³⁰ As soon as they come out in leaf, you see ^(AW)for yourselves and know that the summer is already near. ³¹ So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that the kingdom of God is near. ^32 (AX)Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all has taken place. ^33 (AY)Heaven and earth will pass away, but ^(AZ)my words will not pass away.

Watch Yourselves

³⁴ “But watch yourselves ^(BA)lest ^(BB)your hearts be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and ^(BC)cares of this life, and ^(BD)that day come upon you suddenly ^(BE)like a trap. ³⁵ For it will come upon all who dwell on the face of the whole earth. ³⁶ But ^(BF)stay awake at all times, ^(BG)praying that you may ^(BH)have strength to escape all these things that are going to take place, and ^(BI)to stand before the Son of Man.”