Mark 13 - "Jesus is Coming Soon, Look Busy!"

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The Destruction of the Temple and Signs of the End Times

13 As Jesus was leaving the temple, one of his disciples said to him, “Look, Teacher! What massive stones! What magnificent buildings!” 2 “Do you see all these great buildings?” replied Jesus. “Not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down.” 3 As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter, James, John and Andrew asked him privately, 4 “Tell us, when will these things happen? And what will be the sign that they are all about to be fulfilled?”

As one of his disciples was admiring the wonderful temple, Jesus let him know that what he saw in the would not be standing in the near future. Every stone of every building would be demolished. This came true in A.D. 70. Peter, James, and John checked in with Jesus to see if he would let them know a sign of when this was to happen. After all they were his inner circle. Could they get a little insider information.  

The temple was demolished in 586 B.C. by the Babylonians and was rebuilt, though Israel never recovered its national identity leading up to the time of Jesus. Though the temple was beautiful on the outside, not much was going on inside.  

This temple was originally rebuilt by Zerubbabel and Ezra (Ezra 6:15) but greatly expanded and improved by Herod. It was the center of Jewish life for almost 1,000 years – so much so, that it was customary to swear by the temple (Matthew 23:16) and speaking against the temple could be considered blasphemy (Acts 6:13).

After Herod’s work, the temple was huge – nearly 500 yards long and 400 yards wide. Herod’s rebuilding started in 19 B.C., and was not completed until A.D. 63, taking more than 80 years. The magnificent temple compound was finished only seven years before it was destroyed.

The beauty of the ancient temple is well documented. The Jewish historian Josephus says that the temple was covered on the outside with gold plates that were so brilliant that when the sun shone it was blinding. Where there wasn’t gold, there were blocks of marble of such a pure white that from a distance, strangers thought there was snow on the temple.

5 Jesus said to them: “Watch out that no one deceives you. 6 Many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am he,’ and will deceive many. 7 When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. 8 Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places, and famines. These are the beginning of birth pains.

Jesus makes it clear that he is not just talking about the near future but also about the end times. Importantly, many false prophets will come claiming to be the Messiah, and they will deceive many. Part of the deception will be wars and rumors of wars. We certainly see enough of those today. National wars and kingdoms will come against each, which will be leading indicators, but this will not be the end. It is only the beginning of the end, which Mark calls "birth pains". There will also be national disasters and famines too. 

Things such as false messiahs, wars, famines and earthquakes have certainly marked man’s history since the time of Jesus’ Ascension. In effect, Jesus said, “Catastrophes will happen, but these do not signal the end.” Man has often thought that such things would signal the end, but Jesus would point to a more specific sign to watch for. - Guzik

 Jesus said these calamites were not specific signs of the end, but were the beginning of sorrows, which is literally the beginning of labor pains. The idea is both of giving birth to a new age, and perhaps implying an increase of intensity and frequency in these calamities. - Guzik

9 “You must be on your guard. You will be handed over to the local councils and flogged in the synagogues. On account of me you will stand before governors and kings as witnesses to them. 10 And the gospel must first be preached to all nations. 11 Whenever you are arrested and brought to trial, do not worry beforehand about what to say. Just say whatever is given you at the time, for it is not you speaking, but the Holy Spirit.12 “Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child. Children will rebel against their parents and have them put to death. 13 Everyone will hate you because of me, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved.

Jesus now started to share with them how they would be treated in the end times. Again this was applicable to them in the short term but also foreshadows how Christians will be treated until the end times and Jesus' return. There are three important things to note about Jesus' teaching here. 

1. The gospel must be preached to all nations. We know much work has been done to translate the gospel into thousands of language of the world's people groups. There is stil work to be done in that arena, as well as the Good News reaching everyone's ears in a way they will understand it. It would make sense that God would want everyone to hear the Good News of His Son, who He sent to seek and save the lost. 

2. When they (and we) are persecuted or brought before the authorities, we will not have to worry about to say. The Holy Spirit will give us the words to say. 

3. Family members will betray one another. 

Though these persecutions will happen, we can stand firm until the end knowing that, "He who began a good work in you, will be faithful to complete it!" - Philippians 1:6

14 “When you see ‘the abomination that causes desolation’[a] standing where it[b] does not belong—let the reader understand—then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. 15 Let no one on the housetop go down or enter the house to take anything out. 16 Let no one in the field go back to get their cloak. 17 How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers! 18 Pray that this will not take place in winter, 19 because those will be days of distress unequaled from the beginning, when God created the world, until now—and never to be equaled again.

