SIGNS OF THE END
Mark 13:1-31
This chapter contains
predictive prophecy. That sounds a
little like calling something “wet water” or “hot fire,” but I say this because
sometimes prophecy tells us what God is doing in the present. On the other hand, this prophecy speaks of
what God is going to do in the future.
We are going to see prophecies of the destruction of the temple, or wars
and rumors of wars, or tribulations and famines and false messiahs. Finally, we are going to see a promise of the
second coming of the Son.
Some of the prophecies have
already come to pass. Some of them are
being fulfilled today. Some are yet to
be fulfilled. It has been likened to
looking at a series of mountain peaks in the distance without being able to see
the valleys of time which lie in between.
THE
As He was going out of the
temple, one of His disciples said to Him, “Teacher, behold what wonderful
stones and what wonderful buildings!”
And Jesus said to him, “Do you see
these great buildings? Not one stone
will be left upon another which will not be torn down.” (Mark 13:1-2).
Jesus is going to prophesy
the destruction of the temple. This was
a significant event. This temple was not
made of pebbles. It was a tremendous
edifice. There is a single stone at its
foundation which measures 15' x 15' x 60'.
There are many large stones. This
was considered to be by many the most magnificent structure in the world.
Why is this so important for
us to know? How does this prophecy and
its fulfillment relate to us today? It
relates to us because of the prophecies which follow. Jesus is speaking here about an event which
took place within 40 years of His speaking.
But later in this chapter He will be speaking about an event that has
not happened yet.
1. The
Importance of Prophecy.
In
speaking about prophecy, one of my seminary prophessors
by the name of Steve Brown used to point out several key aspects of the Bible’s
use of prophecy. I’ve borrowed them
here:
a.
Prophecy points.
“Then
they will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory.”
(Mark 13:26).
I
taught the book of Revelation for the first time at St. Andrews In 1988. I started out thinking that it would be a lot
of fun. It was. But it was also hard. I got into those bowls and trumpets and seals
and the 144,000 and the witnesses and the beast and the other beast. But the thing that I saw the most of in
Revelation was Jesus.
The
book of Revelation points to Jesus. And
the rest of prophecy does, too.
b. Prophecy
prepares.
And Jesus began to say to them,
“See to it that no one misleads you.” (Mark 13:5).
When
I was in the fire department, we used to have a book of preplans. These were written plans containing
information on how we had planned to fight a fire in a particular area. Prophecy is like that. It tells you things about the future to
prepare you.
“But these things I have spoken
to you, that when their hour comes, you may remember that I told you of
them...” (John 16:4).
“These things I have spoken to
you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take
courage; I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33).
The
point is that, if you are ready for the “tribulation” which Christ says we have
in this world, then it will not take you be surprise.
c. Prophecy
is paradoxical.
To
talk about a paradox makes some Christians squirm uncomfortably. That is because we like to have everything in
nice, neat little packages.
But
God doesn't fit into our packages and neither do His prophecies. We still see through a glass darkly. We still await the
day when we shall see face to face. The means that we should not let prophecy divide us.
d. Prophecy
persuades.
“But when you see the abomination of
desolation standing where it should not be (let the reader understand)...”
(Mark 13:15).
The
thing that you need to know about this passage is that it is a prophecy
originally given in the book of Daniel which had been fulfilled to the letter.
In
166 B.C. the “King of the North,” a Seleucid ruler named Antiochus Epiphanes, had come into
It
did, you know. Within 40 years, the
Roman general Titus would come up against
When
an archer hits a bull’s eye a hundred times out of a hundred, you don’t want to
stand in front of the target when he shoots the hundred and first time. The Lord is the archer who never misses. When you see that His prophecies always come
to pass, you are warned that He has said some things about the future and you
can bank on them.
Jesus
makes a prophecy about the destruction of the
(1) The
upper structure of the
(2) During
the Bar Kochba Revolt (132-135) the Roman Emperor
Hadrian burned the
e. Prophecy
pleas.
“What I say to you I say to all,
‘Be on the alert!’” (Mark 13:37).
Prophecy
is not given to satisfy our curiosity.
It is always given with a plea to live differently in light of that
prophecy.
2. Setting
for the Sermon.
