Mark 13:1–20

Signs of the End

13Jesus was leaving the temple. One of his disciples said to him, “Look, Teacher! What huge stones! What wonderful buildings!”

²“Do you see these huge buildings?” Jesus asked. “Not one stone here will be left on top of another. Every stone will be thrown down.”

³Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, across from the temple. Peter, James, John and Andrew asked him a question in private. ⁴“Tell us,” they said. “When will these things happen? And what will be the sign that they are all about to come true?”

⁵Jesus said to them, “Keep watch! Be careful that no one fools you. ⁶Many will come in my name. They will claim, ‘I am he.’ They will fool many people.

⁷“You will hear about wars. You will also hear people talking about future wars. Don’t be alarmed. Those things must happen. But the end still isn’t here. ⁸Nation will fight against nation. Kingdom will fight against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in many places. People will go hungry. All of those things are the beginning of birth pains.

⁹“Watch out! You will be handed over to the local courts. You will be whipped in the synagogues. You will stand in front of governors and kings because of me. In that way you will be witnesses to them. ¹⁰The good news has to be preached to all nations before the end comes. ¹¹You will be arrested and brought to trial. But don’t worry ahead of time about what you will say. Just say what God brings to your mind at the time. It is not you speaking, but the Holy Spirit.

¹²“Brothers will hand over brothers to be killed. Fathers will hand over their children. Children will rise up against their parents and have them put to death. ¹³Everyone will hate you because of me. But the one who stands firm to the end will be saved.

¹⁴“You will see ‘the hated thing that destroys.’ It will stand where it does not belong. The reader should understand this. Then those who are in Judea should escape to the mountains. ¹⁵No one on the roof should go down into his house to take anything out. ¹⁶No one in the field should go back to get his coat. ¹⁷How awful it will be in those days for pregnant women! How awful for nursing mothers! ¹⁸Pray that this will not happen in winter.

¹⁹“Those days will be worse than any others from the time God created the world until now. And there will never be any like them again. ²⁰If the Lord had not cut the time short, no one would live. But because of God’s chosen people, he has shortened it.