Mark 13:15-37

15A person who is on the roof of his house must not go down into the house. He must not stop to get anything from his home.

16A person who is outside in his field must not go back to his home. He must not return even to fetch his coat.

17That will be a bad time for women who are soon to have a baby. It will also be a bad time for those women who have little babies.

18You must pray to God that this time of trouble will not happen in winter.

19Very bad troubles will happen to people at that time and cause them a lot of pain. Nothing as bad has ever happened before, since God created the world. Nothing as bad will ever happen again.

20The Lord God will cause those days of very bad trouble to come to an end. If he did not do that, there would be nobody still alive. But God will cause those days to be not too many. He will do that to help the people that he has chosen.

21At that time, someone may say to you, “Look, here is the Messiah!” Or they may say, “Look, he is there!” If they say that, do not believe them.

22Some people will even say, “I am the Messiah.” Other people will say, “I am a prophet from God.” But their words will be false. They will do strange and powerful things for people to see. If possible, they would even deceive the people that God has chosen.

23So watch out! I have told you about all these things before they happen.

24Then, after all these bad things have happened, the sun will become dark. The moon will not shine any more.

25Stars will fall out of the sky. And the powerful things in the sky will shake.

26Then people will see the Son of Man. He will come in the clouds. He will have great power and bright glory.

27Then he will send his angels. They will go in every direction, to every part of the earth and to every part of the sky. They will bring together all the people that God has chosen.

28Here is a lesson for you to learn about the fig tree. When the new branches on the tree start to grow, the leaves appear. Then you know that the summer will begin soon.

29In the same way, you will see these strange things happening. Then you will know that the Son of Man will come very soon. He will be like someone at the door who is ready to come in.

30I tell you this: The people who are alive now will not all die until all these things happen.

31One day, the earth and the sky will have an end. But my words will be there for ever.

32Nobody knows the day or the hour when all these things will happen. Only God the Father knows when they will happen. The angels who are in heaven do not know. Even the Son does not know.

33Watch carefully! Keep awake! You do not know the time when all these things will happen.

34It is like when a man begins a journey. Before the master leaves his house, he gives authority to his servants. He tells each servant about the work that he should do. Then he tells the servant at the door to watch for his master's return.

35So you must watch carefully. You do not know when the master of the house will come back. He might arrive in the evening, or in the middle of the night. Or he might arrive early in the morning, or just before the sun rises.

36When he arrives, he may surprise you. He may even find you asleep!

37I am saying this to you. I am also saying this to everyone else. Always be ready!’