Mark 13:1-23

Jesus Tells the Future of the Jerusalem Temple - End of Time

2 "Do you see all these great buildings?" replied Jesus. "Not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down."

3 As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter, James, John and Andrew asked him privately,

4 "Tell us, when will these things happen? And what will be the sign that they are all about to be fulfilled?"

5 Jesus said to them: "Watch out that no one deceives you.

6 Many will come in my name, claiming, 'I am he,' and will deceive many.

7 When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come.

8 Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places, and famines. These are the beginning of birth pains.

9 "You must be on your guard. You will be handed over to the local councils and flogged in the synagogues. On account of me you will stand before governors and kings as witnesses to them.

10 And the gospel must first be preached to all nations.

11 Whenever you are arrested and brought to trial, do not worry beforehand about what to say. Just say whatever is given you at the time, for it is not you speaking, but the Holy Spirit.

12 "Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child. Children will rebel against their parents and have them put to death.

13 All men will hate you because of me, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved.

14 "When you see 'the abomination that causes desolation' standing where it does not belong—let the reader understand—then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.

15 Let no one on the roof of his house go down or enter the house to take anything out.

16 Let no one in the field go back to get his cloak.

17 How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers!

18 Pray that this will not take place in winter,

19 because those will be days of distress unequaled from the beginning, when God created the world, until now—and never to be equaled again.

20 If the Lord had not cut short those days, no one would survive. But for the sake of the elect, whom he has chosen, he has shortened them.

21 At that time if anyone says to you, 'Look, here is the Christ!' or, 'Look, there he is!' do not believe it.

22 For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform signs and miracles to deceive the elect—if that were possible.

23 So be on your guard; I have told you everything ahead of time.

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This is the Word of the Lord ... It is meant to change the way that we think, and the way that we live.

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Commentary by Bob Pardue

What Christ Says about the Future of the Jerusalem Temple and the End of Time

The temple in Jerusalem did not stand very long. It was completed around the year 64 AD and was completely destroyed by the Romans in 70 AD.

When will the end of times come?

There have been numerous points in history with "prophets" and self-appointed dooms sayers claiming to know the exact time and date of the end of time.

However, no one has guessed right yet and no one ever will.

Jesus will return when God gives the word, not before. No amount of prediction or guessing will change this.

Christ will come on his own terms; not ours. The ones who come before him will fool many so be careful not to follow the "obvious" retuning of Jesus. If we live our lives and try to follow Christ's teachings; that is, to love God, love each other, and make new disciples of Christ, we will know when the time comes.

Until then, don't worry

Our role in this picture is to live our lives the best we can as Christians to be prepared if the end times happens in our lifetime. If it doesn't, we are still saved by the grace of God in Jesus Christ.

Let's treat today and every day as if it were the last chance we have to please God. It could be..

Love in Christ

- Bob

Mark 12:28-34 - The Greatest Commandment in the Bible