Mark 13

Destruction of the Temple Predicted

13As ^tHe was going out of the temple complex, ^uone of His disciples said to Him, “Teacher, ^vlook! What massive stones! What impressive buildings!” ^w

²Jesus said to him, “Do you see these great buildings? ^xNot one stone will be left here on another that will not be thrown down!”

Signs of the End of the Age

³While He was sitting on the Mount of Olives ^yacross from the temple complex, ^zPeter, ^aJames, ^bJohn, ^cand Andrew ^dasked Him privately, ⁴“Tell us, when will these things happen? And what will be the sign when all these things are about to take place?”

⁵Then Jesus began by telling them: “Watch out that no one deceives you. ⁶Many will come in My name, ^esaying, ‘I am He,’ ^fand they will deceive ^gmany. ⁷When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, ^hdon’t be alarmed; ⁱthese things must take place, ^jbut the end is not yet. ⁸For nation will rise up against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. ^kThere will be earthquakes in various places, and famines. ^lThese are the beginning ^mof birth pains. ⁿ

Persecutions Predicted

⁹“But you, be on your guard! They will hand you over to sanhedrins, ^opand you will be flogged ^qin the ^•synagogues. ^rYou will stand before governors and kings ^sbecause of Me, ^tas a witness ^uto them. ^v10And the good news ^wxmust first be proclaimed to all nations. ¹¹So when they arrest you and hand you over, don’t worry beforehand what you will say. On the contrary, whatever is given to you in that hour—say it. For it isn’t you speaking, but the Holy Spirit. ¹²Then brother will betray ^ybrother to death, ^zand a father his child. Children will rise up against parents and put them to death. ¹³And you will be hated by everyone because of My name. ^aBut the one who endures to the end will be delivered. ^bc

The Great Tribulation

¹⁴“When you see the abomination that causes desolation ^destanding where it should not” (let the reader understand ^f), “then those in Judea ^gmust flee to the mountains! ¹⁵A man on the housetop must not come down or go in to get anything out of his house. ^h16And a man in the field must not go back to get his clothes. ⁱ¹⁷Woe ^jto pregnant women and nursing mothers in those days! ¹⁸Pray ^kit ^lwon’t happen in winter. ¹⁹For those will be days of tribulation, ^mthe kind that hasn’t been from the beginning ⁿof the world, ^opwhich God created, until now and never will be again! ²⁰Unless the Lord ^qlimited those days, ^rno one would survive. ^sBut He limited those days because of the elect, ^twhom He chose. ^u

²¹“Then if anyone tells you, ‘Look, here is the ^•Messiah! ^vLook—there!’ do not believe it! ²²For false messiahs ^wand false prophets will rise up and will perform signs and wonders ^xto 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: ^y

The sun will be darkened,

and the moon will not shed its light;

²⁵the stars ^zwill be falling from the sky,

and the celestial powers will be shaken. ^a

²⁶Then they will see the ^•Son of Man ^bcoming ^cin clouds ^dwith great power ^eand glory. ^f27He will send out the angels ^gand gather His elect ^hfrom the four winds, from the end of the earth to the end of the sky. ⁱ

The Parable of the Fig Tree

²⁸“Learn ^jthis parable ^kfrom the fig ^ltree: As soon as its branch becomes tender and sprouts leaves, you know that summer is near. ^m29In the same way, when you see these things happening, know ⁿthat He ^ois near—at the door! ^30•I assure you: ^pThis generation will certainly not pass away until all these things take place. ³¹Heaven and earth ^qwill pass away, ^rbut My words will never pass away. ^s

No One Knows the Day or Hour

³²“Now concerning that day ^tor hour no one knows—neither the angels ^uin heaven nor the Son ^v—except the Father. ^w33Watch! Be alert! ^xFor you don’t know when the time ^yis coming. ^z34It is like ^aa man on a journey, who left his house, gave authority to his ^•slaves, ^bgave each one his work, and commanded the doorkeeper to be alert. ³⁵Therefore be alert, ^csince you don’t know when the master ^dof the house is coming—whether in the evening or at midnight or at the crowing of the rooster or early in the morning. ³⁶Otherwise, he might come suddenly and find you sleeping. ^e37And what I say to you, I say to everyone: Be alert!”