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July 28, 2019
Jason Meyer | Mark 13:3-27
And as he sat on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter and James and John and Andrew asked him privately, “Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign when all these things are about to be accomplished?” And Jesus began to say to them, “See that no one leads you astray. Many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am he!’ and they will lead many astray. And when you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed. This must take place, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places; there will be famines. These are but the beginning of the birth pains.
“But be on your guard. For they will deliver you over to councils, and you will be beaten in synagogues, and you will stand before governors and kings for my sake, to bear witness before them. And the gospel must first be proclaimed to all nations. And when they bring you to trial and deliver you over, do not be anxious beforehand what you are to say, but say whatever is given you in that hour, for it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit. And brother will deliver brother over to death, and the father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death. And you will be hated by all for my name's sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.
“But when you see the abomination of desolation standing where he ought not to be (let the reader understand), then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let the one who is on the housetop not go down, nor enter his house, to take anything out, and let the one who is in the field not turn back to take his cloak. And alas for women who are pregnant and for those who are nursing infants in those days! Pray that it may not happen in winter. For in those days there will be such tribulation as has not been from the beginning of the creation that God created until now, and never will be. And if the Lord had not cut short the days, no human being would be saved. But for the sake of the elect, whom he chose, he shortened the days. And then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘Look, there he is!’ do not believe it. For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform signs and wonders, to lead astray, if possible, the elect. But be on guard; I have told you all things beforehand.
“But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will be falling from heaven, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken. And then they will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. And then 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.—Mark 13:3–27
Introduction
Last week we walked through all four movements of Mark 13 with a special emphasis on how it set the stage for Mark 14–16. I also mentioned that today we were going to dive into verses 3–27 in more detail.
Remember that Jesus had just prophesied that none of the “wonderful stones” would be left on top of another. The temple would be totally destroyed. Now the disciples ask him privately the question begging to be asked. When?
And as he sat on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter and James and John and Andrew asked him privately, “Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign when all these things are about to be accomplished?”
The disciples ask when will these things be, and they ask what will be the sign?
Jesus gives a three-part answer to the disciples’ question.
1) Persecution and Perseverance (vv. 5–13)
A. Warnings Regarding the Signs
B. Persecution and the Call to Persevere
A. Beware Being Misled by Misplaced Trust in Signs (vv. 5–8)
And Jesus began to say to them, “See that no one leads you astray. Many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am he!’ and they will lead many astray. And when you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed. This must take place, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places; there will be famines. These are but the beginning of the birth pains.”
Jesus first tells the disciples that their desire for a sign may make them vulnerable to being led astray. He encouraged them not to place their trust in their ability to spot the sign and nail down the details about the precise timing of the end. Jesus had warned the disciples about the Pharisees desire for a sign.
They should be settled in the knowledge that these things must be (they must be precursors to the end, but they are not the end itself): “This must take place, but the end is not yet” (v. 7).
Wars and rumors of war and international strife are not the end; they are the beginning of labor pains. Not the birth, but the painful contractions preceding the birth. This is actually a profoundly hopeful metaphor. The disciples need to not be alarmed when alarming things are happening around them. Why? They are not dying pains, but birthing pains.
Let me address you for a moment with this metaphor. Nothing is worse than pointless pain. But pain that is connected to a point or a purpose is so different. Hiking a mountain may be taxing and exhausting, but it is worth it when you get to the top and see the stunning views and vista. In the same way, can anyone think of a greater pain than childbirth? Yet after incredible agony, the joy of holding that newborn baby makes the pain worth it. No mother goes through it, holding her baby that she has been waiting nine months to see and says: That wasn’t worth it. Labor pains are woes that give birth to a whole new world that is greater than anything that exists in our greatest imaginations. Yes, it will be worth it. That profoundly hopeful metaphor leads to the call to be on our guard and prepare to suffer and persevere.
B. Persecution and the Call to Persevere (vv. 9–13)
“But be on your guard. For they will deliver you over to councils, and you will be beaten in synagogues, and you will stand before governors and kings for my sake, to bear witness before them. And the gospel must first be proclaimed to all nations. And when they bring you to trial and deliver you over, do not be anxious beforehand what you are to say, but say whatever is given you in that hour, for it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit. And brother will deliver brother over to death, and the father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death. And you will be hated by all for my name’s sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.”
