What does Mark 13:7 mean?
Peter, James, John, and Andrew have asked Jesus what signs will precede the destruction of the temple (Mark 13:4) as well as His return and the end of the age (Matthew 24:3). Jesus starts with events that are not such signs: He explains events that do not, themselves, imply that the end times are approaching. Christ is clarifying that just because the world gets dangerous, or "worse," does not automatically mean the end is moments away."Wars" means active battles where you live while "rumors of wars" refers to battles you hear about but that don't directly affect you. Countless wars have taken place in the last two thousand years. It's estimated that 123 million people have died in the thirty-or-so wars of the 20th Century. But even if a worldwide nuclear war were to break out tomorrow, it would not mean that Jesus will return immediately.
These wars and rumors are necessary. For the most part, we don't know why God uses the tragedy of war to set the stage for His plans. We do know that World War II resulted in the re-formation of the nation of Israel. The existence of Israel is crucial to prophecy; the Antichrist will be definitively identified when he brokers peace between Israel and their enemies (Daniel 9:24–27).
Naturally, we have a hard time understanding how God could allow such atrocities as the Holocaust or trench warfare in WWI for His plan. But it is our inclination to be violent and cruel to each other. It is God's nature to provide opportunity for our redemption. He does this despite of and through our own sinfulness. Just as it was our cruelty that crucified Jesus, it will be human cruelty that will prepare the world for Jesus' return.
