Mark 13: The End is Near

Please turn with me to Mark, chapter 16.

Today, we’re going to tackle one of the trickiest passages in this part of Mark, one of the trickiest passages in the whole book in fact.

Jesus’s three year, earthly mission is coming to a conclusion in this final week of his ministry, before his crucifixion. He is making quite the scene, clearing the temple of its corruption, and reclaiming rightful Lordship of his house. The Temple. “MY house!” He sets up shop, and teaches there.

The Temporary Temple

Mark 13:1–2 (CSB)
1 As he was going out of the temple, one of his disciples said to him, “Teacher, look! What massive stones! What impressive buildings!” 2 Jesus said to him, “Do you see these great buildings? Not one stone will be left upon another—all will be thrown down.”

The disciples are marveling at the grandeur of the temple. This temple system which has become so corrupt that he calls it a den of thieves. So corrupt that it is destroying the lives of the poor, even poor widows, who are supposed to be helped and supported by the system.

Destruction is coming to this seemingly mighty fortress. This supposed place of religious power, this symbol of God’s presence and protection, because of their corruption, error, and neglect of God’s ways, is going to be torn down. In 37 years, it will be leveled by the Roman Empire. This will end the terrible perversion of God’s laws, and it will also make the observance of the Old Covenant impossible.

Jesus is ushering in a new age. A new covenant. What the scriptures refer to as “the age to come.”This pronouncement would have been shocking to the hearers, so they ask a question,which kicks off the meat of our passage today.

The Question

Mark 13:3–4 (CSB)
3 While he was sitting on the Mount of Olives across from the temple, Peter, James, John, and Andrew asked him privately, 4 “Tell us, when will these things happen? And what will be the sign when all these things are about to be accomplished?”

Jesus’s answer to this question is a little complex.But I believe if we go carefully through the passage, Mark is actually pretty clear. To start his answer, Jesus gives us four categories of things that are going to happen to people, but do not signal the end. Look at Mark 13:7, “don’t be alarmed, these things must take place, but it is not yet the end…”

Non-signs of the end times

False Messiahs

Mark 13:5–6 (CSB)
5 Jesus told them, “Watch out that no one deceives you. 6 Many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am he,’ and they will deceive many.

You will not be confused, surprised, or mistaken about the second coming of Jesus. It will be abundantly clear.

Wars and political turmoil

Mark 13:7–8 (CSB)
7 When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, don’t be alarmed; these things must take place, but it is not yet the end. 8 For nation will rise up against nation, and kingdom against kingdom…

Another thing that is not a sign that the end is near? Nations rising and falling. Think of all the countries that have risen to power and have fallen into obscurity over the last two thousand years. None of those political upheavals ever have been, or ever will be, part of the sign of the end.

Natural Disasters

Mark 13:8 (CSB)
8 …There will be earthquakes in various places, and famines. These are the beginning of birth pains.

Natural disasters can be quite terrifying. Famine, fires, pandemics. These things all make us afraid, anxious, suspicious… they cause us to go into high alert. Jesus says, these things will happen, but are not the sign of the end.

Increasing Persecution

Mark 13:9 (CSB)
9 “But you, be on your guard! They will hand you over to local courts, and you will be flogged in the synagogues. You will stand before governors and kings because of me, as a witness to them.

There may come a time when we are arrested for our faith. When our organizations are “de-platformed”, blocked from the public internet, when our public worship services are outlawed. In fact, all around the world, this is currently happening to believers. This has been happening throughout the centuries in many parts of the world. This is not a sign of the end.

Rather, it is part of the mission, part of the life of a follower of Jesus. And it comes with a promise.

Promises to those who persevere

Mark 13:9–13 (CSB)
10 And it is necessary that the gospel be preached to all nations. 11 So when they arrest you and hand you over, don’t worry beforehand what you will say, but say whatever is given to you at that time, for it isn’t you speaking, but the Holy Spirit. 12 “Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child. Children will rise up against parents and have them put to death. 13 You will be hated by everyone because of my name, but the one who endures to the end will be saved.