Jesus
and His disciples are in the temple.
This is the same temple out of which they drove the money changers and
the sellers of animals just the day before.
Now they are back. Jesus has just
finished fielding a series of subtle attacks at the hands of the religious
leaders of
They
had been listening to Jesus and the religious leaders, but they hadn’t gotten
it. With all that was going on, they
were more impressed with the architecture of the temple than with the building
of the Kingdom. As such, they were
failing to see the true value of things.
This was a process that had carried over from the previous chapter.
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Mark 12:38-40 |
Mark 12:41-44 |
Mark 13:1-2 |
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The appearance of the
scribes was deceiving |
The appearance of the
widow’s offering was deceiving |
The appearance of the
temple building was deceiving |
3. Not
One Stone Upon Another.
And Jesus said to him, “Do you
see these great buildings? Not one stone
will be left upon another which will not be torn down.” (Mark 13:2).
To
understand the significance of what Jesus is saying, you have to understand something
of the Jewish mentality. When the Jews
looked at the
There
is a lesson here. It is that you should
never place your source of prestige in that which is temporal. From where do you get your self-worth? What is the basis of your identity? It is your job? The car that you drive? Your house? Your wife or your husband? Your good looks? All of these are insufficient. All of these are subject to change.
The
real source of identity for the Christian is Jesus Christ living inside
him. That is the one thing that you
cannot lose. It is unchangeable.
QUESTIONS OF THE FUTURE
As He was sitting on the Mount of
Olives opposite the temple, Peter and James and John and Andrew were
questioning Him privately, 4 “Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be
the sign when all these things are going to be fulfilled?” (Mark 13:3-4).
The disciples mulled over the
prediction of the destruction of the
1. When
will these things be?
2. What
will be the sign when all these things are going to be fulfilled?
It is evident by this
question that the disciples were looking for one specific event which would
fulfill all of the prophecies of Jesus.
What they did not expect was that the prophecies would have multiple
fulfillments.
Keep in mind as you hear the
answers to these questions that Jesus and His disciples are looking down on the
city of
BIRTH PANGS
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13:5 13:6 |
WARNING REASON |
Don’t be
misled. Many will try
to mislead you |
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13:7 13:8 |
WARNING REASON |
Don’t be
frightened You will hear
of wars, earthquakes, famines |
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13:9 13:9 |
WARNING REASON |
Be on guard You will be
delivered up, arrested, hated |
1. Warning
Against Being Misled.
And Jesus began to say to them,
“See to it that no one misleads you. 6 Many will come in My name,
saying, ‘I am He!’ and will mislead many. (Mark 13:5-6).
I’ve
worked for a lot of years with the fire department. When we were responding to an emergency, we
would be given an address or a general location, but as we approached the
scene, we would be looking not only for the smoke, but for the people who would
be standing out in the street and pointing in a particular direction. In doing so, we were assuming that they were
pointing in the direction of the emergency.
It
is hard enough to find the truth without being misled. And so, Jesus warns that not all the people
who point are pointing in the right direction.
Why
are there so many different cults and religions? Many of these name the name of Christ. But they are all pointing in different
directions.
2. The
Beginning of Birth Pangs.
“When you hear of wars and rumors
of wars, do not be frightened; those things must take place; but that is not
yet the end.
“For nation will rise up against
nation, and kingdom against kingdom; there will be earthquakes in various
places; there will also be famines. These things are merely the beginning of
birth pangs. (Mark 13:7-8).
If
you look at all of the things that Jesus is describing and feel that He is
describing your generation, you aren’t alone.
The disciples felt that He was talking about their generation, too. Indeed, every generation has been able to
identify with these words. When did
these birth pangs begin? It started at
the Fall.
To the woman He said, “I will
greatly multiply your pain in childbirth, in pain you shall bring forth
children...” (Genesis 3:16).
The
world has been experiencing them since the time of the fall. The word translated “birth-pangs” is
only found four times in the New Testament.
One of those is a parallel passage in Matthew, the second is a passage
speaking of a woman suffering birth-pangs (I Thessalonians 5:3), and the third
refers to the birth-pangs of death.
“And God raised Him up again,
putting an end to the AGONY of death, since it was impossible for Him to be
held in its power.” (Acts 2:24).
