Mark 13

Things to Come

11As He was going out of the temple, one of His disciples said to Him, “Teacher, look! 2What wonderful stones and 3what wonderful buildings!” 2And Jesus said to him, “Do you see these great buildings? 4Not one stone will be left upon another, which will not be torn down.”

3As He was sitting on 5the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, 6Peter, 7James, John, and Andrew were questioning Him privately, 4“Tell us, when will these things come about, and what will be the 8sign when all these things are going to be fulfilled?” 5And Jesus began to say to them, “See to it that no one misleads you. 6Many will come in My name, saying, ‘9I am He!’ and they will mislead many. 7When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed; those things must take place; but that is not yet the end. 8For nation will rise up against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; there will be earthquakes in various places; there will also be famines. These things are only the beginning of birth pains.

9“But 10be on your guard; for they will 11hand you over to the 12courts, and you will be flogged 13in the synagogues, and you will stand before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them. 1014And the gospel must first be preached to all the nations. 1115And when they 16arrest you and hand you over, do not worry beforehand about what you are to say, but say whatever is given you at that time; for you are not the ones speaking, but it is the Holy Spirit. 12And brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents and 17have them put to death. 13And 18you will be hated by everyone because of My name, but it is the one who has endured to the end who will be saved.

14“Now 19when you see the 20abomination of desolation standing where it should not be--21let the 22reader understand--then those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains. 152324Whoever is on the 25housetop must not go down, nor go in to get anything out of his house. 16And 26whoever is in the field must not turn back to get his cloak. 17But woe to those women who are pregnant, and to those who are nursing babies in those days! 18Moreover, pray that it will not happen in winter. 19For those days will be such a time of tribulation as has not occurred 27since the beginning of the creation which God created until now, and never will again. 20And if the Lord had not shortened those days, no 28life would have been saved; but for the sake of the 29elect, whom He chose, He shortened the days. 21And then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the 30Christ’; or, ‘Look, there He is’; do not believe it; 22for false christs and 31false prophets will arise, and will provide 32signs and 33wonders, in order to mislead, if possible, the elect. 23But beware; I have told you everything in advance.

The Return of Christ

24“But in those days, after that tribulation, 34the sun will be darkened and the moon will not give its light, 2535and the stars will be falling from heaven, and the powers that are in the heavens will be shaken. 26And then they will see 36the Son of Man 37coming in clouds with great power and glory. 27And then He will send forth the angels, and 38will gather together His 39elect from the four winds, 40from the end of the earth to the end of heaven.

28“Now learn the parable from the fig tree: as soon as its branch has become tender and sprouts its leaves, you know that summer is near. 29So you too, when you see these things happening, 41recognize that 42He is near, right at the 43door. 30Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. 31Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away. 3244But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone.

33“Watch out, 45stay alert; for you do not know when the appointed time is. 3446It is like a man away on a journey, who upon leaving his house and 47putting his slaves in charge, assigning to each one his task, also commanded the doorkeeper to stay alert. 35Therefore, 48stay alert--for you do not know when the 49master of the house is coming, whether in the evening, at midnight, or 50when the rooster crows, or 51in the morning-- 36so that he does not come suddenly and find you 52asleep. 37What I say to you I say to all: ‘53Stay alert!’”