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What does Mark 13 mean?

Chapter Commentary:

Jesus' teaching recorded in Mark 13 is called "The Olivet Discourse" because He and the disciples are on the Mount of Olives, east of the temple. In the discourse, Jesus prophesies about the fate of the temple, Jerusalem, and the end times.

The religious and civil officials have categorically rejected Jesus. As leaders of the people, their decision closes the door on God's continued work through the Jews. Judaism will cease being the primary avenue through which God reaches the world. Jerusalem and the temple, which were designed to be the center of God-worship and have become the nationalistic symbol of the Jews, are no longer needed. The disciples will spread the gospel to the world. Jerusalem and the temple will be burned to the ground in AD 70.

The worldwide church agrees on this, but theologians disagree on the less concrete prophetic parts of Jesus' teaching. The interpretation of biblical prophecy depends on the reader's view of the end times. The two primary ways of interpreting Mark 13 try to answer a question: what is the timing of the fulfillment of the prophecies? Were they fulfilled with the siege of Jerusalem in AD 70? Or do they refer to the tribulation, yet in our future? Or perhaps to a mix of both?

Preterism—from praeter, the Latin word for "past"—teaches that all biblical prophecy has been fulfilled. The more moderate partial-preterism allows that there may be some prophecies yet to come to fruition. Both rely on Jesus' words in Mark 13:30: "Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place." Many of the prophecies in Mark 13 do appear to have been "completely" fulfilled by the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple in AD 70. The rest, such as earthquakes and famines (Mark 13:8), the defilement of the temple (Mark 13:14), and Jesus' dramatic return (Mark 13:24–27) have not. Preterists "spiritualize" these verses, saying for example, that the "abomination of desolation" was the disrespect with which the Roman army treated Jerusalem. Or, they indicate that the common-level incidents of war and famine prior to 70 AD are the entire fulfillment of these ideas.

Futurism teaches that many of the prophecies in Daniel, Revelation, and the Olivet Discourse have yet to come true, even though the vast majority still reference Israel. The church did not permanently take the place of Israel in God's plan. After the members of the church are raptured, God will again use Israel to reach the world with His truth. Although some prophecies such as war (Mark 13:8) and false teachers (Mark 13:5–6, 21–22) do have other fulfillments, the prophecies directed at Israel will happen to Israel during the seven-year tribulation and later. As for Mark 13:30, futurists explain that "this generation" refers to the generation in the future that will experience the events of the tribulation: the horrors that are to come will come quickly and not last long. This is the view of Got Questions Ministries, the parent company of BibleRef.com.

Jesus starts with a soon-to-be-fulfilled prophecy (Mark 13:1–2). Herod's temple, which the disciples so admire, will be torn stone from stone in AD 70. Although other end-times prophecies mention that the as-yet-un-rebuilt temple will be defiled, there's no mention that it will be destroyed again.

The next section starts the discourse. Matthew mentions that the four disciples not only ask when the temple will be destroyed, they ask when Jesus will return (Matthew 24:3). Jesus follows with a long list of signs that do not point to His return. The signs include false teachers, natural disasters, famine, and persecution (Mark 13:3–13).

Jesus follows with a defining event of the tribulation: the "abomination of desolation." At the midpoint of the tribulation, the Antichrist will defile the temple. Believers must maintain awareness that the end is coming, but not yet here, and realize that any human guru who claims to be the Christ is lying (Mark 13:14–23).

At the end of the tribulation, Jesus' return will be unmistakable. He will come with power and glory and gather His followers to Him (Mark 13:24–27). The parable of the fig tree will remind the tribulation saints that they have all the information they need. Even though they will not know the exact moment of Jesus' return, they can rest that He will come quickly. They should live their lives accordingly (Mark 13:28–37).

The center of Mark 13 forms a chiasm. A chiasm is a poem of ideas in a forwards-backwards pattern, visualized as A B C B A. In Mark 13:5–6, Jesus says to watch for deceivers. In 13:7–8, He tells them what to do when they hear of international war and disaster. In 13:9–13, He speaks of the more personal persecution of Christians. Mark 13:14–21 speaks of a great disaster and conflict. And in 13:21–23, He tells them again to watch for deceivers.

