Last Days: Signs, Shakes, and Staying Awake — October 2 [Description]Passage Overview:Matthew 24:1-22 and Mark 13:1-20 are parallel accounts where Jesus speaks to His disciples about the end times—a prophetic message often called the Olivet Discourse. Triggered by a comment about the grandeur of the temple, Jesus shocks His disciples by foretelling its complete destruction.From there, He unpacks a multi-layered prophecy for Jerusalem’s destruction and for the end-time days that includes:- False Messiahs and deception (many will claim to be Christ).- Global chaos: wars, natural disasters, and famines—not as the end, but "the beginning of birth pains."- Persecution of believers and the rise of betrayal and hatred.- The gospel being preached to all nations before the end comes.- A specific sign—“the abomination of desolation”—that signals an urgent time to flee, particularly for those in Judea for Jerusalem’s impending destruction and for the enforcing of a mandated Sunday Worship law that decimates God’s fourth commandment law.- A period of great tribulation so intense that God will shorten it for the sake of the chosen.Jesus warns of intensifying deception and suffering, yet calls His followers to stay alert and not be alarmed. The message is both a sobering wake-up call and a call to perseverance and readiness.

Bible discovery

Matthew 24:1-22365D 275.1

1 Then Jesus went out and departed from the temple, and His disciples came up to show Him the buildings of the temple.365D 275.2

2 And Jesus said to them, “Do you not see all these things? Assuredly, I say to you, not one stone shall be left here upon another, that shall not be thrown down.”365D 275.3

3 Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?”365D 275.4

4 And Jesus answered and said to them: “Take heed that no one deceives you.365D 275.5

5 For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many.365D 275.6

6 And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for ^{[a]NU omits all} all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.365D 275.7

7 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, ^{[b]NU omits pestilences} pestilences, and earthquakes in various places.365D 275.8

8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.365D 275.9

9 “Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake.365D 275.10

10 And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another.365D 275.11

11 Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many.365D 275.12

12 And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold.365D 275.13

13 But he who endures to the end shall be saved.365D 275.14

14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.365D 275.15

15 “Therefore when you see the ‘abomination of desolation,’ spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place” (whoever reads, let him understand),365D 275.16

16 “then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.365D 275.17

17 Let him who is on the housetop not go down to take anything out of his house.365D 275.18

18 And let him who is in the field not go back to get his clothes.365D 275.19

19 But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days!365D 275.20

20 And pray that your flight may not be in winter or on the Sabbath.365D 275.21

21 For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be.365D 275.22

22 And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the ^{[c]chosen ones’} elect’s sake those days will be shortened.365D 275.23

Mark 13:1-20365D 275.24

1 Then as He went out of the temple, one of His disciples said to Him, “Teacher, see what manner of stones and what buildings are here! ”365D 275.25

2 And Jesus answered and said to him, “Do you see these great buildings? Not one stone shall be left upon another, that shall not be thrown down.”365D 275.26

3 Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter, James, John, and Andrew asked Him privately,365D 275.27

4 “Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign when all these things will be fulfilled?”365D 275.28

5 And Jesus, answering them, began to say: “Take heed that no one deceives you.365D 275.29

6 For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am He, ’ and will deceive many.365D 275.30

7 But when you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be troubled; for such things must happen, but the end is not yet.365D 275.31

8 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be earthquakes in various places, and there will be famines ^{[a]NU omits and troubles} and troubles. These are the beginnings of ^{[b]Lit. birth pangs} sorrows.365D 275.32

9 “But watch out for yourselves, for they will deliver you up to councils, and you will be beaten in the synagogues. You will ^{[c]NU, M stand} be brought before rulers and kings for My sake, for a testimony to them.365D 275.33

10 And the gospel must first be preached to all the nations.365D 275.34

11 But when they arrest you and deliver you up, do not worry beforehand, ^{[d]NU omits or premeditate} or premeditate what you will speak. But whatever is given you in that hour, speak that; for it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit.365D 275.35

12 Now brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death.365D 275.36

13 And you will be hated by all for My name’s sake. But he who ^{[e]bears patiently} endures to the end shall be saved.365D 275.37

14 “So when you see the ‘abomination of desolation,’ ^{[f]NU omits spoken of by Daniel the prophet} spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing where it ought not” (let the reader understand), “then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.365D 275.38

15 Let him who is on the housetop not go down into the house, nor enter to take anything out of his house.365D 275.39

16 And let him who is in the field not go back to get his clothes.365D 275.40

17 But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days!365D 275.41

18 And pray that your flight may not be in winter.365D 275.42

19 For in those days there will be tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the creation which God created until this time, nor ever shall be.365D 275.43

20 And unless the Lord had shortened those days, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect’s sake, whom He chose, He shortened the days.365D 275.44