Mark 13:1–37

Questions from the Disciples

Matt. 24:1–3; Luke 21:5–7

13Then ^aas He went out of the temple, one of His disciples said to Him, “Teacher, see what manner of stones and what buildings are here!”

²And Jesus answered and said to him, “Do you see these great buildings? ^bNot one stone shall be left upon another, that shall not be thrown down.”

³Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, ^cPeter, ^dJames, ^eJohn, and ^fAndrew asked Him privately, ^4g“Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign when all these things will be fulfilled?”

The Tribulation

Matt. 24:4–26; Luke 21:8–24

⁵And Jesus, answering them, began to say: ^h“Take heed that no one deceives you. ⁶For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am He,’ and will deceive many. ⁷But when you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be troubled; for such things must happen, but the end is not yet. ⁸For nation will rise against nation, and ⁱkingdom against kingdom. And there will be earthquakes in various places, and there will be famines ¹and troubles. ^jThese are the beginnings of ²sorrows.

⁹“But ^kwatch out for yourselves, for they will deliver you up to councils, and you will be beaten in the synagogues. You will ³be brought before rulers and kings for My sake, for a testimony to them. ¹⁰And ^lthe gospel must first be preached to all the nations. ^11mBut when they arrest you and deliver you up, do not worry beforehand, ⁴or premeditate what you will speak. But whatever is given you in that hour, speak that; for it is not you who speak, ⁿbut the Holy Spirit. ¹²Now ^obrother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death. ^13pAnd you will be hated by all for My name’s sake. But ^qhe who ⁵endures to the end shall be saved.

^14r“So when you see the ^s‘abomination of desolation,’ ⁶spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing where it ought not” (let the reader understand), “then ^tlet those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. ¹⁵Let him who is on the housetop not go down into the house, nor enter to take anything out of his house. ¹⁶And let him who is in the field not go back to get his clothes. ^17uBut woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! ¹⁸And pray that your flight may not be in winter. ^19vFor in those days there will be tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the creation which God created until this time, nor ever shall be. ²⁰And unless the Lord had shortened those days, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect’s sake, whom He chose, He shortened the days.

^21w“Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or, ‘Look, He is there!’ do not believe it. ²²For false christs and false prophets will rise and show signs and ^xwonders to deceive, if possible, even the ⁷elect. ²³But ^ytake heed; see, I have told you all things beforehand.

The Second Coming

Matt. 24:29–31; Luke 21:25–28

^24z “But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; ²⁵the stars of heaven will fall, and the powers in the heavens will be ^ashaken. ^26bThen they will see the Son of Man coming in the clouds with great power and glory. ²⁷And then He will send His angels, and gather together His ⁸elect from the four winds, from the farthest part of earth to the farthest part of heaven.

Parable of the Fig Tree

Matt. 24:32–35

^28c“Now learn this parable from the fig tree: When its branch has already become tender, and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near. ²⁹So you also, when you see these things happening, know that ⁹it is near—at the doors! ³⁰Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place. ³¹Heaven and earth will pass away, but ^dMy words will by no means pass away.

Exhortation to Watch

Matt. 24:36–51; Luke 21:34–36

³²“But of that day and hour ^eno one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the ^fFather. ^33gTake heed, watch and pray; for you do not know when the time is. ^34hIt is like a man going to a far country, who left his house and gave ⁱauthority to his servants, and to each his work, and commanded the doorkeeper to watch. ^35jWatch therefore, for you do not know when the master of the house is coming—in the evening, at midnight, at the crowing of the rooster, or in the morning—³⁶lest, coming suddenly, he find you sleeping. ³⁷And what I say to you, I say to all: Watch!”