Jesus does not go into detail about the particular signs; he focuses instead on the scope and severity of the persecution that is coming. The scope and severity of this persecution is staggering.
It will take place in many different settings: Jewish authorities (councils and synagogues), and Gentile authorities (governors and kings), but also family settings (brother will deliver over brother; father will deliver over children; children will rise against parents). The hatred and animosity extends all the way to the most severe sentence (death) and to the farthest scope (“you will be hated by all for name’s sake”).
But in the midst of the staggering scope and severity of this persecution, Jesus emphasizes three things: (1) a purpose, (2) a promise, and (3) a call for perseverance.
First, the purpose of this persecution is to provide a context for proclamation. It becomes a context for proclamation—for bearing witness to Christ “for my sake, to bear witness before them” (v. 9). The scope of this persecution is staggering. But in the midst of this persecution, the dominant note is about moving forward for the sake of proclamation, not moving away for the sake of protection. This proclamation will happen on a worldwide scale because the “gospel must first be proclaimed to all nations” (v. 10). Disciples will be hated by all nations and the gospel will go to all those nations. That is the power of the gospel—we all start as haters, and some become worshipers.
Second, the promise in the midst of the persecution is that Christ will provide the words for their witness through the power and presence of the Holy Spirit. They will need to speak, but the Holy Spirit will give them the words to speak (v. 11).
And when they bring you to trial and deliver you over, do not be anxious beforehand what you are to say, but say whatever is given you in that hour, for it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit.
Third, Jesus stresses the call for perseverance: “But the one who endures to the end will be saved” (v. 13).
Once again, note the connection between perseverance and hope. Someone can persevere if there is a light at the end of the tunnel—if one is actually moving toward something worth enduring for!
“But when you see the abomination of desolation standing where he ought not to be (let the reader understand), then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let the one who is on the housetop not go down, nor enter his house, to take anything out, and let the one who is in the field not turn back to take his cloak. And alas for women who are pregnant and for those who are nursing infants in those days! Pray that it may not happen in winter. For in those days there will be such tribulation as has not been from the beginning of the creation that God created until now, and never will be. And if the Lord had not cut short the days, no human being would be saved. But for the sake of the elect, whom he chose, he shortened the days. And then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘Look, there he is!’ do not believe it. For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform signs and wonders, to lead astray, if possible, the elect. But be on guard; I have told you all things beforehand.”
There are three main ways to read these verses: 1) the historical: all the details refer to 70 A.D., 2) the eschatological: all the details refer to the end of the age and the Second Coming), or 3) a combination of the two: a mixing of the images)
The phrase “abomination of desolation” originates from the book of Daniel (9:27, 11:31, 12:11). Most students of the Bible read Daniel’s prophecy as a prediction of the desecration of the temple by a ruler named Antiochus Epipanes (167 BC). The Jewish historian Josephus documented the desolating sacrilege committed by Antiochus as he built a pagan altar on God’s altar and sacrificed a pig on it (Ant. 12.5.4 §253).
Therefore, when Jesus uses that phrase it would have a profound and startling effect on any Jew (much like “ 9/11” now has so much meaning for us). So how should we read these verses?
1) All the details take place in A.D. 70.
A) The Abomination
This view says the desolating sacrilege refers in some way to the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans in A.D. 70. It could be a general reference to those events or a specific reference like when the Roman general Titus entered into the temple sanctuary or when the Roman soldiers set their standards up in the temple and offered sacrifices while acclaiming Titus as emperor. Another strong possibility would be the actions of the Jewish Zealots and others who made themselves priests (and were thus standing where they should not be—A.D. 67–68).
B) Let the Reader Understand
This view reads this phrase as an editorial addition as Mark makes an aside to his readers and alerts them that this event is about to take place. That would date Mark’s Gospel to the late 60’s A.D., just before the Jewish war began.
C) The Tribulation
This view interprets Jesus’ words as a warning to flee the city of Jerusalem (vv. 14–18). The tribulation will be so bad that people should not go back into their house to pack. Flat rooftops in Palestine were used as living space and were accessible by an outside ladder or staircase. Jesus says, “Don’t go into the house to pack; there is no time!”
One would normally run toward a fortified, walled city, not away from it, but in this case, Jesus is warning about Jerusalem as a place where no one will be safe. He then turns to the horrors of the siege and the terrors that those inside the city will face (v. 19).