There has been much conversation and conjecture about what is the abomination that will trigger the end times. Most people think that has something to do with the descretation of the temple, where in the book of Revelation ascribes the perpetrator of this abomination to be the antichrist. 

Essentially, the abomination of desolation speaks of the ultimate desecration of a Jewish temple, an idolatrous image in the holy place itself, which will inevitably result in the judgment of God. It is the abomination that brings desolation. - Guzik

Paul elaborated on the future fulfillment of this in 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4: That day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshipped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God. - Guzik

Rightly, Christians get excited when they see efforts to rebuild the temple. At the same time, we should understand that the basic impulse behind rebuilding the temple is not of God at all – the desire to have a place to sacrifice for sin. Christians believe that all sacrifice for sin was finished at the cross, and any further sacrifice for sin is an offense to God, because it denies the finished work of Jesus on the cross.

Some say that the abomination of desolation was fulfilled in A.D. 70 when Jerusalem was destroyed, and that this ties in with the destruction of the temple promised in Mark 13:2. This interpretation must spiritualize Mark 13:19-27, which says that Jesus would return in glory soon after the abomination of desolation.

20 “If the Lord had not cut short those days, no one would survive. But for the sake of the elect, whom he has chosen, he has shortened them. 21 At that time if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Messiah!’ or, ‘Look, there he is!’ do not believe it. 22 For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. 23 So be on your guard; I have told you everything ahead of time.

Though the end times will bring extreme desolation and destruction, God's mercy and grace are seen in him cutting short the length of tribulation. Importantly there will be many false Messiah's who claim to be the real one. The deception will be so tricky that it would be tempting to Christians as well. Since Jesus has forewarned them, they should be ready, as should we. 

BTW, one of the reasons to read through the bible every year is to be knowledgeable about all these truths Jesus taught, including his teaching on the end times. 

It is easy to sympathize with that way of thinking – but Jesus told us take heed; see, I have told you all things beforehand. He has reasons why He wants you to take heed, anticipating and being ready for His soon return:

· It has a purifying effect in our lives.

· It gives us a sense of urgency.

· It makes us bold in speaking to the lost.

· It helps us keep a light touch on the things of this world.

Think of it this way: if a person woke every morning and said, “Jesus is coming soon and I have to live like He is coming soon,” would it make their life better or worse?

24 “But in those days, following that distress, “‘the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; 25 the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.’[c] 26 “At that time people will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. 27 And he will send his angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of the heavens.

The last prelude to the end will be a catyclysmic roll back of what God did in Creation. The sun will not shine anymore, and darkness will reign. The moon will also be put out, so nightime will be even darker. The stars that light up the sky will exit stage left. The other bodies that make up the heavenly realm will also be shaken like never before. It is then that Jesus, the Son of Man, will come in great and promised glory. Finally, the elect, those who have trusted in His name will be gathered from all ends of the earth and heaven. 

"When Jesus returns to this earth after that tribulation, He will come with the saints in heaven and to gather those who have come to Jesus during the tribulation and have survived."  - Guzik

28 “Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. 29 Even so, when you see these things happening, you know that it[d] is near, right at the door. 30 Truly I tell you, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. 31 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.

Jesus makes a challenging statement when he says this generation will not pass away until all of these things have happened. This is one of the more puzzling statements Jesus has made. After all, since the end of the world has not happened yet, what does he mean by this statement? Specifically what does he mean when he uses the word "generation"?

"What generation did Jesus refer to? It cannot be the generation of the disciples because they did not see the triumphant return of Jesus. It is undoubtedly the generation that will see these signs – especially the abomination of desolation. These events and Jesus’ return won’t be on some 1,000-year timetable but will happen in succession." - Guzik

The Day and Hour Unknown

32 “But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 33 Be on guard! Be alert[e]! You do not know when that time will come. 34 It’s like a man going away: He leaves his house and puts his servants in charge, each with their assigned task, and tells the one at the door to keep watch. 35 “Therefore keep watch because you do not know when the owner of the house will come back—whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or at dawn. 36 If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping. 37 What I say to you, I say to everyone: ‘Watch!’”

Despite all of the clues and signs Jesus has given the disciples about the end times, in the end no one knows when it will happen except the Father in heaven. Since we can't know the day or the hour, we should be prepared at any time. Rather than trying to time the return of Jesus with doing the things he has asked us to do, let's just be doing the things he told us to do all the time. 

A while ago I came across a humorous bumper sticker. It said, "Jesus is coming soon, look busy!"

We are all busy, the question is, "What are with we busy with?"