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As
he was leaving the temple, one of his disciples said to him,
"Look, Teacher! What massive stones! What magnificent
buildings!"
"Do you see all these great buildings?" replied Jesus.
"Not one stone here will be left on another; every one will
be thrown down."
As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple,
Peter, James, John and Andrew asked him privately, "Tell us,
when will these things happen? And what will be the sign that they
are all about to be fulfilled?"
Jesus said to them: "Watch out that no one deceives you. Many
will come in my name, claiming, 'I am he,' and will deceive many.
When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed. Such
things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise
against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be
earthquakes in various places, and famines. These are the
beginning of birth pains.
"You must be on your guard. You will be handed over to the
local councils and flogged in the synagogues. On account of me you
will stand before governors and kings as witnesses to them. And
the gospel must first be preached to all nations. Whenever you are
arrested and brought to trial, do not worry beforehand about what
to say. Just say whatever is given you at the time, for it is not
you speaking, but the Holy Spirit.
"Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his
child. Children will rebel against their parents and have them put
to death. All men will hate you because of me, but he who stands
firm to the end will be saved.
"When you see 'the abomination that causes desolation'
standing where it does not belong--let the reader understand--then
let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let no one on
the roof of his house go down or enter the house to take anything
out. Let no one in the field go back to get his cloak. How
dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing
mothers! Pray that this will not take place in winter, because
those will be days of distress unequaled from the beginning, when
God created the world, until now--and never to be equaled again.
If the Lord had not cut short those days, no one would survive.
But for the sake of the elect, whom he has chosen, he has
shortened them. At that time if anyone says to you, 'Look, here is
the Christ!' or, 'Look, there he is!' do not believe it. For false
Christs and false prophets will appear and perform signs and
miracles to deceive the elect--if that were possible. So be on
your guard; I have told you everything ahead of time.
"But in those days, following that distress,
" 'the sun will be darkened,
and the moon will not
give its light;
the stars will fall from the sky,
and the heavenly bodies
will be shaken.'
"At that time men will see the Son of Man coming in clouds
with great power and glory. And he will send his angels and gather
his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the
ends of the heavens.
"Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its
twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is
near. Even so, when you see these things happening, you know that
it is near, right at the door. I tell you the truth, this
generation will certainly not pass away until all these things
have happened. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will
never pass away.
"No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in
heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Be on guard! Be alert!
You do not know when that time will come. It's like a man going
away: He leaves his house and puts his servants in charge, each
with his assigned task, and tells the one at the door to keep
watch.
"Therefore keep watch because you do not know when the owner
of the house will come back--whether in the evening, or at
midnight, or when the rooster crows, or at dawn. If he comes
suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping. What I say to you, I
say to everyone: 'Watch!'
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