Mark 13:1-23
Signs of Christ’s Return
13aAnd as He was going out of the temple, one of His disciples *said to Him, “Teacher, behold 1what wonderful stones and 2what wonderful buildings!” 2And Jesus said to him, “Do you see these great buildings? aNot one stone will be left upon another which will not be torn down.”
3And as He was sitting on athe Mount of Olives opposite the temple, bPeter and James and John and Andrew were questioning Him privately, 4“Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the 1sign when all these things are going to be fulfilled?” 5And Jesus began to say to them, “See to it that no one deceives you. 6“Many will come in My name, saying, ‘aI am He!’ and will mislead many. 7“And when you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed; those things must take place; but that is not yet the end. 8“For 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 merely the beginning of birth pains.
9“But see to yourselves; for they will adeliver you to the 1courts, and you will be beaten bin the synagogues, and you will stand before governors and kings for My sake, as a witness to them. 10“aAnd the gospel must first be proclaimed to all the nations. 11“aAnd when they lead you away, delivering you up, do not worry beforehand about what you are to say, but say whatever is given to you in that hour; for it is not you who speak, but it is the Holy Spirit. 12“And brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents and 1have them put to death. 13“aAnd you will be hated by all because of My name, but the one who endures to the end, he will be saved.
The Abomination of Desolation and the Tribulation
14“But awhen you see the babomination of desolation standing where it should not be (let the reader understand), then those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains. 15“aAnd the one who is on the housetop must not go down, or go in to get anything out of his house; 16and the one who is in the field must not turn back to get his garment. 17“But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! 18“But pray that it may not happen in the winter. 19“For those days will be a time of tribulation such as has not occurred asince the beginning of the creation which God created until now, and never will. 20“And unless the Lord had shortened those days, no 1life would have been saved; but for the sake of the 2elect, whom He chose, He shortened the days. 21“And then if anyone says to you, ‘Behold, here is the 1Christ’; or, ‘Behold, He is there’; do not believe him; 22for false christs and afalse prophets will arise, and will show 1,bsigns and cwonders, in order to lead astray, if possible, the elect. 23“But as for you, see! I have told you everything in advance.