Mark 13:1-37, Luke 21:5-36 - LSB - Legacy Standard Bible

Mark 13:1-37

Signs of Christ’s Return

^aAnd as He was going out of the temple, one of His disciples *said to Him, “Teacher, behold ¹what wonderful stones and ¹what wonderful buildings!” 2 And Jesus said to him, “Do you see these great buildings? ^aNot one stone will be left upon another which will not be torn down.”
3 And as He was sitting on ^athe Mount of Olives opposite the temple, ^bPeter and James and John and Andrew were questioning Him privately, 4 “Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the ¹sign when all these things are going to be fulfilled?” 5 And Jesus began to say to them, “See to it that no one deceives you. 6 Many will come in My name, saying, ‘^aI am He!’ and will mislead many. 7 And when you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed; those things must take place; but that is not yet the end. 8 For nation will rise up against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; there will be earthquakes in various places; there will also be famines. These things are merely the beginning of birth pains.
9 “But see to yourselves; for they will ^adeliver you to the ¹courts, and you will be beaten ^ain the synagogues, and you will stand before governors and kings for My sake, as a witness to them. 10 ^aAnd the gospel must first be proclaimed to all the nations. 11 ^aAnd when they lead you away, delivering you up, do not worry beforehand about what you are to say, but say whatever is given to you in that hour; for it is not you who speak, but it is the Holy Spirit. 12 And brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents and ¹have them put to death. 13 ^aAnd you will be hated by all because of My name, but the one who endures to the end, he will be saved.

The Abomination of Desolation and the Tribulation

14 “But ^awhen you see the ^babomination of desolation standing where it should not be (let the reader understand), then those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains. 15 ^aAnd the one who is on the housetop must not go down, or go in to get anything out of his house; 16 and the one who is in the field must not turn back to get his garment. 17 But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! 18 But pray that it may not happen in the winter. 19 For those days will be a time of tribulation such as has not occurred ^asince the beginning of the creation which God created until now, and never will. 20 And unless the Lord had shortened those days, no ¹life would have been saved; but for the sake of the ²elect, whom He chose, He shortened the days. 21 And then if anyone says to you, ‘Behold, here is the ¹Christ’; or, ‘Behold, He is there’; do not believe him; 22 for false christs and ^afalse prophets will arise, and will show ¹^bsigns and ^bwonders, in order to lead astray, if possible, the elect. 23 But as for you, see! I have told you everything in advance.

The Coming of the Son of Man

24 “But in those days, after that tribulation, ^athe sun will be darkened and the moon will not give its light, 25 ^aand the stars will be falling from heaven, and the powers that are in ¹the heavens will be shaken. 26 And then they will see ^athe Son of Man ^bcoming in clouds with great power and glory. 27 And then He will send forth the angels, and ^awill gather together His ¹elect from the four winds, ^bfrom the farthest end of the earth to the farthest end of heaven.

The Parable of the Fig Tree

28 “Now learn the parable from the fig tree: when its branch has already become tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near. 29 Even so, you too, when you see these things happening, ¹recognize that ²He is near, right at the ³door. 30 Truly I say to you, this ¹generation will not pass away until all these things take place. 31 Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away. 32 ^aBut of that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone.
33 “See to it, ^akeep on the alert; for you do not know when the appointed time ¹will come. 34 ^aIt is like a man away on a journey, who, leaving his house and giving authority to his slaves—each one his task, also commanded the doorkeeper to stay awake. 35 Therefore, ^astay awake—for you do not know when the ¹master of the house is coming, whether in the evening, at midnight, or ^bwhen the rooster crows, or ^cin the morning— 36 lest he come suddenly and find you ^asleeping. 37 And what I say to you I say to all, ‘^aStay awake!’”

Luke 21:5-36

5 ^aAnd while some were talking about the temple, that it had been adorned with beautiful stones and dedicated gifts, He said, 6 “As for these things which you are looking at, the days will come in which ^athere will not be left one stone upon another which will not be torn down.”
7 So they questioned Him, saying, “Teacher, when therefore will these things happen? And what will be the ¹sign when these things are about to take place?” 8 And He said, “See to it that you are not deceived; for many will come in My name, saying, ‘^aI am He,’ and, ‘The time is at hand.’ ^bDo not go after them. 9 And when you hear of wars and disturbances, do not be terrified; for these things must take place first, but the end does not follow immediately.”

Signs of Christ’s Return

10 Then He continued saying to them, “Nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom, 11 and there will be great earthquakes, and in various places famines and plagues; and there will be terrors and great ¹signs from heaven.
12 “But before all these things, ^athey will lay their hands on you and will persecute you, delivering you to the synagogues and prisons, ¹bringing you before kings and governors for My name’s sake. 13 ^aIt will result in ¹an opportunity for your testimony. 14 ^aSo set in your hearts not to prepare beforehand to defend yourselves; 15 for ^aI will give you a mouth and wisdom which none of your opponents will be able to resist or refute. 16 But you will be betrayed even by parents and brothers and relatives and friends, and they will put some of you to death, 17 and you will be hated by all because of My name. 18 Yet ^anot a hair of your head will perish. 19 ^aBy your perseverance you will gain your ¹lives.
20 “But when you see Jerusalem ^asurrounded by armies, then know that its desolation is at hand. 21 Then those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains, and those who are in the midst of ¹the city must leave, and ^athose who are in the countryside must not enter ¹the city; 22 because these are ^adays of vengeance, so that all things which are written will be fulfilled. 23 Woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days; for ^athere will be great distress upon the ¹land and wrath against this people, 24 and they will fall by ^athe edge of the sword, and will be led captive into all the nations, and ^bJerusalem will be ^ctrampled under foot by the Gentiles until ^dthe times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.

When Christ Returns

25 “And there will be ¹signs in sun and moon and stars, and on the earth anguish among nations, in perplexity at the roaring of the sea and the waves, 26 men fainting from fear and the expectation of the things which are coming upon the ¹world; for the powers of ²the heavens will be shaken. 27 ^aAnd then they will see ^bthe Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. 28 But when these things begin to take place, straighten up and lift up your heads, because ^ayour redemption is drawing near.”

The Parable of the Fig Tree

29 Then He told them a parable: “Behold the fig tree and all the trees; 30 as soon as they put forth leaves and you see it for yourselves, ^aknow that summer is now near. 31 So you also, when you see these things happening, know that ^athe kingdom of God is near. 32 Truly I say to you, this ¹generation will not pass away until all things take place. 33 ^aHeaven and earth will pass away, but My words will never pass away.
34 “^aBut be on guard, so that your hearts will not be overcome with dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of life, and that day will not come on you suddenly like a trap; 35 for it will come upon all those who inhabit the face of all the earth. 36 But ^akeep on the alert at all times, praying earnestly that you may have strength to escape all these things that are about to take place, and to ^bstand before the Son of Man.”