Chapter 13

Jesus warns his *disciples about the future13:1-37

The *Temple at Jerusalem will come to an end 13:1-2
v1 As Jesus came out of the *Temple, one of his *disciples said, Look, Teacher. What wonderful stones! What wonderful buildings! v2 Jesus said to him, You see all these great buildings! Not a single stone will remain upon another stone. Men will throw every stone down. Verse 1 Herod the Great began to build the *Temple in about 20 *BC. It was not complete until *AD 63. It was a magnificent building. Herod had made it out of white stone. Some of the foundation stones were enormous. Gold covered the front of the building and it reflected the sun. The *Temple was the place of *worship for *Jews from all over the world. The *Jews could not imagine that anything could happen to their *Temple. It gave them a feeling of security. The *Temple was there. So they believed that God would never leave them. Verse 2 Jesus words came true in *AD 70. The *Romans destroyed Jerusalem completely. The place where the *Temple had been became no more than a field. Future visitors would not believe that the city had ever been there (Josephus, The history of the *Jewish war).

The beginning of troubles

13:3-8

v3 Jesus was sitting on the *Mount of *Olives opposite the *Temple. Peter, James, John and Andrew asked him a question in private. v4 Tell us, when will this be? What will be the sign that all these things will come true? v5 Jesus began to say to them, Watch out! Be careful that nobody makes you believe their wrong ideas. v6 Many men will come. And they will say that they have my authority. They will say, I am (he). They will turn many people from the right way. v7 Do not be afraid when you hear about wars and possible future wars. This must happen first. But the end is not immediately. v8 Nation will fight against nation. *Kingdom will fight against *kingdom. The earth will shake in various places. There will be lack of food. This is only the beginning of the birth pains. Verse 3 To sit was the usual way for a master to teach his *disciples. From the *Mount of *Olives, there is a wonderful view across the Kidron Valley to Jerusalem city. Verse 4 The *disciples wanted to know when Jesus *prophecy about the *Temple would come true. The idea that men would destroy Jerusalem was terrible. So, the *disciples may have thought that the end of the world was coming. The *Messiah will stand on the *Mount of *Olives after he has defeated all his enemies. The *prophet Zechariah wrote about that (Zechariah 14:4). They were therefore also asking about the sign of the end of the world. Jesus gave the *disciples three signs that will happen before Gods final judgement: 1 False *Messiahs Verses 5-6 Some people will say that they are the *Messiah. The *Greek words for I am are the name that Jesus used for himself. Before Abraham was, I am (John 8:58). I am is the name that God gave for himself (Exodus 3:14). Judas from Galilee and Theudas tried to lead people against the *Romans (Acts 5:36-37). In *AD 132, Bar Cochba called himself *Messiah. There have been other people until the present day who make false statements about their authority from God. Some false *Messiahs say that they know the time of the end of the world. Jesus says that only God knows that (Matthew 24:36). 2 Wars

Verses 7-8 Wars between nations will happen during all the time between Jesus first and second coming. But the *disciples must not be afraid. God loves them and he is in control of events. Wars will not be a sign of the immediate end. 3 *Earthquakes or a serious lack of food Verse 8 Less than 40 years after Jesus *prophecy, an *earthquake destroyed Laodicea. In *AD 62, *Mount Vesuvius in Italy threw out hot melted rock that buried Pompeii. The Christians for whom Mark was writing would know about this. There was a serious lack of food in the time when Claudius was the great ruler in Rome (Acts 11:28). *Jews used picture language of a woman in pain because she was beginning to give birth to a new life. It was the sign of the troubles for the *Jewish nation that would bring about a new beginning (Micah 4:9-10). All these signs would come before the end of the world. They were not the end itself. Paul had to warn the Christians in Thessalonica to do their work. Some were neglecting their duties. They expected that Jesus would return very soon. Some even said that he had already come (2 Thessalonians 2:1-3).