Mark 13:3–13

Troubles and Persecutions

³Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, across from the Temple, when Peter, James, John, and Andrew came to him in private. ⁴“Tell us when this will be,” they said, “and tell us what will happen to show that the time has come for all these things to take place.”

⁵Jesus said to them, “Be on guard, and don’t let anyone deceive you. ⁶Many men, claiming to speak for me, will come and say, ‘I am he!’ and they will deceive many people. ⁷And don’t be troubled when you hear the noise of battles close by and news of battles far away. Such things must happen, but they do not mean that the end has come. ⁸Countries will fight each other; kingdoms will attack one another. There will be earthquakes everywhere, and there will be famines. These things are like the first pains of childbirth.

^9*“You yourselves must be on guard. You will be arrested and taken to court. You will be beaten in the synagogues; you will stand before rulers and kings for my sake to tell them the Good News. ^10*But before the end comes, the gospel must be preached to all peoples. ^11*And when you are arrested and taken to court, do not worry beforehand about what you are going to say; when the time comes, say whatever is then given to you. For the words you speak will not be yours; they will come from the Holy Spirit. ¹²Men will hand over their own brothers to be put to death, and fathers will do the same to their children. Children will turn against their parents and have them put to death. ^13*Everyone will hate you because of me. But whoever holds out to the end will be saved.