Mark 13
The Destruction of the Temple
13:1 Now as Jesus was going out of the temple courts, one of his disciples said to him, “Teacher, look at these tremendous stones and buildings!” 13:2 Jesus said to him, “Do you see these great buildings? Not one stone will be left on another. All will be torn down!”
Jesus shocked His disciples by predicting the destruction of the Temple.
Signs of the End of the Age
13:3 So while he was sitting on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter, James, John, and Andrew asked him privately, 13:4 “Tell us, when will these things happen? And what will be the sign that all these things are about to take place?”
The disciples asked Jesus three questions, but only two were recorded in this gospel. First, when will the temple be destroyed. Second, what are the signs before the end of the Age?
13:5 Jesus began to say to them, “Watch out that no one misleads you.
Jesus answered the second question first. This message was recorded for the disciples of Jesus who will be living during the Great Tribulation. They were warned that false teachers would attempt to mislead them.
13:6 Many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am he,’ and they will mislead many.
Many will claim to be the Messiah.
13:7 When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed. These things must happen, but the end is still to come.
There will be rumors of war.
13:8 For nation will rise up in arms against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places, and there will be famines. These are but the beginning of birth pains.
There will be world wars which will signal that the end of the Time of the Gentiles is near. World War I caused Zionism, which was the desire for the Jews to return to their land. World War II caused the holocaust, which was Satan’s attempt to commit genocide on the Jews. This attempt also caused the formation of the United Nations and the return of the Jewish nation.
Persecution of Disciples
13:9 “You must watch out for yourselves. You will be handed over to councils and beaten in the synagogues. You will stand before governors and kings because of me, as a witness to them.
The disciples of Jesus would be beaten by councils and synagogues. They would stand before governors and kings and testify about Jesus.
13:10 First the gospel must be preached to all nations.
The disciples will teach the gospel to all nations.
13:11 When they arrest you and hand you over for trial, do not worry about what to speak. But say whatever is given you at that time, for it is not you speaking, but the Holy Spirit.
The disciples will be arrested. However, the Holy Spirit will speak through them.
13:12 Brother will hand over brother to death, and a father his child. Children will rise against parents and have them put to death.
The teaching of the resurrection of Jesus will cause a big division between families and friends. Many will betray their family members and friends to persecutors.
13:13 You will be hated by everyone because of my name. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.
The disciples of Jesus will be hated during the Great Tribulation. Many of them will be killed. Those who survive to the end of the Great Tribulation will be saved. They will enter into the Millennial Kingdom as believers.
The Abomination of Desolation
13:14 “But when you see the abomination of desolation standing where it should not be (let the reader understand), then those in Judea must flee to the mountains.
The Antichrist will appear in the rebuilt Jewish Temple and declare that he is God. When he makes this claim, the Jews in Judea are warned to flee to the mountains of Petra.
13:15 The one on the roof must not come down or go inside to take anything out of his house.
Many of the Israeli houses possess patios on their roofs. They must flee immediately. They will not have time to pack.
13:16 The one in the field must not turn back to get his cloak.
Those working in the fields will not have time to return to their homes and get their clothes.
13:17 Woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing their babies in those days!
Those Jewish mothers who are pregnant and nursing will be captured and killed by the Antichrist.
13:18 Pray that it may not be in winter.
In winter, many of the main roads of Israel are flooded with the Fall rains. Many of the Jews will not be able to escape because of the flooded roads. Satan understands these prophecies, so he will most likely declare himself as God in the temple in the winter so that many of the Jews will not be able to escape him.
13:19 For in those days there will be suffering unlike anything that has happened from the beginning of the creation that God created until now, or ever will happen.
During the Holocaust, one third of the Jews were exterminated by Adolph Hitler. During the Great Tribulation, two thirds of the Jews will be exterminated by the Antichrist. Adolph Hitler could have been the Antichrist’s dry run.