Since
the fall, men have been suffering the birth-pangs of death. From the day you are born, you begin to
die. That is the result of the
curse. Jesus came to do away with those
birth-pangs. But in the meantime, they
will continue.
The
point that Jesus is making is that you should think the Second Coming is near
when you hear of wars and rumors of wars and earthquakes and famines. His point is just the opposite. When you hear of these things, the end is NOT
near. You will be hearing of these
things for a long time before the end finally comes.
Between
the day in which Jesus spoke these words and the fall of Jerusalem in 70 A.D.
there were four major earthquakes in the Roman world.
•
•
• Apamaia in
•
There
were also a number of famines, some of which affected the entire known world
(Acts 11:28). The temptation of the
early church would be to see these events as a sign that the world was about to
end at any moment. And so, Jesus gives
this prophecy so that it will be known that these signs are only the beginning.
When
Paula was pregnant with our daughter Sky, she began having labor pains. We jumped up and drove to the hospital and
she went in to see the doctor. Do you
know what he did? He sent her back
home! He said that these were only beginning
pains and that the birth would not take place for some time. He was right!
It was not until the next evening that Sky was actually born. The same is true of these signs. They are only the beginning signs and they
suggest other signs to follow.
3. Delivered up to Persecution.
9 “But be on your guard;
for they will deliver you to the courts, and you will be flogged in the
synagogues, and you will stand before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them.
10 “The
gospel must first be preached to all the nations.
11 “When they arrest you and
hand you over, do not worry beforehand about what you are to say, but say
whatever is given you in that hour; for it is not you who speak, but it is the
Holy Spirit.
12 “Brother
will betray brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up
against parents and have them put to death.
13 “You will be hated by all
because of My name, but the one who endures to the
end, he will be saved. (Mark 13:9-13).
This
section is presented in chiastic form.
The central thought it that they are going to be delivered up to their
enemies, but in the midst of that betrayal, the gospel will be proclaimed.
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They will deliver you up |
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Brother will betray brother |
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You will be a testimony
before governors and kings for My sake |
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Do not worry about what you
shall say, for it will be given to you |
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The gospel must first be preached to all the nations |
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The
worse things get for Christians, the better they get for the preaching of the
gospel. That is good news because things
can get very bad. If you don’t believe
that, then you have not been reading the newspapers.
When
was the gospel “preached to all the nations?” It happened at Pentecost when representatives
of all of the major nations on earth were gathered in
First, I thank my God through
Jesus Christ for you all, because your faith is being proclaimed throughout the
whole world. (Romans 1:8).
...you previously heard in the
word of truth, the gospel, 6 which has come to you, just as in ALL THE WORLD also
it is constantly bearing fruit and increasing, even as it has been doing in you
since the day you heard of it and understood the grace of God in truth."
(Colossians 1:5-6).
The
gospel was preached throughout the whole world in the early days of the
church. It is still being preached
throughout the whole world.
Verse
14 has troubled many as it speaks of “the one who endures to the end, he
will be saved.” For that reason,
many have attempted to explain it away.
What does it mean?
a. What
is involved in “enduring”?
The
answer is found in the context. Look at
the previous verses. It is enduring in
the presence of persecution. The one who
endures will continue to proclaim the gospel.
b. What
kind of salvation is this?
It
is not mere physical salvation. Indeed,
the Scriptures record many who endured to the death in preaching the gospel who
were persecuted and put to death.
This
is spiritual salvation. It is the
salvation that we speak of when we say that someone is saved from their sins
and from the curse of eternal death.
The
godly that remain faithful through all persecution will be saved from the
ultimate destruction of God’s judgment.
Those who survive God’s judgment will be called holy.
c. The
question of eternal security.
Does
it mean that if you come to Christ and then turn away from Him that you are not
saved? That is exactly what it means.
Children, it is the last hour;
and just as you heard that antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have
arisen; from this we know that it is the last hour.
They went out from us, but they were
not really of us, they would have remained with us; but they went out, in order
that it might be shown that they all are not of us. (1 John 2:18-19).
Does
this mean that you can lose your salvation?
No. But it does mean that when a
person who has declared himself to be a Christian
leaves, it is because he was never one to begin with.
