Mark 13 (Chapter a Day)

Signs of the End of the Age

1As
he was leaving the temple, one of his disciples said to him, “Look,
Teacher! What massive stones! What magnificent buildings!”

2“Do
you see all these great buildings?” replied Jesus. “Not one stone here
will be left on another; every one will be thrown down.”

3As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter, James, John and Andrew asked him privately, 4“Tell us, when will these things happen? And what will be the sign that they are all about to be fulfilled?”

5Jesus said to them: “Watch out that no one deceives you. 6Many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am he,’ and will deceive many. 7When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. 8Nation
will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be
earthquakes in various places, and famines. These are the beginning of
birth pains.

9“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. 10And the gospel must first be preached to all nations. 11Whenever
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.

12“Brother
will betray brother to death, and a father his child. Children will
rebel against their parents and have them put to death. 13All men will hate you because of me, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved.

14“When you see ‘the abomination that causes desolation’^[a]standing where it^[b] does not belong—let the reader understand—then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. 15Let no one on the roof of his house go down or enter the house to take anything out. 16Let no one in the field go back to get his cloak. 17How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers! 18Pray that this will not take place in winter, 19because
those will be days of distress unequaled from the beginning, when God
created the world, until now—and never to be equaled again. 20If
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. 21At that time if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ^[c]!’ or, ‘Look, there he is!’ do not believe it. 22For
false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform signs and
miracles to deceive the elect—if that were possible. 23So be on your guard; I have told you everything ahead of time.

24“But in those days, following that distress,
” ‘the sun will be darkened,
and the moon will not give its light;
25the stars will fall from the sky,
and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.’^[d]

26“At that time men will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. 27And 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.

28“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. 29Even so, when you see these things happening, you know that it is near, right at the door. 30I tell you the truth, this generation^[e] will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. 31Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.

The Day and Hour Unknown

32“No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 33Be on guard! Be alert^[f]! You do not know when that time will come. 34It’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.

35“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. 36If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping. 37What I say to you, I say to everyone: ‘Watch!’ ”

Footnotes:

1. Mark 13:14 Daniel 9:27; 11:31; 12:11
2. Mark 13:14 Or he; also in verse 29
3. Mark 13:21 Or Messiah
4. Mark 13:25 Isaiah 13:10; 34:4
5. Mark 13:30 Or race
6. Mark 13:33 Some manuscripts alert and pray

New International Version (NIV)

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