The Jewish historian Josephus describes these horrors in great graphic detail (J.W., Books 5–6). He comments that outside the city, the Romans crucified so many Jews that they ran out of wood for crosses. Inside the city there was also extreme suffering: disease, murder, starvation, and even cannibalism. Josephus made the startling claim that 1,100,000 people died during the siege (J.W. 6.9.3 §§420–421). Many people believe that these numbers are exaggerated, but they do give some indication of the terrors of this event.
D) The Elect and False Signs and Wonders
In this view, Jesus’ mention of the “elect” or “chosen people” would be a reference to the small number of Jewish Christians that were still in the city during the siege. The idea that God shortened the siege would be a reference to the siege lasting five months, which, though horrible, was a relatively short timeframe for a typical siege.
Once again, the Jewish historian Josephus actually uses similar language to describe what happened in A.D. 70. Many messianic imposters arose in the first century and tricked the masses through “wonders and signs” (Ant. 20.8.6–7 §§167–172). The book of Acts even mentions some of these pretenders by name (Theudas in Acts 5:36; Judas the Galilean in Acts 5:37).
If the first view reads everything historically (it all happened in A.D. 70), the second view reads everything eschatologically (future end times events still to come).
2) All details take place near the Second Coming
A) The Abomination
This view says that the desolating sacrilege refers to a coming antichrist figure, probably the same person as Paul’s reference to the “man of lawlessness” whose presence is tied to the coming day of the Lord (2 Thessalonians 2:1–10). This would also relate to the reference to “antichrist” in 1 John (1 John 2:18) or the “beast” in Revelation (Revelation 11:7, 13:1–18). The way Paul describes this man of lawlessness is very similar to the way Jesus talks about the desolating sacrilege.
But when you see the abomination of desolation standing where he ought not to be.—Mark 13:14
Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to him, we ask you, brothers, not to be quickly shaken in mind or alarmed, either by a spirit or a spoken word, or a letter seeming to be from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come. Let no one deceive you in any way. For that day will not come, unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, who opposes and exalts himself against every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God.—2 Thessalonians 2:1–4
Also interesting is that Mark uses a masculine participle for “standing.” One would expect a neuter participle (it) because it would grammatically agree with the neuter word “abomination.” Thus, it seems Mark envisions a person and not just an event or thing.
B) Let the Reader Understand
The view that says all of Mark 13 is a reference to future end times events would read this phrase as a word from Jesus, not an editorial assertion from Mark. In other words, the words would address all readers of the Bible, not just Mark’s original readers in their particular time. In this way, the “reader” would also be the reader of the book of Daniel and it would be an exhortation to examine the prophecy in Daniel as calling for further, deeper reflection.
C) The Tribulation
This second view would read the tribulation as a future time of unprecedented suffering. All tragedies and travesties would pale in comparison if this tribulation is truly unique: “such tribulation as has not been from the beginning of the creation that God created until now, and never will be” (Mark 13:19).
D) The Elect and the Deceivers
The elect would be all Christians living during this future tribulation. Remember that Jesus has already commented on the worldwide spread of the gospel: “the gospel must first be proclaimed to all nations” (Mark 13:10).
Jesus’ mention of deceivers and false signs and wonders also fits very well with what Paul says about the man of lawlessness. He sets himself up in God’s temple and will use “all sorts of displays of power through signs and wonders” (ἐν πάσῃ δυνάμει καὶ σημείοις καὶ τέρασιν; 2 Thessalonians 2:9).
Which reading is right? Before we talk about the third way of reading this text, let’s finish the interpretive challenge by connecting this text to verses 24–27.
“But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will be falling from heaven, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken. And then they will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. And then 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.”
View #1: Historical (All details happened in A.D. 70)
There are some who take these verses to refer to the fall of Jerusalem in A.D. 70. Some of you may scratch your head at this the way I did when I first heard it. How could this “coming” be a reference to anything other than the Second Coming? Some think that “coming” is a metaphorical way of referring to Jesus’ words coming true so that what he said is vindicated (a huge “I told you so” moment). Therefore, this text talks about a change of rule: the Jewish temple or sanctuary is done and now the Son of Man is ruling in the heavenly temple or sanctuary.
