13:1 As He was leaving the Temple, one of His disciples exclaimed, "Look, Rabbi, what wonderful stones! what wonderful buildings!"
13:2 "You see all these great buildings?" Jesus replied; "not one stone will be left here upon another--not thrown down."
13:3 He was sitting on the Mount of Olives opposite to the Temple, when Peter, James, John, and Andrew, apart from the others asked Him,
13:4 "Tell us, When will these things be? and what will be the sign when all these predictions are on the point of being fulfilled?"
13:5 So Jesus began to say to them: "Take care that no one misleads you.
13:6 Many will come assuming my name and saying, 'I am He;' and they will mislead many.
13:7 But when you hear of wars and rumours of wars, do not be alarmed: come they must, but the End is not yet.
13:8 For nation will rise in arms against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places; there will be famines. These miseries are but like the early pains of childbirth.
13:9 "You yourselves must be on your guard. They will deliver you up to Sanhedrins; you will be brought into synagogues and cruelly beaten; and you will stand before governors and kings for my sake, to be witnesses to them for me.
13:10 But the proclamation of the Good News must be carried to all the Gentiles before the End comes.
13:11 When however they are marching you along under arrest, do not be anxious beforehand about what you are to say, but speak what is given you when the time comes; for it will not be you who speak, but the Holy Spirit.
13:12 "Brother will betray brother to be killed, and fathers will betray children; and children will rise against their parents and have them put to death.
13:13 You will be objects of universal hatred because you are called by my name, but those who stand firm to the End will be saved.
13:14 "As soon, however, as you see the Abomination of Desolation standing where he ought not" --let the reader observe these words--"then let those in Judaea escape to the hills;
13:15 let him who is on the roof not come down and enter the house to fetch anything out of it;
13:16 and let not him who is in the field turn back to pick up his outer garment.
13:17 And alas for the women who at that time are with child or have infants!
13:18 "But pray that it may not come in the winter.
13:19 For those will be times of suffering the like of which has never been from the first creation of God's world until now, and assuredly never will be again;
13:20 and but for the fact that the Lord has cut short those days, no one would escape; but for the sake of His own People whom He has chosen for Himself He has cut short the days.
13:21 "At that time if any one says to you, 'See, here is the Christ!' or 'See, He is there!' do not believe it.
13:22 For there will rise up false Christs and false prophets, displaying signs and prodigies with a view to lead astray--if indeed that were possible--even God's own People.
13:23 But as for yourselves, be on your guard: I have forewarned you of everything.
13:24 "At that time, however, after that distress, the sun will be darkened and the moon will not shed her light;
13:25 the stars will be seen falling from the firmament, and the forces which are in the heavens will be disordered and disturbed.
13:26 And then will they see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory.
13:27 Then He will send forth the angels and gather together His chosen People from north, south, east and west, from the remotest parts of the earth and the sky.
13:28 "Learn from the fig-tree the lesson it teaches. As soon as its branch has become soft and it is bursting into leaf, you know that summer is near.
13:29 So also do you, when you see these things happening, be sure that He is near, at your very door.
13:30 I tell you in solemn truth that the present generation will certainly not pass away without all these things having first taken place.
13:31 Earth and sky will pass away, but it is certain that my words will not pass away.
13:32 "But as to that day or the exact time no one knows--not even the angels in Heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone.
13:33 Take care, be on the alert, and pray; for you do not know when it will happen.
13:34 It is like a man living abroad who has left his house, and given the management to his servants--to each one his special duty--and has ordered the porter to keep awake.
13:35 Be wakeful therefore, for you know not when the master of the house is coming--in the evening, at midnight, at cock-crow, or at dawn.
13:36 Beware lest He should arrive unexpectedly and find you asleep.
13:37 Moreover, what I say to you I say to all--Be wakeful!"
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