Luke 21

21 ¹ Looking up, Jesus saw the rich putting their gifts into the temple treasury. ² He also saw a poor widow putting in two small copper coins. ³ "Truly I tell you," he said, "this poor widow has put in more than all the others." ⁴ "For all these gave their gifts out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in everything she had to live on."

The Temple Will Fall

⁵ As some were talking about the temple, how it was adorned with beautiful stones and offerings dedicated to our Father, he said, ⁶ "As for these things you are looking at, the days will come when not one stone will be left on another that will not be thrown down."

⁷ "Teacher," they asked, "when will these things happen, and what will be the sign that they are about to take place?"

⁸ "Watch that you are not deceived," he said. "For many will come in my name, saying, 'I am he,' and, 'The time is near.' Do not go after them." ⁹ "When you hear of wars and uprisings, do not be terrified. These things must happen first, but the end will not come at once."

¹⁰ Then he said to them, "Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom." ¹¹ "There will be great earthquakes, and famines and plagues in various places, and terrors and great signs from heaven." ¹² "But before all this, they will lay their hands on you and persecute you, handing you over to the synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors for my name's sake." ¹³ "This will be your opportunity to bear witness." ¹⁴ "So settle it in your hearts not to rehearse your defense beforehand, ¹⁵ for I will give you words and wisdom that none of your adversaries will be able to resist or contradict." ¹⁶ "You will be betrayed even by parents and brothers and relatives and friends, and they will put some of you to death." ¹⁷ "You will be hated by everyone for my name's sake." ¹⁸ "But not a hair of your head will perish." ¹⁹ "By your endurance you will gain your lives."

²⁰ "When you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation has drawn near." ²¹ "Then let those in Judea flee to the mountains, let those inside the city get out, and let not those in the countryside enter it, ²² for these are days of judgment, when all that is written will be fulfilled." ²³ "How hard it will be in those days for those who are pregnant and for nursing mothers! For there will be great distress upon the land and wrath against this people." ²⁴ "They will fall by the edge of the sword and be led captive into all the nations, and Jerusalem will be trampled by the nations until the times of the nations are fulfilled."

²⁵ "There will be signs in the sun and moon and stars, and on the earth nations in anguish, bewildered by the roaring and surging of the sea, ²⁶ people fainting from fear and dread of what is coming upon the world, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken." ²⁷ "Then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory." ²⁸ "When these things begin to happen, stand up straight and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near."

²⁹ Then he told them a parable: "Look at the fig tree and all the trees." ³⁰ "As soon as they sprout leaves, you can see for yourselves and know that summer is already near." ³¹ "In the same way, when you see these things happening, know that the kingdom of our Father is near." ³² "Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all these things have taken place." ³³ "Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away."

³⁴ "Watch yourselves, or your hearts will be weighed down with wild living, drunkenness, and the worries of this life, and that day will close on you suddenly like a trap." ³⁵ "For it will come upon everyone living on the face of the whole earth." ³⁶ "Stay awake at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all that is about to happen and to stand before the Son of Man."

³⁷ Every day he was teaching in the temple, and at night he would go out and stay on the hill called the Mount of Olives. ³⁸ And all the people would come to him early in the morning to hear him in the temple.