1 As Jesus was leaving the Temple his disciples came to him, pointing proudly to the Temple buildings. 2 But Jesus replied, “You see all these buildings? I tell you the truth: there won't be one stone left upon another. Every last one will come crashing down!”

3 As Jesus sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him in private, and asked, “Please tell us when this will happen. What will be the sign of your coming and the end of the world?”

4 “Make sure no one misleads you,” Jesus replied. 5 “Many will come claiming to be me, saying, ‘I'm the Messiah,’ and they will deceive many people. 6 You'll hear about wars, and rumors about wars, but don't be anxious. These things have to happen, but this isn't the end. 7 Nations will attack other nations, and kingdoms will fight against other kingdoms. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places, 8 but all these things are just the beginnings of birth pains.

9 Then they will arrest you, they will persecute you, and they will kill you. All people will hate you because of me. 10 At that time many believers will give up believing. They will betray one another and hate one another. 11 Many false prophets will come and deceive many people. 12 The increasing evil will lead the love of many to grow cold, 13 but those who hold out to the end will be saved. 14 The good news of the kingdom will be proclaimed around the whole world so everyone will be able to hear it, and then the end will come. 15 So when you see the ‘evil that defiles’* Or, “desolating sacrilege,” referring back to Daniel 9:27, 11:31, 12:11. standing in the holy place that the prophet Daniel spoke about (those who read this please consider carefully), 16 then the people living in Judea should run away to the mountains. 17 Anyone who is on the housetop must not go down and fetch what's in the house. 18 Anyone who is out in the fields must not go back to get a coat. 19 How awful it will be for those who are pregnant, and those who are nursing babies at that time! 20 Pray that you don't have to run away in winter, or on the Sabbath day. 21 For at that time there will be terrible persecution—more terrible than anything that has happened from the beginning of the world up till now, and won't ever happen again. 22 Unless those days are cut short, nobody will be saved, but for the sake of the chosen those days will be cut short.

23 So if anyone tells you, ‘Look, here's the Messiah,’ or, ‘There he is,’ don't believe it. 24 For false messiahs will appear, and false prophets too, and they will perform incredible signs and miracles in order to deceive the chosen, if that were possible. 25 Notice that I've told you this before it even happens. 26 So if they tell you, ‘Look, he's out in the desert,’ don't go looking there; or if they say, ‘Look, he's secretly here,’ don't believe it. 27 For the coming of the Son of man will be like the lightning that flashes brightly from east to west. 28 ‘Vultures gather where the carcass is.’

29 But right after those days of persecution the sun will be darkened, the moon will not shine, the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of heaven will be shaken. 30 Then the sign of the Son of man will appear in heaven, and all the peoples of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and in brilliant glory. 31 With a blast from a trumpet he will send his angels to gather his chosen ones from every place, from one end of heaven and earth to the other.† Literally, “from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.”

32 Learn an illustration from the fig tree. When its shoots become tender and leaves begin to sprout, you know that summer is coming. 33 In the same way when you see all these things happening, you know that his coming is near, in fact it's right at the door! 34 I tell you the truth: this generation won't pass away until all these things have happened. 35 Heaven and earth may pass away, but my words won't pass away.

36 But no one knows the day or hour when this will take place, not the angels in heaven, nor the Son. Only the Father knows. 37 When the Son of man comes it will be like it was during the time of Noah. 38 It will be as in the days before the flood, when they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, right up until the day that Noah went into the Ark. 39 They didn't realize what was going to happen until the flood came and swept them all away. That's how the coming of the Son of man will be.

40 Two men will be working in the fields. One will be taken, the other left. 41 Two women will be grinding grain with a mill. One will be taken, the other left. 42 So stay alert, because you don't know what day your Lord is coming. 43 But consider this: if the house-owner knew what time a thief was coming, he would keep watch. He would not allow his house to be broken into and robbed. 44 You also need to be ready, because the Son of man is coming at a time when you're not expecting him.

45 For who is the trustworthy and thoughtful servant? It's the one his master puts in charge of his household to provide them with food at the proper time. 46 How good it will be for that servant to be found doing that when his master returns! 47 I tell you the truth: the master will put that servant in charge over everything he has. 48 But if he was evil, the servant would say to himself, ‘My master is taking a long time,’ 49 and would start beating the other servants, feasting and drinking with the drunks. 50 Then that servant's master will return when the man doesn't expect him, at a time he doesn't know. 51 He'll cut him to pieces, and treat him in the same way as the hypocrites,‡ Those who claim to follow their Lord but in reality don't. sending him to a place where there's crying and gnashing of teeth.