Mark 13
13
The Signs of the End
1As Jesus was leaving the temple, one of his disciples said to him, “Look, Teacher! What giant stones! What wonderful buildings!”
2“Do you see these huge buildings?” Jesus asked. “Not one stone here will be left on top of another. Every stone will be thrown down to the ground.”
3As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, across from 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 take place?”
5Jesus told them, “Watch out so no one tricks you. 6Many people will come claiming to be me and saying, ‘I’m the Messiah!’ They’ll get many people to follow them. 7You’ll hear about wars, and you’ll hear people saying there are going to be wars. Don’t be afraid. Those things will happen, but that won’t be the end. 8Nation will fight against nation, and kingdom will fight against kingdom. People won’t have enough food, and there will be earthquakes in many places. But all of this will be only the beginning of the birth pains.
9“Look out—you’ll be handed over to the local courts, and you’ll be whipped in the synagogues. You’ll be brought in for questioning by governors and kings because of me. But in that way, you’ll become witnesses to them. 10The good news has to be preached to all nations first. 11You’ll be arrested and put on trial. But don’t worry ahead of time about what to say. Just say what God brings to your mind at the time. It won’t be you speaking; it will be the Holy Spirit.
12“Brothers will hand over their brothers to be killed, and fathers will hand over their children. Children will rebel against their parents and have them put to death. 13Everyone will hate you because of me. But the one who stands firm to the end will be saved.
14“You’ll see ‘the detestable thing that brings desolation’ standing where it doesn’t belong.” (Let the one who reads this be sure to understand.) “Then those who are in Judea should escape to the mountains. 15No one who’s on the roof should go down into the house to take anything out, 16and no one who’s in the field should go back home to get their coat. 17How awful it will be in those days for pregnant women and for nursing mothers! 18Pray that this will not happen in the winter. 19Those days will be worse than any others have been, from the time God created the world until now, and there will never be any days like them again.
20“If the Lord hadn’t decided to shorten that time, no one would survive it. But because of God’s chosen people, he has shortened it. 21At that time someone may say to you, ‘Look! Here’s the Messiah!’ Or, ‘Look! There he is!’ Don’t believe it. 22False messiahs and false prophets will appear, and they’ll do signs and miracles. They’ll even try to trick God’s chosen people. 23So watch out! I’ve told you everything ahead of time.
24“Right after the terrible suffering of those days,
“ ‘The sun will go dark,
the moon won’t shine,
25the stars will fall from the sky,
and the planets will be shaken.’
26“At that time people will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. 27He will send his angels to gather his chosen people from the north, south, east, and west—from all over the earth, right to the edges of the sky.
28“Learn a lesson from the fig tree. As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. 29In the same way, when you see these things happening, you’ll know that the end is near, right at the door. 30Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all these things have happened. 31Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.
No One Knows the Day and Time
32“But no one knows what day or time this will happen. The angels in heaven don’t even know, and the Son doesn’t know either—only the Father knows. 33So keep watch! Stay awake! You don’t know when that time is going to come. 34It’s like a man who goes away and puts his servants in charge of his house. He gives each one a task to do, and the one he leaves at the door he tells to keep watch.
35“So keep watch! You don’t know when the owner of the house will come back. It might be in the evening or at midnight, or it might be when the rooster crows or at sunrise. 36If he comes unexpectedly, don’t let him find you sleeping. 37What I say to you, I say to everyone: ‘Watch!’ ”
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Mark 13
13
Doomsday Deceivers
1As he walked away from the Temple, one of his disciples said, “Teacher, look at that stonework! Those buildings!”
2Jesus said, “You’re impressed by this grandiose architecture? There’s not a stone in the whole works that is not going to end up in a heap of rubble.”
3-4Later, as he was sitting on Mount Olives in full view of the Temple, Peter, James, John, and Andrew got him off by himself and asked, “Tell us, when is this going to happen? What sign will we get that things are coming to a head?”
5-8Jesus began, “Watch out for doomsday deceivers. Many leaders are going to show up with forged identities claiming, ‘I’m the One.’ They will deceive a lot of people. When you hear of wars and rumored wars, keep your head and don’t panic. This is routine history, and no sign of the end. Nation will fight nation and ruler fight ruler, over and over. Earthquakes will occur in various places. There will be famines. But these things are nothing compared to what’s coming.
9-10“And watch out! They’re going to drag you into court. And then it will go from bad to worse, dog-eat-dog, everyone at your throat because you carry my name. You’re placed there as sentinels to truth. The Message has to be preached all across the world.
11“When they bring you, betrayed, into court, don’t worry about what you’ll say. When the time comes, say what’s on your heart—the Holy Spirit will make his witness in and through you.
12-13“It’s going to be brother killing brother, father killing child, children killing parents. There’s no telling who will hate you because of me.
“Stay with it—that’s what is required. Stay with it to the end. You won’t be sorry; you’ll be saved.
Run for the Hills
14-18“But be ready to run for it when you see the monster of desecration set up where it should never be. You who can read, make sure you understand what I’m talking about. If you’re living in Judea at the time, run for the hills; if you’re working in the yard, don’t go back to the house to get anything; if you’re out in the field, don’t go back to get your coat. Pregnant and nursing mothers will have it especially hard. Hope and pray this won’t happen in the middle of winter.
19-20“These are going to be hard days—nothing like it from the time God made the world right up to the present. And there’ll be nothing like it again. If he let the days of trouble run their course, nobody would make it. But because of God’s chosen people, those he personally chose, he has already intervened.
No One Knows the Day or Hour
21-23“If anyone tries to flag you down, calling out, ‘Here’s the Messiah!’ or points, ‘There he is!’ don’t fall for it. Fake Messiahs and lying preachers are going to pop up everywhere. Their impressive credentials and bewitching performances will pull the wool over the eyes of even those who ought to know better. So watch out. I’ve given you fair warning.
24-25“Following those hard times,
Sun will fade out,
moon cloud over,
Stars fall out of the sky,
cosmic powers tremble.
26-27“And then they’ll see the Son of Man enter in grand style, his Arrival filling the sky—no one will miss it! He’ll dispatch the angels; they will pull in the chosen from the four winds, from pole to pole.
28-31“Take a lesson from the fig tree. From the moment you notice its buds form, the merest hint of green, you know summer’s just around the corner. And so it is with you. When you see all these things, you know he is at the door. Don’t take this lightly. I’m not just saying this for some future generation, but for this one, too—these things will happen. Sky and earth will wear out; my words won’t wear out.
32-37“But the exact day and hour? No one knows that, not even heaven’s angels, not even the Son. Only the Father. So keep a sharp lookout, for you don’t know the timetable. It’s like a man who takes a trip, leaving home and putting his servants in charge, each assigned a task, and commanding the gatekeeper to stand watch. So, stay at your post, watching. You have no idea when the homeowner is returning, whether evening, midnight, cockcrow, or morning. You don’t want him showing up unannounced, with you asleep on the job. I say it to you, and I’m saying it to all: Stay at your post. Keep watch.”
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THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson. All rights reserved. Used by permission of NavPress. Represented by Tyndale House Publishers.