21
About a widow giving money to God
1 While Jesus was in the temple, he looked around and saw rich people coming and putting money in the money box to give to God.
2 And he also saw a very poor widow putting in two little coins.
3 Jesus said to his disciples, “Some people have put a lot of money in the box, but this widow has put in only a little. Yet she has really done better than they have.
4 Those people over there put in a lot of money, but they still have plenty. But this poor woman has put in all her money and now she has nothing left.”
About people destroying the temple
5 Some of Jesus' disciples were talking together in the temple. “This is a beautiful building,” they said. “These are wonderful stones. And all the things that people have brought here to make the temple beautiful are very lovely too.”
Jesus said,
6 “All these things you can see here today won't always be here. Later on some wicked people will destroy them. They will destroy everything until all the stones are lying on the ground.”
Jesus warning the people about the last days
7 Jesus' disciples asked, “Teacher, tell us more. When will that be? What will happen so that we can know before this building falls?”
8 “Be careful,” Jesus said, “and don't let people trick you. Many men will say, ‘We are telling you God's word.’ They will try to trick you and each one will say, ‘Listen to me. I am the Messiah!’ and, ‘Today everything is going to come to an end!’ Don't listen to their lies and follow them.
9 But when you hear about wars in your country or in other countries, it doesn't matter if people are fighting each other or fighting other people, don't be afraid. Terrible things like that must happen first, but everything won't end straight away.
10 “One country will go and make trouble for another country and they will fight each other.
11 In different places the ground will shake and split open. People will die of hunger and of terrible sicknesses that spread from one person to another. Strange and terrible things will happen in the sky and people will be terrified.
12 “But before all those terrible things happen, wicked people will get you and make trouble for you. They will take you to the synagogues and the leaders there will blame you and put you in jail. And they will take you to kings and rulers. They will do all that because they hate me and they will hate you too.
13 “That will be the time when you can speak for me.
14 You must decide beforehand not to worry about what to say. Don't say to yourself, ‘When they blame me, what can I answer?’ Don't think about that now,
15 because when the time comes I will give you the right words to say, so that you can speak for me. I will make you wise and give you strong words. When the people who hate you hear your words, they won't be able to answer you or say a word.
16 “Your own people, even your fathers and mothers and brothers, will take you to the rulers and they will kill some of you.
17 Everyone will hate you because you belong to me.
18 But don't be afraid,
19 because, if you keep going straight ahead on God's road, he will keep your spirits alive forever.”
About people destroying Jerusalem
20 Jesus went on speaking to his disciples and said, “When you see lots of soldiers all around Jerusalem, then you will know that the city will soon be destroyed.
21 “Then everyone who lives in Judea must run away and climb up to the hills to hide there. You people who are inside Jerusalem must leave your houses and run away, and you people who are outside the city must not come inside.
22 “At that time God will punish his people, and all the terrible things that were written long ago will really happen to make those words come true.
23 “You poor women who are pregnant and you mothers who are nursing babies will be very upset. Everyone will be suffering when God punishes his people for their sins.
24 “Some of you people here in Jerusalem will be killed by the sword. Others will have to go far away to other countries because strangers will take you to their country and put you in jail. And people from other places will rule in Jerusalem. They will go on ruling until God sets his people free on the day that he himself has planned.”
About Jesus coming back again
25 Then Jesus continued, “When you look up into the sky you will see the sun change. The moon and the stars will become different too. And when you look over to the sea you will see it rising, and you will be afraid of the roar of the sea and the big tides. Everyone all over the world will be worried.
26 Then you will ask each other, ‘What other terrible things are going to happen now?’ You will be terrified. You will tremble all over and faint and fall to the ground, because God will shake everything powerful in the sky.
27 “Then you will see me, the one who was born in this world, coming back again. I will come down from heaven powerful and glorious.
28 “When all these different things begin to happen, you people who belong to me mustn't be afraid like other people are. You must just keep on bravely going straight ahead on God's road, because very soon God will set you free.”
29 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Think about the sand fig and other trees.
30 When their new leaves begin to appear, we know it is the season of storm clouds and soon it will be the hot season.
31 So when you see all the terrible things I have told you about today, you will know for yourselves that God will soon rule.
32 “Everything I have told you will happen before all you people now living have died.
33 Heaven and earth will both come to an end, but all my words will never end. They will last forever.”
About watching ourselves carefully
34 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Be careful! Don't just think about food and strong drink and nothing more. If you are busy with those things and worried about the things you need to stay alive in this world, then the last day will suddenly come and take you by surprise.
35 Everyone in all the world will see it before they can think about it. It will come suddenly like the sea eagle when it swoops down and grabs a fish.
36 “That is why I am telling you that you must always be watching. Never stop praying that God will make you strong when those terrible things happen. Then you won't fall but you will still stand firm until you all meet me, the one who was born in this world.”
37 Every day Jesus taught the people in the temple and in the evening he went up the hill called the Mount of Olives and stayed there for the night.
38 Then every day he came back to Jerusalem early in the morning to teach in the temple. And many people went there to listen to him.