13:20 And if the Lord had not cut short those days, no one would be saved. But because of the elect, whom he chose, he has cut them short.
The elect are the one third of Israel who will enter into the Millennial Kingdom. God must fulfill His Abrahamic Covenant promise to the Jewish people.
13:21 Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘Look, there he is!’ do not believe him.
This will be a trick used by the Antichrist to draw out Jewish people so that he can exterminate them.
13:22 For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, the elect.
The elect are the Jewish messianic believers living during the Great Tribulation. Satan will raise up false prophets and false messiah’s in order to draw them out so that he can exterminate them.
13:23 Be careful! I have told you everything ahead of time.
The Jews living during the Great Tribulation have been warned in advance in writing.
The Arrival of the Son of Man
13:24 “But in those days, after that suffering, the sun will be darkened and the moon will not give its light;
After the seven years of the Great Tribulation, the world will experience its fifth and final blackout.
13:25 the stars will be falling from heaven, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken.
The stars will fall from the sky like fireworks. The result will plunge the earth into darkness. The heavens and earth will shake. Everyone who survives the Great Tribulation will be focused on these dark atmospheric changes.
13:26 Then everyone will see the Son of Man arriving in the clouds with great power and glory.
Everyone will be watching the stars falling from the sky. Once the stars have all fallen, then the universe will be in complete darkness. After this fifth and final blackout, the Shekinah Glory will return to earth. Every eye will see the return of Jesus to earth in His glorified body. This means that Jesus did not return to earth secretly in 1914, as many Jehovah Witnesses falsely claim.
13:27 Then he will send angels and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven.
Angels will fly all over the earth and gather the Jews who are scattered all over the world. The angels will bring all of the messianic Jews into the land of Israel, thus fulfilling the Abrahamic Covenant.
The Parable of the Fig Tree
13:28 “Learn this parable from the fig tree: Whenever its branch becomes tender and puts out its leaves, you know that summer is near.
Whenever a fig tree begins to bear leaves, then summer is near.
13:29 So also you, when you see these things happening, know that he is near, right at the door.
Whenever these signs appear, then the second coming of Jesus is near.
13:30 I tell you the truth, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place.
A generation can be 40, 60, 80, 100 or 120 years old. The generation is not the Jews of 1948 or 1967. The generation is those people who see these signs.
13:31 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.
The old heavens and earth will pass away. There will be a new heaven and a new earth. The words of Jesus will never pass away. This is a tremendous prophecy in which liberal and skeptics cannot answer.
Be Ready!
13:32 “But as for that day or hour no one knows it – neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son – except the Father.
When people predict the date of the Rapture, then one must know that it will not be on that day. Even Jesus self-limited His own omniscient knowledge of this event.
13:33 Watch out! Stay alert! For you do not know when the time will come.
The rapture is imminent. It can come at any time. The Second Coming will come exactly seven years after the Antichrist signs the peace treaty with Israel. He will return exactly 3.5 years after He steps into the temple and declares Himself as God. Therefore, the Rapture and Second Coming are two different events.
13:34 It is like a man going on a journey. He left his house and put his slaves in charge, assigning to each his work, and commanded the doorkeeper to stay alert.
An owner of a large estate goes out on a long journey. He asked his servants to work and take care of his estate while he was gone. He asked them to work hard every day, because he could return at anytime.
13:35 Stay alert, then, because you do not know when the owner of the house will return – whether during evening, at midnight, when the rooster crows, or at dawn
Jesus is the owner of this large estate. Believers are to take charge of His estate until He returns. Jesus can return at any time, including during the days in which the disciples were living. This is the doctrine of immanency.
13:36 or else he might find you asleep when he returns suddenly.
When Jesus returns, the believers do not want to be caught sleeping on the job.
13:37 What I say to you I say to everyone: Stay alert!”
The return of Jesus is imminent, meaning that He could come at anytime. Therefore, all believers are to stay alert and work until He returns.