The Destruction of the Temple
and Signs
of the End
Times
1Jesus
left the
temple and
was
walking
away when
his
disciples
came up to
him to
call his
attention
to its
buildings.
2 “Do
you see
all these
things?”
he asked.
“Truly I
tell you,
not one
stone here
will be
left on
another;
every one
will be
thrown
down.”
3 As
Jesus was
sitting on
the Mount
of Olives,
the
disciples
came to
him
privately.
“Tell us,”
they said,
“when will
this
happen,
and what
will be
the sign
of your
coming and
of the end
of the
age?”
4 Jesus
answered:
“Watch
out that
no one
deceives
you.
5 For
many will
come in my
name,
claiming,
‘I am the
Messiah,’
and will
deceive
many.
6 You
will hear
of wars
and rumors
of wars,
but see to
it that
you are
not
alarmed.
Such
things
must
happen,
but the
end is
still to
come.
7 Nation
will rise
against
nation,
and
kingdom
against
kingdom.
There will
be famines
and
earthquakes
in various
places.
8 All
these are
the
beginning
of birth
pains.
9 “Then
you will
be handed
over to be
persecuted
and put to
death, and
you will
be hated
by all
nations
because of
me.
10 At
that time
many will
turn away
from the
faith and
will
betray and
hate each
other,
11 and
many false
prophets
will
appear and
deceive
many
people.
12 Because
of the
increase
of
wickedness,
the love
of most
will grow
cold,
13 but
the one
who stands
firm to
the end
will be
saved.
14 And
this
gospel of
the
kingdom
will be
preached
in the
whole
world as a
testimony
to all
nations,
and then
the end
will come.
15 “So
when you
see
standing
in the
holy place
‘the
abomination
that
causes
desolation,’
spoken of
through
the
prophet
Daniel—let
the reader
understand—
16 then
let those
who are in
Judea flee
to the
mountains.
17 Let
no one on
the
housetop
go down to
take
anything
out of the
house.
18 Let
no one in
the field
go back to
get their
cloak.
19 How
dreadful
it will be
in those
days for
pregnant
women and
nursing
mothers!
20 Pray
that your
flight
will not
take place
in winter
or on the
Sabbath.
21 For
then there
will be
great
distress,
unequaled
from the
beginning
of the
world
until
now—and
never to
be equaled
again.
22 “If
those days
had not
been cut
short, no
one would
survive,
but for
the sake
of the
elect
those days
will be
shortened.
23 At
that time
if anyone
says to
you,
‘Look,
here is
the
Messiah!’
or, ‘There
he is!’ do
not
believe
it.
24 For
false
messiahs
and false
prophets
will
appear and
perform
great
signs and
wonders to
deceive,
if
possible,
even the
elect.
25 See,
I have
told you
ahead of
time.
26 “So
if anyone
tells you,
‘There he
is, out in
the
wilderness,’
do not go
out; or,
‘Here he
is, in the
inner
rooms,’ do
not
believe
it.
27 For
as
lightning
that comes
from the
east is
visible
even in
the west,
so will be
the coming
of the Son
of Man.
28 Wherever
there is a
carcass,
there the
vultures
will
gather.
29 “Immediately
after the
distress
of those
days
“‘the sun will be darkened,
and
the moon
will not
give its
light;
the stars
will fall
from the
sky,
and
the
heavenly
bodies
will be
shaken.’
30 “Then
will
appear the
sign of
the Son of
Man in
heaven.
And then
all the
peoples of
the earth
will mourn
when they
see the
Son of Man
coming on
the clouds
of heaven,
with power
and great
glory.
31 And
he will
send his
angels
with a
loud
trumpet
call, and
they will
gather his
elect from
the four
winds,
from one
end of the
heavens to
the other.
32 “Now
learn this
lesson
from the
fig tree:
As soon as
its twigs
get tender
and its
leaves
come out,
you know
that
summer is
near.
33 Even
so, when
you see
all these
things,
you know
that it is
near,
right at
the door.
34 Truly
I tell
you, this
generation
will
certainly
not pass
away until
all these
things
have
happened.
35 Heaven
and earth
will pass
away, but
my words
will never
pass away.
The Day and Hour Unknown
36 “But
about that
day or
hour no
one knows,
not even
the angels
in heaven,
nor the
Son, but
only the
Father.
37 As
it was in
the days
of Noah,
so it will
be at the
coming of
the Son of
Man.
38 For
in the
days
before the
flood,
people
were
eating and
drinking,
marrying
and giving
in
marriage,
up to the
day Noah
entered
the ark;
39 and
they knew
nothing
about what
would
happen
until the
flood came
and took
them all
away. That
is how it
will be at
the coming
of the Son
of Man.
40 Two
men will
be in the
field; one
will be
taken and
the other
left.
41 Two
women will
be
grinding
with a
hand mill;
one will
be taken
and the
other
left.
42 “Therefore
keep
watch,
because
you do not
know on
what day
your Lord
will come.
43 But
understand
this: If
the owner
of the
house had
known at
what time
of night
the thief
was
coming, he
would have
kept watch
and would
not have
let his
house be
broken
into.
44 So
you also
must be
ready,
because
the Son of
Man will
come at an
hour when
you do not
expect
him.
46 It will be good for that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns.
47 Truly I tell you, he will put him in charge of all his possessions.
48 But suppose that servant is wicked and says to himself, ‘My master is staying away a long time,’
49 and he then begins to beat his fellow servants and to eat and drink with drunkards.
50 The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of.
51 He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.