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The Gospel of Mark Chapter 13:1-13 The whole of chapter thirteen is taken up with what will happen in the end times and prior to the return of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Trust not in earthly things 1 - 2. 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!" As Jesus was leaving the Temple one of the disciples who was very impressed by the greatness and splendour of the third Temple that had been built by Herod the Great draws His attention to it. Although at this time the Temple had not been completed and in fact the work was not entirely ended untill A.D.64 under Herod Agrippa II. So the statement in John 2:20 is correct. -- Schaff). In Luke 21: 5 we are told that it was adorned with shapely and magnificent stones. It was very impressive; Barnes says the temple was constructed of white marble and the blocks were of a prodigious size. Josephus states that these stones were, some of them, 50 feet long, 24 feet broad, and 16 feet in thickness. The Jews were very proud of it and the disciple who points it out to Jesus shows he was too. 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!" If he thought to make an impression on the Lord he was greatly mistaken for Jesus was not taken up by the temporary things of this world at all. He thus needed to direct His disciples eyes and desires away from the temporal to the eternal and this He ever seeks to do with us (2 Cor. 4: 18). He gives the first of a number of warnings of what was going to happen in the future. The Temple would be completely destroyed, every stone thrown down. This happened in AD 70 when the Roman legions besieged and captured Jerusalem. The Temple belonged to the old order of things, the Old Covenant. When Jesus died and rose again this was the beginning of the New Covenant. The Temple with its continual animal sacrifices came to an end with the once and for all sacrifice of Jesus on the cross (Heb. 10: 9 - 12). The Lord was preparing His disciples for the day when the external things of worship would be done away with (John 4: 21- 24). We need to be careful today that we do not get
caught up with the additions, the non essentials of Christianity and get distracted from the things of Christ (Col. 3: 2). The Temple was finally destroyed in AD 135 and from that time until now no sacrifice has been offered in Israel. However, on 27 March this year two extreme right wing religious activists with a lamb were detained for attempted to make a sacrifice on Temple Mount (The Jerusalem Post).
Signs of the Times and of the End of the Age 3 - 13. 13.3 - 4. So while he was sitting on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter, James, John, and Andrew asked him privately, "Tell us, when will these things happen? And what will be the sign that all these things are about to take place?" As Jesus sat on the Mount of Olives opposite the Temple with just four of His disciples, Andrew is an addition to the usual three, they ask out of curiosity more than anything else what signs will there be to tell them when these things will happen. The signs that He gives them were also to be warnings to them. The signs given in these verses were to be fulfilled in the time of the disciples and also at the time leading up to the Lord's return. The first one was not to be taken up with or put their trust in earthly things (see above). 13.5 - 6. Jesus began to say to them, "Watch out that no one misleads you. Many will come in my name, saying, 'I am he,' and they will mislead many. The second was that they should be very careful and watchful not to be deceived, taken in, by any man (2 Thes. 2: 3). We can safeguard ourselves by daily walking close to the Lord and listening to and obeying what the Holy Spirit has to say to us. The third one was that many would come first of all claiming that they did so in His Name, that is by the authority and power of and as the representatives of Jesus Christ (the Pope claims to be Christ's representative on earth) these are deceivers. Fourthly there will be those who will claim to be the Messiah, the very Christ. This has happened down through the centuries right up to the present time. They are on the increase and will continue to do so and is a sign of the near return of the Lord. It is said that there are over 500 cults in the U.K. and these are increasing many of their followers being totally committed to obeying their leaders (1 John 2: 18). There have also been incidents where many of their followers have committed suicide when their leaders have been investigated by the authorities. 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. The wars and rumours of them refer to civil wars and social unrest the acts of terrorism that occur throughout the whole world. We are not to be alarm or frightened by these things as those who are without hope would be (Luke 21: 25 -26) for they are things that must take place the end is not yet. 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. Nations shall go to war against each other eg I and II World Wars, Korean Vietnam wars, and in our present day, Syria, Egypt and in many African countries. Earthquakes will occur in all sorts of places where they have hitherto been unknown (there has been a number in Wales over the last few
years), and there will be constant famines and catastrophic happenings throughout the world. All this is but the beginnings of the suffering's that will take place (Rom. 8:22 - 23). 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. This verse gives us the fifth warning that the followers of Christ will be turned over to the councils, that is the local governing authorities, to the churches (synagogues) to be beaten, the rulers, representatives of the government (in the disciple's day that would be people like Pontius Pilate, Felix, Agrippa. Paul was brought before kings even and ultimately before Caesar (Acts 25: 11 - 12). All through the Christian era this has been so and will continue and get worse as the end approaches. The purpose of all this is for Christ's sake that they may receive the testimony of grace. Paul gave his testimony before Felix (Acts 24: 24 - 27) and Agrippa (Acts 26). 13.10. First the gospel must be preached to all nations. The message of salvation must be declared to all nations before the second coming of Christ. 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 Lord gives instructions concerning how we should conduct ourselves if we are delivered up to those in authority for the gospel sake. We are not to be anxious about what we are going to say or to try and work out beforehand how we shall answer to the charges made against us for when the time comes the Holy Spirit will speak through us. 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. A sixth warning that even close relatives, the very members of the family, will betray each other even to being put to death. 13.13. You will be hated by everyone because of my name. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. The days will come when Christians will be hated and detested by everybody for Christ's sake. We know that in a measure this is so today but not on the scale that is foretold here. Those who “patiently endures to the end shall be made a partaker of the salvation of Christ and delivered from spiritual death” (Amp. N.T.). So “the Christian must hold fast to the very end and if he be truly Christian he will hold fast, because God holds him fast"(Alan Cole). To the church in Smyrna Jesus said “Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life”. (Rev. 2: 10). © Derek Williams 2013 Bible Studies Online UK www.biblestudiesonline.org.uk You may copy, print or distribute our studies freely in any form, just so long as you make no charges. Sign up today for our FREE monthly Bible study magazine “Living Word” Scriptures taken from the NET Bible www.bible.org