Those who relate these verses to the destruction of Jerusalem rather than to the end of the age identify the gathering of the elect with the missionary expansion of the gospel in the first century. The “angels” (ἄγγελοι) then would be either human “messengers” of the gospel or angels viewed as supporting missionaries in the task of world evangelism.
View #2: Eschatological (All details happen at the time of the Second Coming)
This seems to stretch these verses beyond the breaking point—like a rubber band stretched too far. It is hard to see Rome’s destruction of the temple as the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. Rather this phrase always seems to refer to the Second Coming. In fact, the parallel in Acts is quite convincing:
So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” And when he had said these things, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes, and said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.”—Acts 1:6–11
The angel says to the disciples that they will see him come back the same way he left: visibly, bodily, and on the clouds. It is a stretch for the word “coming” and the word “see.” Jesus’ coming is the vindication of his words coming (the “I told you so moment”). People would “see” him vindicated and enthroned only conceptually or metaphorically. But this is simply not the way that the Bible uses the language of “coming” and “seeing,” so it feels like a stretch.
Furthermore, he sends his angels out to gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven. This seems more global in scope and the gathering seems to be focused on the elect—not the destruction of Jerusalem. This seems to be connected with the gospel going to all the nations and then the elect of all nations being gathered.
This passage is saturated with the language of the prophets and what will happen at the end of the days. The language of “the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will be falling from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken” all echo OT texts, especially Isaiah 13:10 (“the rising sun will be darkened and the moon will not give its light”) and 34:4 (“all the starry host will fall … like shriveled figs from the fig tree”).
The language of gathering God’s people also comes from OT texts that describe the final gathering of God’s people (“ends of the earth” comes from Deuteronomy 30:4, and “ends of the heavens” comes from Zechariah 2:6).
View #3: Mix of Historical and Eschatological
Spotting problems with both views is fairly easy. First, it is hard to read all the verses as a reference to A.D. 70 It is not natural to read the “elect” in one part of Mark 13 as only a few Jewish Christians in Jerusalem and the other references to the gathering of the elect as Christians throughout the world. And even though the siege of Jerusalem in the Jewish war was a horrific event, was it really the worst of its kind in history? “For in those days there will be such tribulation as has not been from the beginning of the creation that God created until now, and never will be” (Mark 13:19). And what does one do with all the parallels between Mark 13 and the man of lawlessness in 2 Thessalonians 2?
Second: Equally hard is reading all the verses as a reference to the last of the last times. This view does not seem to do justice to the connection between Jesus’ prediction about the destruction of the temple and his answer to the disciples about when that would take place. It seems that there has to be some reference to A.D. 70. Some verses seem to be very focused on a particular location: Fleeing Jerusalem seems to be connected with the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem. Furthermore, the most natural way to take “let the reader understand” is to read it as Mark inserting something to get his first readers’ attention—alerting them to the what is about to happen. And what does one do with all the similarities between Jesus’ words in Mark 13 and Josephus’ summary of the Jewish War?
That is why perhaps the majority position is to read Mark 13 as a mix of both historical and eschatological imagery. The combination view does justice to the close relationship between Jesus’ prediction of the temple’s destruction (13:2) and the warning to flee Jerusalem (13:14–15), and it explains the climactic finality that verses 26–27 seem to communicate with the coming of the Son of Man and the gathering of the elect by the angels. It also makes sense of why both Josephus’ summary and Paul’s words can be so similar. History consists of repeating cycles and patterns. The former judgments foreshadow and prefigure a climactic final upheaval and judgment.
In fact, I have tried to argue that Mark 13 combines not just A.D. 70 and future end time events, but also prefigures what will climactically and powerfully and surprisingly take place in Mark 14–16. These events are all intimately associated as being part of the great drama of what God is doing in the world and the way that he is ruling the past, the present, and the future. And all of these events are linked in that the first coming, the fulfillment of Jesus’ prophecy, and the Second Coming brings history to its goal as climactic consummation.
All this is an important reminder for how we read all biblical texts that are prophetic in nature. Sometimes biblical prophecy can be surprising in fulfillment. If you read the prophecies about the coming of the Lord, the Jews read those as referring to one moment in time, but we know that what was presented as a package actually happens in two comings of Christ, not just one. This two-dimensional way of reading the prophets (one package with more than one event) has been compared to seeing mountains that in the distance look like they are side by side, but as one gets closer, one realizes that they are actually miles apart. The prophecy about the coming of the Lord in the OT looked like it was all happening together, but we realize now that those two things are actually more than two thousand years apart.
