Signs of the End^(A)

¹⁴ “So when you see the destructive desecration standing where it should not be (let the reader take note),^[a] then those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains. ¹⁵ Anyone who’s on his housetop must not come down and go into his house to take anything out of it, ¹⁶ and the one who’s in the field must not turn back to get his coat.

¹⁷ “How terrible it will be for women who are pregnant or who are nursing babies in those days! ¹⁸ Pray that it may not be in winter, ¹⁹ because those days will be a time of suffering,^[b] a kind that has not happened from the beginning of creation—which God himself created—until now, and certainly will never happen again. ²⁰ If the Lord had not shortened those days, no one^[c] would survive. But for the sake of the elect whom he has chosen, he has shortened those days.

²¹ “At that time, if anyone says to you, ‘Look here! The Messiah!’,^[d] or, ‘Look there!’ don’t believe it, ²² because false messiahs^[e] and false prophets will have arisen and will produce signs and omens intending to deceive, if possible, the elect. ²³ So be on your guard! I’ve told you everything beforehand.”