Mark 13:1–2 is a short conversation tying together Jesus' teaching and interactions on the temple Mount in Mark 11:15—12:44 with the next section of Mark. That future episode is noticeably darker. Jesus has spent the last week sleeping on the Mount of Olives during the night and teaching in the temple courtyard during the day (Luke 21:37). The representatives of the temple have rejected Jesus, so God will reject them and the symbol of God-worship they have corrupted. Within forty years, the temple, Jerusalem, and the cohesiveness of the Jewish people will be gone—ruined by the Romans in AD 70. Jesus' prophecy about the temple is also found in Matthew 24:1–3 and Luke 21:5–7.

Mark 13:3–13 occurs less than a week after a crowd celebrated their belief that Jesus is the Son of David, come to restore Israel from her Roman oppressors (Mark 11:10). The disciples think Jesus spent the last three years preparing them to rule in His royal court (Mark 10:35–45). Moments ago, Jesus prophesied it is the temple and Jerusalem that will be destroyed, not the Romans (Mark 13:1–2). The disciples were understandably confused, even as He continues His dire predictions. Jesus' warnings are also recorded in Matthew 24:4–14 and Luke 21:8–19.

Mark 13:14–23 describes Peter, James, John, and Andrew asking Jesus for the signs that the temple will be destroyed and He will return to establish His kingdom (Matthew 24:3). Jesus has explained that wars, natural disasters, false teaching, and persecution will increase (Mark 13:5–13). Now He speaks of the second half of the end-times tribulation. It will start with the Antichrist erecting the abomination of desolation in the temple and end right before war and natural and supernatural disasters would cause worldwide extinction. Matthew talks a bit more about false prophets in Matthew 24:15–28 while Luke gives a shortened version in Luke 21:20–24.

Mark 13:24–27 continues Jesus' predictions about His eventual return. Anyone would be excused for being confused about the timeline of the end times, especially regarding Jesus' return. According to a pre-tribulation, dispensational interpretation, this event is Jesus' second coming, which occurs after the rapture and the tribulation. In fact, it marks the end of the tribulation when Jesus destroys the Antichrist and his army (Revelation 19:11–21), imprisons Satan (Revelation 20:1–3), and brings only the tribulation saints and past believers with Him into the millennial kingdom. Jesus' return is also prophesied in Matthew 24:29–31 and Luke 21:25–27.

Mark 13:28–31 makes a lesson about recognizing the end times using an example from farming. Although no one can know when Jesus will return (Acts 1:6–7), God promises to give us signs to let us know the end times are approaching. More specifically, He has told us the sign of the beginning of the tribulation and how long the tribulation will last. If we pay attention, these signs will be as easy to read as the seasons' effects on a fig tree. Many words have been written over verse 30, but it merely means that the tribulation will be short. Matthew 24:32–35 and Luke 21:28–33 record nearly identical accounts.

Mark 13:32–37 continues Jesus talking about the end times by relating the fact that not even He knows when He will return: only God does. This does not mean that Jesus is not God. It merely means that in His incarnate form, the Son has ''emptied himself'' (Philippians 2:7) of God's omniscience and omnipotence. Like a weightlifter who only uses a portion of his strength at times, God incarnate can limit expressing His omnipotence. This is a message for us that we should not believe those who claim to know when Jesus is returning. This warning is also found in Luke 21:34–36 while Matthew gives this warning along with the parable of the ten virgins and the parable of the talents in Matthew 24:42–25:30.

Chapter Summary:

Days before the crucifixion, the disciples praise the glory of the temple. When Jesus tells them the temple will be destroyed, they ask for signs of that coming destruction and of His return (Matthew 24:3). Jesus answers their second question with information crucial for believers in the end times, and any time. Tribulation Christians will face horrifying hardships and violence, as may believers of any era, but they must remember that the hardships will not last. Jesus will return so quickly, any attempt to live by the world's rules will be futile.

Chapter Context:

The prior chapter contained several parables and Jesus' answer to assorted questions. In this section, Jesus turns His teaching towards the disciples. He explains concepts related to the end times: the still-future period when God will complete His plan for judgment on sin. Those details include a prophecy about the impending destruction of the temple. The final chapters of Mark then describe events up to and after the crucifixion of Jesus at the hands of His enemies.

The Gospel of Mark emphasizes both Jesus' servanthood and His role as the promised Messiah: the Son of God. This is done through a concise, action-packed style. Mark provides relatively few details, instead focusing on actions and simple statements. This relates to the Gospel's authorship, which is believed to be based on the memories of the apostle Peter. These include many of Jesus' miracles, in contrast to other Gospels which include many more of Jesus' teachings and parables. Mark also makes frequent mention of Jesus' ministry being misunderstood by others.

Accessed 5/5/2024 7:27:35 AM