“It is necessary” - What is the it? The persecution. Persecution is necessary so that the gospel be preached to all the nations. That is how the message gets to kings and governors. Persecution is your opportunity to witness. We are promised wisdom and words in that moment. We don’t have to be anxious or worry about or plan for what to say! How will that work? We just need to boldly and plainly say what we believe! You may be worrying right now “I’m not sure I’ll be able to stand up and do that!” I know I do. Here we see God promising us grace to do it.

These four things, which will happen, do not signal the end. Isn’t it interesting that these are usually the four things that cause us to be most anxious and most curious if the end is coming? Jesus is teaching his people, his disciples then, the churches to which Mark was writing, and to us today, to not fear those frightening things, but to stand up in confidence and faith.

And then, Jesus begins to tell them about what they should be on the look out for. The basic message here: You’ll know it when you see it. There will be no doubt.[Birdwatching illustration]

The sign: The Siege and destruction of Jerusalem

Mark 13:14–16 (CSB)
14 “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. 15 A man on the housetop must not come down or go in to get anything out of his house, 16 and a man in the field must not go back to get his coat.

Abomination of Desolation

What is that?Mark expects his original audience to understand the reference. Luke’s gospel clears things up for us gentile readers.

Luke 21:20 (CSB)
20 “When you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then recognize that its desolation has come near.

The abomination of desolation is referring to a phrase used elsewhere in the Bible, and in a historical event Mark’s readers would have been familiar with. The term occurs in Daniel 9:27, which is a prophecy that refers, at least in part, to the the Seleucid invasion of Israel in the 160s BC, in which their king, Antiochus IV Epiphanes, took over the Jewish temple and set up an altar to Zeus in it, desecrating the temple.

This is the event that kicked off the Maccabean revolt (which is where the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah comes from), which you can read about in several history books including 1&2 Maccabees, which also uses the term “abomination of desolation”, as well as the historian Josephus’s “Antiquities of the Jews”.

Jesus, who also would have been aware of this term and its implication is a pretty clear statement to his disciples: “It’s going to be like that again. When you see an army coming, get out while you still can…” the destruction of Jerusalem, which will end the nation.

And then, he begins to sound like an Old Testament prophet, and because he starts speaking in prophetic language, it can get a little murky here. But if we remember the fact that he’s warning about a coming military siege, it stays clear:

Mark 13:17–25 (CSB)
17 Woe to pregnant women and nursing mothers in those days! 18 “Pray it won’t happen in winter. 19 For those will be days of tribulation, the kind that hasn’t been from the beginning of creation until now and never will be again. 20 If the Lord had not cut those days short, no one would be saved. But he cut those days short for the sake of the elect, whom he chose.

21 “Then if anyone tells you, ‘See, here is the Messiah! See, there!’ do not believe it. 22 For false messiahs and false prophets will arise and will perform signs and wonders to lead astray, if possible, the elect. 23 And you must watch! I have told you everything in advance. 24 “But in those days, after that tribulation: The sun will be darkened, and the moon will not shed its light; 25 the stars will be falling from the sky, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken.

This kind of language is used by the prophets to declare significant, earth-shattering, history-altering, world-changing, events that will completely change life for God’s people as they know it.

Jesus is using language from the prophets Isaiah and Joel, which is warning about the first time the Jerusalem temple was destroyed, and he had just finished using language from Daniel about the second time the temple was destroyed. And he’s doing this to warn about the third time the temple would be destroyed.

Josephus’s account of the siege and destruction:

In the middle of 66 AD, Roman Emperor Titus began a war against the Jews, which lasted (interestingly) 3 and a half years, until the the siege of Jerusalem and destruction of the city, including the temple in 70 AD.The ancient Jewish Historian Josephus, who lived between 37 and 100 AD, records a first-hand account in his history “Jewish Wars” that 1.1 million were killed and 97,000 captured. Survivors were scattered to the four corners of the earth, and just to make sure that the land called Judea would be forgotten forever, Rome renamed the area Syria Palestine, after the Jews historic enemies the Philistines. That land, that city, that temple, is done, forever.

