The Gospel of St. Mark

Aquarian Gospel

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter 157

1: And as he came out of the temple, one of his disciples said to him, Look, Teacher, what wonderful stones and what wonderful buildings!

THEN Jesus with the twelve went forth and sat upon Mount Olives, just beyond the city's gate.
2) And his disciples said, Behold the wondrous city of Jerusalem! its homes are all so beautiful! its temples and its shrines are clothed in such magnificence!

2: And Jesus said to him, Do you see these great buildings? There will not be left here one stone upon another, that will not be thrown down.

3) And Jesus said, The city is the glory of my people, Israel, but, lo, the time will come when every stone will be cast down, and it will be a hiss and byword for the nations of the earth.

3: And as he sat on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter and James and John and Andrew asked him privately,

4: Tell us, when will this be, and what will be the sign when these things are all to be accomplished?

5: And Jesus began to say to them, Take heed that no one leads you astray.

7: And when you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed; this must take place, but the end is not yet. 8: For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; there will be earthquakes in various places, there will be famines; this is but the beginning of the birth-pangs.

5) And Jesus said,
This round of human life will not be full until the armies of the conqueror will thunder at her gates, and they will enter in, and blood will flow like water through the streets.
6) And all the precious furnishings of the temple, court and palaces will be destroyed, or carried off to deck the palaces and courts of kings.
7) Behold, these days are not at hand. Before they come, lo, you shall be maltreated by the scribes and Pharisees, the high priests and the doctors of the law.

9: But take heed to yourselves; for they will deliver you up to councils; and you will be beaten in synagogues; and you will stand before governors and kings for my sake, to bear testimony before them.

8) Without a cause you will be haled into courts; you will be stoned; you will be beaten in the synagogues; will stand condemned before the rulers of this world, and governors and kings will sentence you to death.
9) But you will falter not, and you will testify for truth and righteousness.

10: And the gospel must first be preached to all nations.

11: And when they bring you to trial and deliver you up, do not be anxious beforehand what you are to say; but say whatever is given you in that hour, for it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit.

10) And in these hours be anxious not about your speech; you need not think of what to say;
11) For, lo, the Holy Breath will overshadow you and give you words to say.

12: And brother will deliver up brother to death, and the father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death;

13: and you will be hated by all for my name's sake. But he who endures to the end will be saved.

12) But then the carnage will go on, and men will think that they are pleasing God by killing you, and nations far and near will hate you for the sake of Christ.
13) And men will stir up evil thought among your kin, and they will hate you and will give you up to die.
14) And brothers will be false to brothers; fathers will stand forth and testify against their own, and children will drive parents to the funeral pile.

14: But when you shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing where it ought not, (let him that reads understand,) then let them that be in Judea flee to the mountains:

15) When you shall hear the Roman eagle screaming in the air, and see his legions streaming o'er the plain, then know the desolation of Jerusalem is near.

16) Then let the wise wait not, but flee.

15: let him who is on the housetop not go down, nor enter his house, to take anything away;

16: and let him who is in the field not turn back to take his mantle.

17: And alas for those who are with child and for those who give suck in those days!

18) And woe to mothers with their little children in that day; none shall escape the sword.

19: For in those days there will be such tribulation as has not been from the beginning of the creation which God created until now, and never will be.

19) The tribulation of these days cannot be told in words, for such has never been since God created man upon the earth.

20: And if the Lord had not shortened the days, no human being would be saved; but for the sake of the elect, whom he chose, he shortened the days.

20) The conqueror will carry many of the sons of Abraham away as captives into foreign lands, and they who know not Israel's God will tread the highways of Jerusalem until the anti-Jewish times have been fulfilled.
21) But when the people have been punished for their crimes, the tribulation days will end; but lo, the time will come when all the world will rise, like gladiators in a ring, and fight just for the sake of shedding blood.
22) And men will reason not; they will not see, nor care to see a cause for carnage, desolation, thefts; for they will war with friend or foe.
23) The very air will seem surcharged with smoke of death; and pestilence will follow close upon the sword.
24) And signs that men have never seen will appear in heaven and earth; in sun, and moon, and stars.
25) The seas will roar, and sounds will come from heaven that men can never comprehend, and these will bring distress of nations with perplexity.
26) Hearts of the strongest men will faint in fear, in expectation of the coming of more frightful things upon the earth.
27) But while the conflicts rage on land and sea, the Prince of Peace will stand above the clouds of heaven and say again:
28) Peace, peace on earth; good will to men; and every man will throw away his sword, and nations will learn war no more.
29) And then the man who bears the pitcher will walk forth across an arc of heaven; the sign and signet of the son of man will stand forth in the eastern sky.
30) The wise will then lift up their heads and know that the redemption of the earth is near.
31) Before these days shall come, behold, false Christs and poor deluded prophets will arise in many lands.

21: And then if any one says to you, `Look, here is the Christ!' or `Look, there he is!' do not believe it.

22: False Christs and false prophets will arise and show signs and wonders, to lead astray, if possible, the elect.

32) And they will show forth signs, and do a multitude of mighty works; and they will lead astray the many who are not wise; and many of the wise will be deceived.

33) And now I tell you once again, When men shall say, The Christ is in the wilderness, go you not forth.

34) And if they say, The Christ is in the secret place, believe it not; for when he comes the world will know that he has come.

24: But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light,

25: and the stars will be falling from heaven, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken.

35) For as the morning light comes from the east and shines unto the west; so shall be the coming of the age and son of man. 

26: And then they will see the Son of man coming in clouds with great power and glory.

36) The wicked of the earth will weep when they shall see the son of man come down upon the clouds of heaven, in power.

27: And then he will send out the angels, and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven.

28: From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near.

29: So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that he is near, at the very gates.

30: Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away before all these things take place.

31: Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.

32: But of that day or that hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.

33: Take heed, watch; for you do not know when the time will come.

37) Take heed you, O take heed, for you know not the hour nor the day when comes the son of man.

34: It is like a man going on a journey, when he leaves home and puts his servants in charge, each with his work, and commands the doorkeeper to be on the watch.

35: Watch therefore -- for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or at cockcrow, or in the morning --

38) Let not your hearts be overcharged with sensuous things, nor with the cares of life, lest that day come and find you unprepared.
39) Keep watch at every season of the year; and pray that you may meet the Lord with joy and not with grief.
40) Before these days shall come our Father-God will send his messengers abroad, yea, to the corners of the earth, and they will say.
41) Prepare you, O prepare; the Prince of Peace shall come, and now is coming on the clouds of heaven.
42) When Jesus had thus said, he went with his disciples back to Bethany.