True
Christianity is defined by endurance. A
Christian is one who continues to be a Christian. He is one who loves God and who keeps on
loving God. He is one who holds to the
gospel, confessing it with his mouth and believing it with his heart and who
continues to confess it and continues to believe it.
Now
it is important that you realize that this is not based upon self-effort. The reason that a Christian loves the Lord is
because the Holy Spirit has placed that love in his heart.
THE GREAT FLIGHT
14 “But
when you see the abomination of desolation standing where it should not be (let
the reader understand), then those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains,
15 the one who is on the housetop must not go down, or
go in to get anything out of his house; 16 and the one who is in
the field must not turn back to get his coat.
17 “But
woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those
days! 18 But
pray that it may not happen in the winter. 19 For those days will be a time of tribulation such as has not
occurred since the beginning of the creation which God created until now, and
never will. 20 Unless the Lord had shortened those days, no life would
have been saved; but for the sake of the elect, whom He chose, He shortened the
days.
21 “And
then if anyone says to you, ‘Behold, here is the Christ’; or, ‘Behold, He is
there’; do not believe him; 22 for false Christs and false
prophets will arise, and will show signs and wonders, in order to lead astray,
if possible, the elect. 23 But take heed; behold, I have told you everything in
advance. (Mark 13:14-23)
Is this a prophecy which is
yet to be fulfilled? There has been much
speculation over this question. On the
one hand, there was a fulfillment that took place in the first century. This does not rule out the possibility of
another future fulfillment. But if we
fail to recognize the manner in which the prophecy has already been fulfilled,
then we do it an injustice.
1. The
Abomination of Desolation.
“But when you see the abomination of
desolation standing where it should not be (let the reader understand), then
those who are in
Jesus
quotes from the book of Daniel. There
are two places where Daniel makes mention of an “abomination of desolation.”
a. The
destruction of the city and the temple.
“Then after the sixty-two weeks
the Messiah will be cut off and have nothing, and the people of the prince who
is to come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. And its end will come with a flood; even to
the end there will be war; DESOLATIONS are determined.” (Daniel 9:26).
There
was coming a prince who would effect the destruction of
The
problem is that there are two separate historical events which relate to this
prophecy.
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DANIEL 9 |
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Passage |
Events of 166 B.C. |
Events of 70 A.D. |
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"The prince who is to
come..." |
Antiochus Epiphanes, ruler of the Seleucid Empire. |
Titus, Roman general and son
of Emperor Vespasian. |
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"Will destroy the city
and the sanctuary..." |
Polluted the |
Destroyed the |
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"He will make a firm
covenant with the many for one week..." |
Hellenistic Jews made a
treaty with Antiochus (1 Maccabees 1:11-13). |
No covenant made. |
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"He will put a stop to
sacrifice and grain offering..." |
Antiochus halted the |
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The
first of these events took place in 166 B.C.
A Seleucid ruler named Antiochus Epiphanes had
come into
Now
Jesus is saying that it is going to happen again. Within 40 years, the Roman general Titus
would come up against
b. Setting
up of the abomination of desolation.
“And forces from him will arise,
desecrate the sanctuary fortress, and do away with the regular sacrifice. And they will set up the ABOMINATION OF
DESOLATION.” (Daniel 11:31).
The
context of this prophecy is the actions of the godless “King of the
North.” This is an obvious reference to
Antiochus Epiphanes.
For the king had sent letters by
messengers unto Jerusalem and the cities of Judah that they should follow the
strange laws of the land, 45 and
forbid burnt offerings, and sacrifice, and drink offerings, in the temple; and
that they should profane the sabbaths and festival
days: 46 and pollute the sanctuary and holy people: 47 set up
altars, and groves, and chapels of idols, and sacrifice swine's flesh, and
unclean beasts (1 Maccabees 1:44-47).
Now the fifteenth day of the
month Casleu, in the hundred forty and fifth year,
they set up the ABOMINATION OF DESOLATION upon the altar, and builded idol altars throughout the cities of
Notice
that the same phrase abomination of desolation is used in the book of Maccabees which is used both in Daniel’s original prophecy
as well as by Jesus here in Mark’s Gospel.
