Luke 21:5-19

The Voice

Jesus: ⁶ Go ahead, look around, and be impressed; but days are coming when one stone will not be left standing on another. Everything here will be demolished.

Crowd: ⁷ When will this happen, Teacher? What signs will tell us this is about to occur?

Jesus: ⁸ Be careful. It’s easy to be deceived. Many people will come claiming to have My authority. They’ll shout, “I’m the One!” or “The time is now!” Don’t take a step in their direction. ⁹ You’ll hear about wars and conflicts, but don’t be frightened at all because these things must surely come, although they don’t signify the immediate coming of the end. ¹⁰ You can count on this: nation will attack nation, and kingdom will make war on kingdom. ¹¹ There will be disturbances around the world—from great earthquakes to famines to epidemics. Terrifying things will happen, and there will be shocking signs from heaven. ¹² But before any of this happens, they will capture you and persecute you. They’ll send you to synagogues for trial and to prisons for punishment; you’ll stand before kings and government officials for the sake of My name. ¹³ This will be your opportunity—your opportunity to tell your story. ¹⁴ Make up your mind in advance not to plan your strategy for answering their questions, ¹⁵ for when the time comes, I will give you the words to say—wise words—which none of your adversaries will be able to answer or argue against. ¹⁶ Your own parents, brothers, relatives, and friends will turn on you and turn you in. Some of you will be killed, ¹⁷ and all of you will be hated by everyone for the sake of My name.

¹⁸ But whatever happens, not a single hair of your heads will be harmed. ¹⁹ By enduring all of these things, you will find not loss but gain—not death but authentic life.