Mark 13:14–27

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.

²¹“At that time someone may say to you, ‘Look! Here is the Christ!’ Or, ‘Look! There he is!’ Do not believe it. ²²False Christs and false prophets will appear. They will do signs and miracles. They will try to fool God’s chosen people if possible. ²³Keep watch! I have told you everything ahead of time.

²⁴“So in those days there will be terrible suffering. After that, Scripture says,

“ ‘The sun will be darkened.

The moon will not shine.

²⁵The stars will fall from the sky.

The heavenly bodies will be shaken.’

²⁶“At that time people will see the Son of Man coming in clouds. He will come with great power and glory. ²⁷He will send his angels. He will gather his chosen people from all four directions. He will bring them from the ends of the earth to the ends of the heavens.