1. Glory
I love the epic-sounding, eschatological, cosmic language used of Christ’s second coming. It is the language of theophany—creation’s reaction to the sudden appearance of the Creator as he sets foot on the stage he made. It is as if all creation goes into shock and upheaval at the appearance of such majesty— the Creator has come!
And every text that mentions Jesus’ second coming emphasizes the great glory of it. Yes, his coming is personal, physical, visible, sudden, but it is also glorious.
Why this note of glory? The climax of creation is connected to the fall of creation. What is the purpose of the last judgment? Yes, it sets right all that is wrong. But what has gone wrong? Answer: Humanity—the crown of creation made in the image of God, has gone after other gods and refused to give God the thanks and glory. So the final judgment is the ultimate and final assertion of the glory of God pressed in upon all those who have not given him glory. Yes! Every knee will bow that has refused to bow. Every tongue will confess that has adamantly refused to acknowledge the truth and has suppressed it in unrighteousness. The essence of sin is choosing some lesser thing over God—devaluing him, an affront to his worth and majesty and glory. Sin is always a steadfast refusal to give glory to God, and so it is rebellion against his glory and majesty.
When Satan rebelled against God it was an affront to his glory. When Adam & Eve listened to the voice of the serpent over the voice of God, it was a devaluing of God’s glory—valuing the voice of the serpent (the liar) over the voice of Him who cannot lie. We all, when we sin, fall short of the glory of God. It is so widespread in a fallen world that you can begin to believe it is normal or customary. But it is a travesty of travesties. God’s glory is supreme over all and salvation and redemption are the re-assertion of his glory—when it will be finally and completely and thoroughly established: the whole earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea (Habakkuk 2:14).
2. Missions
This is why the gospel must go to all nations before the end: The whole earth will be filled. Elect from every tongue and tribe and nation will be gathered. They all will be singing “Worthy is the Lamb” and giving him the glory. That is why we have a heart for missions. While we are waiting for the Second Coming, many people groups have not even heard about the first coming. We are not OK with this tragic status quo. What is true of nations is also true of our neighbors. We want the world to know.
3. Hope
The Bible mentions the second coming of Christ more than his first. (Try looking up the word coming.) For every one reference to the first coming, there are eight references to the second. Why? It is essential for our faith. That’s why hymns usually reference the Second Coming in the final stanza. We need it to be part of the warp and woof of our faith—not a tag-on that we think about at funerals.
This is coming. It is certain. That hope is what helps us endure and persevere to the end. No matter how hard it is now—we press on through it, because it’s worth it. You may be so uncertain about what is going on around you. But you can be at peace. Certainty about the ultimate can vanquish confusion about the immediate. Christians can press on when they are certain about the ultimate even when they are uncertain about the immediate.
Object permanence. Children can be easily alarmed and afraid when something is not right in front of them—the object seems to be out of sight and out of mind. That is why children are often afraid of the dark. Their real fear is not fear of the dark but fear of being alone, which is accentuated by the dark. They can know that Mom & Dad are in the next room, but it does not seem real because they can’t see it—so it does not seem permanent.
But we know that the things that are most permanent and the most real are eternal things. We set our eyes on things that are eternal, things that are unseen. Why are you afraid? Jesus said he is with you always. You may not see him, but he is not near in the sense that he is in another room. He never is. He is always there, even when you can’t see him.
Therefore, there must be a connection between hope and patient endurance. Listen to Romans 8 in the climactic reference to the Second Coming and creation being set free from its groaning and enjoying the freedom of the glory of the children of God:
For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.—Romans 8:24–25
Too many people want to be certain about the immediate instead of bringing the ultimate into the immediate. Now-ism is not compatible with the Christian life. Christians have an urgent need to bring “forever” to bear on the right now. We can be heartbroken but not hope-broken.
The here and now is the immediate, but not the ultimate. When you set your hope on the immediate, you set yourself up for failure and disappointment. It is at best a false sense of security or a false sense of despair because it is not a reflection of the ultimate, just the immediate.
Main Point: We must be prepared for the Second Coming of Christ.
Outline
Discussion Questions
Application Questions
Prayer Focus
Are you awake to the Second Coming of Christ and the glory to come? Pray that we would walk by faith and have hope and patient endurance.