Temple Destruction Foretold

(Matthew 24:1-4; Luke 21:5-9)

1As He was leaving the Temple, one of His disciples exclaimed, "Look, Rabbi, what wonderful stones! what wonderful buildings!" 2"You see all these great buildings?" Jesus replied; "not one stone will be left here upon another—not thrown down."

3He was sitting on the Mount of Olives opposite to the Temple, when Peter, James, John, and Andrew, apart from the others asked Him, 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?" 5So Jesus began to say to them: "Take care that no one misleads you. 6Many will come assuming my name and saying, 'I am He;' and they will mislead many. 7But when you hear of wars and rumours of wars, do not be alarmed: come they must, but the End is not yet. 8For 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.

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.

Witnessing to All Nations

(Matthew 24:9-14; Luke 21:10-19)

10But the proclamation of the Good News must be carried to all the Gentiles before the End comes. 11When 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. 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. 13You will be objects of universal hatred because you are called by my name, but those who stand firm to the End will be saved.

The Abomination of Desolation

(Matthew 24:15-25; Luke 21:20-24)

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; 15let him who is on the roof not come down and enter the house to fetch anything out of it; 16and let not him who is in the field turn back to pick up his outer garment. 17And alas for the women who at that time are with child or have infants! 18"But pray that it may not come in the winter. 19For 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; 20and 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. 21"At that time if any one says to you, 'See, here is the Christ!' or 'See, He is there!' do not believe it. 22For 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. 23But as for yourselves, be on your guard: I have forewarned you of everything.

The Return of the Son of Man

(Matthew 24:26-31; Luke 21:25-28)

24"At that time, however, after that distress, the sun will be darkened and the moon will not shed her light; 25the stars will be seen falling from the firmament, and the forces which are in the heavens will be disordered and disturbed. 26And then will they see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. 27Then 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.

The lesson of the Fig Tree

(Matthew 24:32-35; Luke 21:29-33)

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. 29So also do you, when you see these things happening, be sure that He is near, at your very door. 30I tell you in solemn truth that the present generation will certainly not pass away without all these things having first taken place. 31Earth and sky will pass away, but it is certain that my words will not pass away.

Be Ready at Any Hour

(Genesis 6:1-7; Matthew 24:36-51; Luke 12:35-48)

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.

33Take care, be on the alert, and pray; for you do not know when it will happen. 34It 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. 35Be 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. 36Beware lest He should arrive unexpectedly and find you asleep. 37Moreover, what I say to you I say to all—Be wakeful!"