The
prophecy of an abomination which renders desolate has long-reaching
effects. The
2. A
Command to Flee.
...then those who are in
This
is a localized prophecy. It speaks to
those who lived in
The
Jewish Christians of the first century applied this prophecy to their own
circumstances so that, when the Jews went to war against the Romans, they
departed from
3. A
Warning of False Messiahs.
“And then if anyone says to you,
‘Behold, here is the Christ’; or, ‘Behold, He is there’; do not believe him; 22 for
false Christs and false prophets will arise, and will
show signs and wonders, in order to lead astray, if possible, the elect. (Mark
13:21-22).
This
is a warning against deception. It is a
warning against Christian gullibility.
Christians are people of faith - but we need to take care that our faith
not be turned into gullibility. We need
to check things out. This applies to
preachers and it applies to congregations.
The reason that there are so many cults today is because people have
been far too gullible.
THE
COMING OF THE SON OF MAN
Up
to this point, Jesus has been describing the coming destruction of
1. Sun,
Moon and Stars.
“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 that are in the heavens will
be shaken. (Mark 13:24-25).
The
amazing thing about this prophecy is that Peter indicated a partial fulfillment
taking place on the Day of Pentecost.
Acts
2 relates the account of the pouring out of the Holy Spirit upon the New
Testament church, followed by the tongues experience. In the midst of it, Peter stood up and
addressed the onlookers. He quoted Joel
2:28-32 which described the sun being turned to darkness and the moon into
blood. And he indicated that it had
happened!
When
did this take place? It happened when
Christ hung on the cross. The sun was darkened. There was a great earthquake. Graves were opened and people came out of
them.
Now
Jesus says that it is going to happen again.
Once again the sun will be darkened.
Once again the powers of heaven will be shaken. And, although He does not mention it here,
the graves will once again be opened.
2. The
Coming of the Son of
“Then they will see the Son of Man
coming in clouds with great power and glory. (Mark 13:26).
The
mention of “clouds” seems to be significant, especially as it is repeated in 1
Thessalonians 4:17 where “we who are alive and remain shall be caught up
together with them in the CLOUDS of the air” to meet the Lord. It is mentioned again in Revelation 1:7 where
we read that “He is coming with the clouds.”
This
had an Old Testament significance. It looked back to the time when the Children
of Israel were in the wilderness and the presence of the Lord guided them by
means of a cloud. When the time came to
dedicate the Tabernacle to the Lord, the cloud came and settled upon the
Tabernacle.
The
same thing happened in the days of Solomon.
When the Ark of the covenant was brought into
the
However,
the most striking parallel between the words of Jesus and of the Old Testament
are to be found in Daniel’s vision of the “Ancient of Days.”
“I
kept looking in the night visions,
And
behold, with the CLOUDS of heaven
One
like a Son of Man was coming,
And
He came up to the Ancient of Days,
And was presented before Him.” (Daniel 7:13).
The
cloud served as a mantle for the glory of God.
It was not for God’s benefit - it was for OUR benefit. It protected men from the terrible glory of
God.
3. The
Gathering of the Elect.
“And then He will send forth the
angels, and will gather together His elect from the four winds, from the
farthest end of the earth to the farthest end of heaven. (Mark 13:27).
The
culmination of the coming of the Son is when He gathers together His elect -
His chosen people. The Greek can be
literally translated, “from the tip of earth to the tip of heaven.”
This
gathering seems to be the same one described by Paul in his epistle to the
Thessalonians when he said that “the dead in Christ shall rise first”
and that “we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them
to meet the Lord in the air” (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17).
The
Dispensationalist holds this to be two separate events: A secret “rapture”
followed by the Second Coming of Christ.
However, the Scriptures never make any distinction between two separate
future comings.
THE PROXIMITY OF HIS
COMING
Back in verses 3-4, the
original question of the disciples had been twofold: They had asked WHEN. They had asked what the SIGN would be. Jesus has given the signs. Now He deals with the first question. This is the question of WHEN.
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13:28 |
What You Know |
Parable of the Fig Tree |
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13:29 |
He is near |
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13:30 |
This Generation shall not |
Pass Away |
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Heaven and Earth shall |
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My words shall not |
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13:32 |
What You Don’t Know |
No one knows the day or the
hour Keep on the Alert - Parable Keep on the Alert - Application Keep on the Alert |
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1. The
Parable of the Fig Tree.
