Jesus left the temple and was going away, when his disciples came
to point out to him the buildings of the temple. But he answered
them, “You see all these, do you not? Truly, I say to you, there
will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be
thrown down.”

 As he sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him
privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things be, and what
will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?” And
Jesus answered them, “See that no one leads you astray. For many
will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and they will lead
many astray. And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that
you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not
yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against
kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various
places. All these are but the beginning of the birth pains.

 “Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to
death, and you will be hated by all nations for my name's sake. And
then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one
another. And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray.
And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will
grow cold. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. And
this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole
world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.

 “So when you see the abomination of desolation spoken of by the
prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place (let the reader
understand), then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.
Let the one who is on the housetop not go down to take what is in
his house, and let the one who is in the field not turn back to
take his cloak. And alas for women who are pregnant and for those
who are nursing infants in those days! Pray that your flight may
not be in winter or on a Sabbath. For then there will be great
tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world
until now, no, and never will be. And if those days had not been
cut short, no human being would be saved. But for the sake of the
elect those days will be cut short. Then if anyone says to you,
‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There he is!’ do not believe it.
For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform great
signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the
elect. See, I have told you beforehand. So, if they say to you,
‘Look, he is in the wilderness,’ do not go out. If they say, ‘Look,
he is in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it. For as the lightning
comes from the east and shines as far as the west, so will be the
coming of the Son of Man. Wherever the corpse is, there the
vultures will gather.

 “Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be
darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will
fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.
Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, and then all
the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of
Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And
he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will
gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the
other.

 “From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch
becomes tender and puts out its leaves, you know that summer is
near. So also, when you see all these things, you know that he is
near, at the very gates. Truly, I say to you, this generation will
not pass away until all these things take place. Heaven and earth
will pass away, but my words will not pass away.

 “But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the
angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only. For as were the
days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. For as in
those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying
and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark,
and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away,
so will be the coming of the Son of Man. Then two men will be in
the field; one will be taken and one left. Two women will be
grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one left. Therefore,
stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming.
But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what
part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake
and would not have let his house be broken into. Therefore you also
must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not
expect.

 “Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom his master has
set over his household, to give them their food at the proper time?
Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he
comes. Truly, I say to you, he will set him over all his
possessions. But if that wicked servant says to himself, ‘My master
is delayed,’ and begins to beat his fellow servants and eats and
drinks with drunkards, the master of that servant will come on a
day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know and
will cut him in pieces and put him with the hypocrites. In that
place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001
by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by
permission. All rights reserved.