Jesus Speaks of the Destruction of the Temple

5. Some of the disciples were talking about the Temple, how beautiful it looked with its fine stones and the gifts offered to God. Jesus said, 6 “All this you see- the time will come when not a single stone here will be left in its place; every one will be thrown down.”

Troubles and Persecutions

7. “Teacher,” they asked, “when will this be? And what will happen in order to show that the time has come for it to take place?”

8. Jesus said, “Be on guard; don’t be deceived. Many men, claiming to speak for me, will come and say, ‘I am he!’ and, ‘The time has come!’ But don’t follow them. 9. Don’t be afraid when you hear of wars and revolutions; such things must happen first, but they do not mean that the end is near.”

10. He went on to say, “Countries will fight each other; kingdoms will attack one another. 11 There will be terrible earth-quakes, famines, and plagues everywhere; there will be strange and terrifying things coming from the sky. 12 Before all these things take place, however, you will be arrested and persecuted; you will be handed over to trial in synagogues and be put in prison; you will be brought before kings and rulers for my sake. 13 This will be your chance to tell the Good News. 14 Make up your minds ahead of time not to worry about how you will defend yourselves; 15 because I will give you such words and wisdom that none of your enemies will be able to resist or deny what you say. 16 You will be handed over by your parents, your brothers, your relatives, and your friends; they will put some of you to death. 17 Everyone will hate you because of me. 18 But not a single hair from your heads will be lost. 19 Stand firm, for this is how you will save yourselves.”

Jesus Speaks of the Destruction of Jerusalem

20. When you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then you will know that soon she will be destroyed. 21 Then those who are in Judaea must run away to the hills; those who are in the city must leave, and those who are out in the country must not go into the city. 22 For those will be ‘The Days of Punishment,’ to make all that the Scriptures say come true. 23 How terrible it will be in those days for women who are pregnant and for mothers with little babies! Terrible distress will come upon this land, and God’s punishment will fall on this people. 24 Some will be killed by the sword and others will be taken as prisoners to all countries; and the heathen will trample over Jerusalem until their time is up.

The Coming of the Son of Man

25. “There will be strange things happening to the sun, the moon, and the stars. On earth whole countries will be in despair, afraid of the roar of the sea and