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21:1 He looked up and saw rich people putting their gifts into the treasury; 21:2 he also saw a poor widow put in two small copper coins. 21:3 He said, "Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all of them; 21:4 for all of them have contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in all she had to live on." 21:5 When some were speaking about the temple, how it was adorned with beautiful stones and gifts dedicated to God, he said, 21:6 "As for these things that you see, the days will come when not one stone will be left upon another; all will be thrown down." 21:7 They asked him, "Teacher, when will this be, and what will be the sign that this is about to take place?" 21:8 And he said, "Beware that you are not led astray; for many will come in my name and say, 'I am he!' and, 'The time is near!' Do not go after them. 21:9 "When you hear of wars and insurrections, do not be terrified; for these things must take place first, but the end will not follow immediately." 21:10 Then he said to them, "Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; 21:11 there will be great earthquakes, and in various places famines and plagues; and there will be dreadful portents and great signs from heaven. 21:12 "But before all this occurs, they will arrest you and persecute you; they will hand you over to synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors because of my name. 21:13 This will give you an opportunity to testify. 21:14 So make up your minds not to prepare your defense in advance; 21:15 for I will give you words and a wisdom that none of your opponents will be able to withstand or contradict. 21:16 You will be betrayed even by parents and brothers, by relatives and friends; and they will put some of you to death. 21:17 You will be hated by all because of my name. 21:18 But not a hair of your head will perish. 21:19 By your endurance you will gain your souls. 21:20 "When you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation has come near. 21:21 Then those in Judea must flee to the mountains, and those inside the city must leave it, and those out in the country must not enter it; 21:22 for these are days of vengeance, as a fulfillment of all that is written. 21:23 Woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing infants in those days! For there will be great distress on the earth and wrath against this people; 21:24 they will fall by the edge of the sword and be taken away as captives among all nations; and Jerusalem will be trampled on by the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled. 21:25 "There will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars, and on the earth distress among nations confused by the roaring of the sea and the waves. 21:26 People will faint from fear and foreboding of what is coming upon the world, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 21:27 Then they will see 'the Son of Man coming in a cloud' with power and great glory. 21:28 Now when these things begin to take place, stand up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near." 21:29 Then he told them a parable: "Look at the fig tree and all the trees; 21:30 as soon as they sprout leaves you can see for yourselves and know that summer is already near. 21:31 So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that the kingdom of God is near. 21:32 Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all things have taken place. 21:33 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away. 21:34 "Be on guard so that your hearts are not weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of this life, and that day catch you unexpectedly, 21:35 like a trap. For it will come upon all who live on the face of the whole earth. 21:36 Be alert at all times, praying that you may have the strength to escape all these things that will take place, and to stand before the Son of Man." 21:37 Every day he was teaching in the temple, and at night he would go out and spend the night on the Mount of Olives, as it was called. 21:38 And all the people would get up early in the morning to listen to him in the temple.