Mark 13:3-23 — Signs of the Times?

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.

Jeoldusan Martyrs' Shrine, South Korea
Photo by Robby McCullough on Unsplash

“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.

Judean Mountains at Dusk. Photo by GregDueker

“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. (Mark 13:3-23)

Comments:

It is important to see this passage as answering two different questions which Jesus' disciples had asked:

Q1) When will the stones of the temple be thrown down?; and,

Q2) What will be the signs of the end of the age (i.e., the sign of the end times)? 

Jesus said that there would be a number of signs including the following:

·         Many will come in my name, saying, 'I am he,' and will deceive many.

·         Wars and rumors of wars...for such things must happen, 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 . . .

·         [There will be] troubles.

·         These are [just] the beginnings of sorrows."

Photo by Heather Zabriskie on Unsplash

All these signs are present in the world today... and have been since these words were first spoken. Many think that in the last days there will be an increase in the number of earthquakes, but scientists tell us that there has been no appreciable increase in earthquakes globally. This really is no problem to a believer since the text doesn't say that earthquakes will increase. It says that there will be earthquakes in "various places" and that certainly has happened recently. Wars and rumors of wars have always been with us and today there has been not let up in ethnic strife in recent decades as we have seen large countries like the former Soviet Union and Yugoslavia spit up by wars and uprisings that are said to be "Balkanizing" them. More recently we have seen the tremendous outcry at unjust systemic racism in America and other western countries being sadly co-opted by other political movements.

Could the heart of Jesus' answer have been that things would continue even as they were until his return? Age-long signs indeed…that they were in the last days and could begin to look for his return even as he ascended into heaven? These were the beginning of sorrows.

Woven through this passage are prophetic clues to the destruction of Jerusalem (v.14-18), the general and unavoidable signs of this age (v. 6-13), and specific signs of the Great Tribulation and the Second Coming of Christ (v. 19-27). 

However, more important than a search for prophecy trivia, justifying conspiracy theories, or trying to figure out the day or the hour (which we never will) from the social media headlines, the emphasis in this passage is upon what we can and must do. Here are the six commands found in this passage:

1)    Take Heed (watch) that no one deceives you (v. 5).

2)    Do not be troubled by the problems of the world (v. 7). [Note: this does not mean that we don’t mourn disasters and injustices and try to do something about those problems—we should. Rather we are not to be anxious, worried, or fearful about the outcome in this regard. God is not taken by surprise.]

3)    Watch out for yourself (v. 9) not to avoid hardship, capture, or even death but so that

a)    We might testify of Christ (v. 9,11)

b)    All people groups may hear the gospel (v. 10)

c)    We might endure to the end (v. 13).

4)    Do not worry about what you will say (v. 11)—when we are tried and persecuted at whatever level, the Holy Spirit will give us words to speak. However, those words will sound like the Holy Spirit and not like our own defensiveness.

5)    "Speak that"—which the Holy Spirit gives us to speak not settling for less (v. 11).

6)    Endure to the end (v.13) even though you may be a societal outcast, and might sadly even be betrayed by your unbelieving family, salvation comes through enduring to the end—the one irrefutable evidence of our belonging to Christ. This is the consistent message in the Book of Revelation (e.g., 12:11) ... to "overcome!"

Here is one last observation, Jesus never gave an opportunity to morbid curiosity. He always turned things around to be both practical and spiritual. He consistently turned his followers from an escapist mentality to one of enduring and compassionate engagement. 

How would he have us engage today?