Mark 13:5–27

⁵Jesus told them, “Watch out that no one deceives you. ⁶Many will come in my name,^a saying, ‘I am he,’^b and they will deceive^c many. ⁷When you hear of wars and rumors of wars,^d don’t be alarmed;^e these things must take place,^f but it is not yet the end. ⁸For nation will rise up against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.^g There will be earthquakes in various places, and famines.^B These are the beginning^h of birth pains.ⁱ

PERSECUTIONS PREDICTED

⁹“But you, be on your guard! They will hand you over to local courts,^Cj and you will be flogged^k in the synagogues.^l You will stand before governors and kings^m because of me,ⁿ as a witness^o to them.^{p 10}And it is necessary that the gospel^q be preached to all nations. ¹¹So when they arrest you and hand you over, don’t worry beforehand what you will say, but say whatever is given to you at that time, for it isn’t you speaking, but the Holy Spirit.

¹²“Brother will betray^r brother to death,^s and a father his child. Children will rise up against parents and have them put to death. ¹³You will be hated by everyone because of my name,^t but the one who endures to the end will be saved.^u

THE GREAT TRIBULATION

¹⁴“When you see the abomination of desolation^Av standing where it should not be” (let the reader understand), “then those in Judea^w must flee to the mountains. ¹⁵A man on the housetop must not come down or go in to get anything out of his house,^{x 16}and a man in the field must not go back to get his coat.^{y 17}Woe^z to pregnant women and nursing mothers in those days!

¹⁸“Pray^aa it^B won’t happen in winter. ¹⁹For those will be days of tribulation,^ab the kind that hasn’t been from the beginning^ac of creation^ac ,which God created, until now and never will be again. ^ad20If the Lord^ae had not cut those days short,^af no one would be saved. But he cut those days short for the sake of the elect,^ag whom he chose.^ah

²¹“Then if anyone tells you, ‘See, here is the Messiah!^ai See, there!’ do not believe it. ²²For false messiahs and false prophets will arise and will perform signs and wonders^aj to lead astray, if possible, the elect. ²³And you must watch! I have told you everything in advance.

THE COMING OF THE SON OF MAN

²⁴“But in those days, after that tribulation:^ak The sun will be darkened, and the moon will not shed its light; ²⁵the stars^al will be falling from the sky, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken.^{am 26}Then they will see the Son of Man^an coming^ao in clouds^ap with great power^aq and glory.^{ar 27}He will send out the angels^as and gather his elect^at from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven.^au