1. One day, Jesus and His disciples were walking by the temple, and Peter pointed out to Him, "Teacher, behold what wonderful stonework has made this magnificent building."
2. And Jesus said to them, "Do you see these great buildings? I tell you truly, not one stone will be left upon another that will not be thrown down."
3. Then they all went to the top of a hill that overlooked Jerusalem, and Peter, James, John and Andrew came to Him asking, "When will these things happen, and what will be the sign of the end of the age when Your kingdom comes into being?"
4. And Jesus said to them, "See that no one deceives you. For the kingdom of God will not come with signs and wonders, nor will it come by watching for it.
5. "Behold, the kingdom of God is within you, and it is among you, and it is spread out upon the earth, but people do not see it.
6. "And a time is coming when you will long to see even one day of the Son of Man, but you will not be able to see it.
7. "And many will come in that day and say, 'Look in the desert, or look in the city--Christ has returned!' but do not believe it.
8. "For wherever the carcass is, there will the vultures gather.
9. "And many will come in My name saying, 'I am the Christ, follow Me.' And they will perform signs and wonders that would deceive even the very elect if that were possible. For behold, I have told you everything in advance.
10. "For just as lightning is visible in the whole sky, so will be the coming of the Son of Man in His day.
11. "You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see that you are not frightened, because that is not the end.
12. "For always nation will rise against nation, and one kingdom will replace another, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places, but all these things are only the beginning of birth pains.
13. "For first the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation.
14. "Then the end will come suddenly when no one expects it. People will be eating and drinking, and buying and selling, and marrying and planting, and building.
15. "Many false prophets will arise and deceive many, and because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will become cold, but those who endure to the end will be saved.
16. "You will be hated by all nations because of me, and they will persecute you and kill you and deliver you up to be tried. You will be thrown out of the synagogues and beaten, and forced to give account of yourselves.
17. "But do not worry beforehand what you will say, for the Holy Spirit will give you the words to speak.
18. "Brother will betray brother, and a father will betray his child, and the children will rise up against their parents and have them put to death.
19. "When you see the abomination that causes desolation standing where it should not be, then flee to the wilderness, and do not go back for your possessions. Do not even go back for your coat.
20. "How sad it will be in that day for women who are pregnant and those with small children. So pray, therefore, that your flight does not take place in the winter.
21. "For those days will be a time of tribulation such as the world has never seen and will never see again.
22. "Unless the Father shortens those days, no life will be left, but He will shorten those days for the sake of the elect whom He has chosen.
23. "I tell you there will be two in one bed and one will be taken; two working in a field, and one taken and the other left.
24. "In those days, after the tribulation, the sun and the moon will go dark. The stars will fall from the sky, and the very powers of nature will be shaken.
25. "That is when they will see the Son of Man coming in the clouds with great power and glory, and all the nations of the earth will mourn their end.
26. "Then He will send forward His angels to gather His elect from all the places on earth and no one shall be missed.
27. "Now, learn a parable from the fig tree; when its branches bud and put forth leaves, you know that the summer is almost at hand. So, too, when you see these signs, know that the Son of Man is near, even right at the door.
28. "Truly I tell you, this generation shall not pass away until all these things take place.
29. "But even if heaven and earth should pass away, My words will not pass away.
30. "No one knows when the end will come. Not the angels of heaven, not even the Son, but only the Father knows the day and the hour.
31. "Be aware, and keep on the alert, for you do not know when the appointed time will occur. Do not let your hearts be overcome by dissipation, drunkenness, and the worries of life, or that day will come upon you suddenly like a trap.
32. "It is like a master who goes away and leaves his servants in charge, giving to each his individual tasks and telling the doorkeeper to watch and wait.
33. "Therefore, be on the alert, for you do not know when the master of the house will return, whether in the evening, at midnight, or when the rooster crows when the morning comes. You would not want to be found sleeping.
34. "What I say to you, I say to all, watch!"
35. Then Thomas asked, "Lord, tell us how our end will come."
36. And Jesus said to him, "Have you found the beginning, so that now you are looking for the end? Truly I tell you, the end will be where the beginning is.
37. "Blessed are those who came into being before coming into being. Blessed are those who stand at the beginning; for they will know the end and will not taste death.
38. "For there are five trees in paradise for you, and they do not change from summer to winter, and their leaves never fall. Whoever knows them will not taste death."
39. Then Bartholomew and Thaddeus asked Him, "Lord, we know that You are going away. Who then will be our leader?"
40. And Jesus said, "No matter where you are you must find the one for whose sake heaven and earth came into being."
41. Then He told His disciples this parable: "When the Son of God comes as a king in great glory, He will divide the people of the world; some will be on His right and some on His left.
42. "And He will say to those on His right, 'Come, you who are blessed of My Father; inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.
43. 'For when I was hungry, you fed Me; when I was thirsty, you gave Me something to drink; when I was a stranger, you invited Me in; when I was naked, you clothed Me; when I was sick, you cared for Me; while I was in prison, you visited Me.'
44. "Then the righteous will answer Him and say, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You something to drink, or a stranger and invited You in, or sick and cared for You, or naked and clothed You, or in prison and visited You?'
45. "Then the King will say to them, 'Truly I tell you, when you did it for the least of My brothers, you did it for Me.'
46. "Then He will say to those on His left, 'Depart from Me, you accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels.
47. 'I was hungry, and you gave Me nothing to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me nothing to drink; I was a stranger, and you did not invite Me in; I was naked, and you did not clothe Me; I was sick, and you did not care for Me; I was in prison, and you did not visit Me.'
48. "Then they, too, will answer and say, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison and not take care of You?'
49. "And He will answer them, 'Truly, I tell you, to the extent that you did not do it for one of the least of these, you did not do it for Me.'
50. "They will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life."
|
