“And as he came out of the temple, one of his disciples said to him, “Look, Teacher, what wonderful stones and what wonderful buildings!” And Jesus said to him, “Do you see these great buildings? There will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.” 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. “From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts out its leaves, you know that summer is near. So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that he is near, at the very gates. 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. “But concerning that day or that hour, no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Be on guard, keep awake. For you do not know when the time will come. It is like a man going on a journey, when he leaves home and puts his servants in charge, each with his work, and commands the doorkeeper to stay awake. Therefore stay awake—for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or in the morning— lest he come suddenly and find you asleep. And what I say to you I say to all: Stay awake.””
In Mark 13, Christ’s words are directing his followers attention forward to the future reality of his second coming. Christ wants his followers to be prepared. Christ’s second coming is intended to be source of great hope and anticipation for the believer.
There is a lot in these verses as it relates to the last things.
Maybe you are like me and you grew up in church culture that really emphasized the end times. But one of the things that we don’t need to miss is that it is healthy and good for the believer to live our lives in light of Christ’s second coming. We need to live with a sense of anticipation and readiness.
But the common theme throughout these verses in Mark 13 is the encouragement for the believers to be ready. Christ wants his followers to be aware. Don’t be lead astray. He is encouraging them to endure. Be on guard. The end is near. But no one knows the hour, so stay awake.
Have you ever had difficulty staying awake? Maybe on a long drive, or after a big meal, or during a sermon… ;)
(Share with one another about a time when you had trouble staying awake)
Christ knows that as the days pass after his ascension, his followers will be prone to forgetfulness. They might, at least in one sense, be lulled to sleep. His followers may start to comfortably settle back into life without him on earth and begin to forget the importance of being ready for his return.
This becomes increasingly more difficult as the days, months, years and generations pass.
After Christ ascended back to heaven, the New Testament believers clearly expected him to come again soon.
For example, Paul wrote the Corinthians saying, “brothers: the appointed time has grown very short. . . . For the present form of this world is passing away.”
According to James, “The coming of the Lord is at hand”.
Yet, here we are two thousand “very short” years later, still waiting for the second coming of Christ. Did the New Testament authors suffer from the common tendency to be overly optimistic with their expectations?
These verses made me think about how often our expectations can be way off. We can be so bad at accurately estimating how long something will take. So we grow frustrated or become doubtful during the delay. We all know how difficult it is to wait expectantly.
Can you think of an example of something you were looking forward to and thought it would come quickly, but instead it has taken a long time?
I think what Peter writes is helpful here. He reminds us that God marks time differently from us.
He warns the believers about scoffers who will come and try to stir up doubt because Christ has not returned yet.
“They will say, “Where is the promise of his coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation.””
But Peter reassures the believers by reminding them that God’s timing is not like ours.
“But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.”
The Lord is delaying his return because of his great patience and love. He is calling a people to himself from every tribe and tongue and nation. And he allows us to participate in this work.
Texts like Mark 13 remind us that this world is not our home. We are pilgrims. Exiles. Sojourners. So, we should live in light of this reality. We should be prepared. Don’t be lulled to sleep by the enticement of this world.
Let’s pray that the Spirit would guide us into living with urgency and purpose. We need to live with hearts that anticipate and hope for the second coming of Christ. We long for the day when our faith will be made sight. Come, Lord Jesus.