1Leaving the Temple Courts, Jesus was walking away, when his disciples came up to draw his attention to the Temple buildings.
2‘Do you see all these things?’ was his answer. ‘I tell you, not a single stone will be left here on another, which will not be thrown down,’
3so, while Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, his disciples came up to him privately and said, ‘Tell us when this will be, and what will be the sign of your coming, and of the close of the age.’
4Jesus replied to them, ‘See that no one leads you astray;
5for, many will take my name, and come saying “I am the Christ,” and will lead many astray.
6You will hear of wars and rumours of wars; take care not to be alarmed, for such things must occur; but the end is not yet here.
7For nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places.
8All this, however, will be but the beginning of the birth pangs!
9When that time comes, they will give you up to persecution, and will put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me.
10And then many will fall away, and will betray one another, and hate one another.
11Many false prophets, also, will appear and lead many astray;
12and, owing to the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold.
13Yet the person who endures to the end will be saved.
14This good news of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the world as a witness to all nations; and then will come the end.
15As soon, then, as you see “the Foul Desecration,” mentioned by the prophet Daniel, standing in the Holy place,’ (the reader must consider what this means)
16‘then those of you who are in Judea must take refuge in the mountains;
17and a man on the housetop must not go down to get the things that are in his house;
18nor must one who is on their farm turn back to get his cloak.
19Alas for pregnant women, and for those who are nursing infants in those days!
20Pray, too, that your flight may not take place in winter, nor on a Sabbath;
21for that will be a time of great distress, the like of which has not occurred from the beginning of the world down to the present time – no, nor ever will again.
22Had not those days been limited, not a single soul would escape; but for the sake of God’s people a limit will be put to them.
23At that time, if anyone should say to you “Look! Here is the Christ!” or “Here he is!”, do not believe it;
24for false Christs and false prophets will arise, and will display great signs and marvels, so that, were it possible, even God’s people would be led astray.
25Remember, I have told you beforehand.
26Therefore, if people say to you “He is in the wilderness!”, do not go out there; or “He is in an inner room!”, do not believe it;
27for, just as lightning will start from the east and flash across to the west, so will it be with the coming of the Son of Man.
28Wherever a dead body lies, there will the vultures flock.
29Immediately after the distress of those days, the sun will be darkened, the moon will not give her light, the stars will fall from the heavens, and the forces of the heavens will be convulsed.
30Then will appear the sign of the Son of Man in the heavens; and all the peoples of the earth will mourn, when they see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the heavens, with power and great glory;
31and he will send his angels, with a great trumpet, and they will gather his people round him from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.
32‘Learn the lesson taught by the fig tree. As soon as its branches are full of sap, and it is bursting into leaf, you know that summer is near.
33And so may you, as soon as you see all these things, know that he is at your doors.
34I tell you, even the present generation will not pass away, until all these things have taken place.
35The heavens and the earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.
36But about that day and hour, no one knows – not even the angels of heaven, not even the Son – but only the Father himself.
37For, just as in the days of Noah, so will it be at the coming of the Son of Man.
38In those days before the flood they went on eating and drinking, marrying and being married, up to the very day on which Noah entered the ark.
39They didn’t realise what was going to happen until the flood came and swept them one and all away; and so will it be at the coming of the Son of Man.
40At that time, of two men on a farm one will be taken and one left;
41of two women grinding with a hand-mill one will be taken and one left.
42Therefore watch; for you cannot be sure on what day your Master is coming.
43But this you do know, that, had the owner of the house known at what time of night the thief was coming, they would have been on the watch, and would not have allowed their house to be broken into.
44Therefore, you must also prepare, since it is just when you are least expecting him that the Son of Man will come.
45Who, then is that trustworthy, careful servant, who has been placed by their master over his household, to give them their food at the proper time?
46Happy will that servant be whom their master, when he comes home, will find doing this.
47I tell you that their master will put them in charge of the whole of his property.
48But, should the servant be a bad servant, and say to themselves “My master is a long time in coming,”
49and begin to beat their fellow servants, and eat and drink with drunkards,
50that servant’s master will come on a day when they do not expect him, and at an hour of which they are unaware,
51and will flog the servant severely, and assign them their place among the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and grinding of teeth.