“Now learn the parable from the
fig tree: when its branch has already become tender and puts forth its leaves,
you know that summer is near.
“Even so, you too, when you see
these things happening, recognize that He is near, right at the door. (Mark
13:28-29).
This
is the second time that we have seen Jesus using a fig tree as an
illustration. The first time had been
when He had cursed the fig tree for not producing fruit. Do you remember what it had produced? LEAVES!
Jesus takes the same tree to illustrate this next point.
When
you look at a fig tree and see leaves, you know that winter is past and that
summer is soon approaching. Leaves don’t
bloom in the winter. They are a sign of
coming summer. When you look at the
signs which He has given and see them come to pass, then you know that Jesus’
return is closer than it was.
2.
Things that Pass.
“Truly I say to you, this
generation will not pass away until all these things take place.
Heaven
and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass
away.” (Mark 13:30-31).
Verse
30 presents us with a problem. Jesus
said that “this generation will not pass away until all these things take place.” To make the language even stronger, we see a
double negative used in the Greek text.
When we use a double negative in English, it cancels the force of the
negative, but when you do it in Greek, it makes the negative even
stronger. Thus, Jesus is saying that
this generation will not in any way pass away until all these things take
place. And yet, it is evident that a
number of generations have taken place since the days of Jesus and not all of
these prophecies have taken place. There
are several possible ways to understand this prophecy.
a. The preterist view.
The
preterists view every prophecy in this chapter as
having been completely fulfilled in the first century. That means the reference to the “Son of Man
coming in the clouds” speaks of God’s hand of judgment against the city of
b. The
future generation view.
Another
possibility is that all of the prophecies will take place within the space of a
single generation, but that generation has not yet come. “The promise is that the end-time crisis will
not be of indefinite duration” (Hiebert).
c. The
Semitic view.
Hendricksen
and Ryle teach that Jesus is referring to the Jewish people who will not have
passed away before the time of the Second Coming. Lenski suggests
that Jesus is speaking with the type of Jews with whom He had contended.
Which
one of these views is right? Perhaps
there is a sense in which they all are.
All of the signs of this chapter were fulfilled in the first century
with the sole exception of the Second Coming.
That event which is still future does not mandate a long, drawn-out
process. God’s people will still be
around when He returns.
3. The
Great Unknown.
“But of that day or hour no one
knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone. (Mark
13:32).
All
attempts to determine the time of the Lord’s return are doomed to failure, for
this information is known only to the Father.
This means you can put away your future prophecy charts. We simply don’t have all of the information. If Jesus Himself did not know the date of His
return, then we are not likely to come up with such a date through our own
calculations.
The fact that the Son did not know the day or hour of
His return indicates the limitation of the incarnation. Jesus was
confined to a human body. He was fully
God, but He was also fully man. Because
He was man, He underwent a limitation of His knowledge.
4. Keep
on the Alert.
33 “Take heed, keep on the alert; for you do not know when the
appointed time will come.
34 “It is
like a man away on a journey, who upon leaving his house and putting his slaves
in charge, assigning to each one his task, also commanded the doorkeeper to
stay on the alert.
35 “Therefore,
be on the alert ‑‑ for you do not know when the master of the house
is coming, whether in the evening, at midnight, or when the rooster crows in
the morning ‑‑ 36 in case he should come suddenly and find you asleep. 37 What I
say to you I say to all, ‘Be on the alert!’” (Mark 13:33-37).
Jesus
ends this discourse in the same way He started it — with a warning. The warning is that of watchfulness. Be on the alert! This is the point on which the passage
ends. It is the lesson that we, the
readers, are to take away from this sermon.
In
verses 35, Jesus lists all four watches of the night. He is listing the possibilities of His
return. It might be soon or it might be
far off.
•
Evening.
•
Midnight.
•
Cock crow (literally, “rooster-sound”).
•
Morning (“early”).
The point is that you do not
know when Christ is going to come and so we should be watchful in EVERY age and
at ALL times. What does it mean to be
watchful? It means that we should be
constantly faithful, serving the Lord at all times.
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