Josephus’s description matches not only Jesus’s words here, but also much of the Old Testament prophetic warnings about the judgement of God, in quite some detail.

AND THEN….

And then Jesus says “and then…”, after those days of tribulation — which is referring to every day for the last 2000 years since his rising to heaven, and every day after today until he comes back—

Mark 13:26–27 (CSB)
26 Then they will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. 27 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.

Jesus tells his disciples, you want to know timing? You won’t miss it! This is where it gets tricky.

Jesus has been referring to the destruction of the temple in 70 AD. This event is what the scriptures are referring to when they speak of “the end of the age” or “the end times”.

What Jesus begins to do in verse 26 and 27 is to give the next significant event in the order of end-times events: his return. He’s now looking forward in time to after the “the days of tribulation.”

Jesus has been warning his people about the terrible times that are coming in just a few short years, horrific destruction that ushers in a new age… an age where his people will suffer from the, pestilence, plague, destruction, anxiety, and persecution; and he looks forward to the only true thing that will save them: His final return.

Peter, who was with Jesus at this teaching, writing decades later, echoes this in his instructions to the churches under persecution: he writes this at about the same time Luke writes this gospel account, and the message is the same:

1 Peter 1:13 (CSB)
13 Therefore, with your minds ready for action, be sober-minded and set your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

Back to their question

And then Jesus backs up the timeline. Back to their question. “What are the signs that these things are about to take place?” Back to signs that the destruction of the temple is near…

Mark 13:28–31 (CSB)
28 “Learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its branch becomes tender and sprouts leaves, you know that summer is near. 29 In the same way, when you see these things happening, recognize that he is near—at the door. 30 “Truly I tell you, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things take place. 31 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.

And it’s verse 30 that gives everyone headaches. Because on one level, it seems like its all about to happen right away, but on the other hand, we know that Jesus hasn’t returned yet! What’s happening?

Isaiah, Joel, Daniel, and Jesus all have something in common in predicting the destruction of the temple. They all seem to be pointing at more than one event. The temple ends up being destroyed, but some of the more cataclysmic end-of-the-world stuff doesn’t seem to happen. That is because they are referring to both the near term event, and the end of the world.(It’s a thing prophets do in the Bible.)

Like Revelation, which teaches us how to live in the present in light of the end of the story, Isaiah, Joel, Daniel, Jesus, speak to their present audience about preparing for the near term tribulation (suffering), in light of the end of the story: that Jesus wins.

But as confusing as some of this might be, and even if you might disagree with me on that point,Jesus’ primary point in this entire passage is so clear about what we ought to do in light of the teaching about the end.

Application in light of the end:

Mark 13:32–37 (CSB)
32 “Now concerning that day or hour no one knows—neither the angels in heaven nor the Son—but only the Father. 33 “Watch! Be alert! For you don’t know when the time is coming. 34 “It is like a man on a journey, who left his house, gave authority to his servants, gave each one his work, and commanded the doorkeeper to be alert. 35 Therefore be alert, since you don’t know when the master of the house is coming—whether in the evening or at midnight or at the crowing of the rooster or early in the morning. 36 Otherwise, when he comes suddenly he might find you sleeping. 37 And what I say to you, I say to everyone: Be alert!”

Be alert for the return of Jesus. You will know it when you see it, and you won’t be able to mistake it. Keep close watch on yourself: your life, your pursuits, your focus. Keep your focus on Jesus.

Our lives are filled with distraction, worry, anxiety, trouble, in a word: tribulation. We are so prone to look for relief from that trouble in everywhere but Jesus, but what does Jesus teach us here. You will have trouble, tribulation, in your life. But take heart, he is coming back to make everything right. In the meantime, remember that Christ is returning soon, and that every single one of us will stand before him, and this is good news for his people: focus all your hope on that day.

1 Peter 1:13–14 (CSB)
13 Therefore, with your minds ready for action, be sober-minded and set your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

That grace is the all our hope! The solution we’re aching for. The healing we need. And it is coming!