Gospel of Mark/Chapter 13:24-37/Commentary

The Gospel of Mark Chapter 13:24-37 13:24 “But in those days”: Mark is still speaking of the same period of time mentioned in the previous verses. He is still talking about the things that would happen within the lifetime of Jesus’ contemporaries (13:30 “this generation”).

Matthew uses even stronger language, for he will say, “Immediately after the tribulation of those days” (24:29). “After that tribulation”: That is, the following is God’s description of what really happened when Jerusalem fell. Observe this is language used “after” Jerusalem falls, after the tribulation of those days. “The sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light”: In the Old Testament the exact same language was used when God came in judgment upon various cities and nations (Isaiah 13:1,10,13,19; 34:4-5; Jeremiah 4:23-26; Ezekiel 34:7-8).

Someone familiar with the Old Testament would know what such language meant.

It never meant the end of the universe or the end of the planet. It was never taken literally even in the Old Testament. Rather, it referred to the downfall of a nation. The destruction of Jerusalem would signal of the end of the Jewish state.

Just like such language before had signaled the end of the Babylonian Empire.

13:25 “And the stars will be falling from heaven, and the powers that are in the heavens will be shakened”: The language of this verse is connected with the previous verse.

1

13:26 “And then they will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory”: At this point Matthew says, “Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky” (24:30). That is, the fall of Jerusalem was a clear sign that Jesus was ruling from heaven, and was a definite sign that Jesus was reigning as King.

“Then”, all these verses are inherently connected together to the same time period. By contrast to these verses and this event, no sign will foretell the Second Coming (2 Peter 3:10). “They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky”: Again, the Old Testament had used the same language in reference to when God came in judgments upon various cities and nations (Isaiah 19:1). Jesus had made it clear to His contemporaries, that they would experience His wrath as Judge (Matthew 26:64). What all this means is that the fall of Jerusalem was not an accident or just one of those things that happen. It fell precisely because it had rejected the Messiah. Rome did not merely take it---God took it. Jesus Himself brought it down.

13:27 “And then”: We are still talking about the same time period. “He will send forth the angels, and will gather together His elect from the four winds, from the farthest end of the earth, to the farthest end of heaven”: Without any context, this verse sounds like it could refer to the Second Coming—except, Jesus places the event within the lifetime of those then living (13:30).

13:28 “Now learn the parable from the fig tree: when its branch has already become tender, and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near” 13:29 “Even so, you too, when you see these things happening, recognize that He is near, right at the door”: The expression, “athese things” links the whole context to a single event. The statement “He is near” tells us that this section is obviously not talking about the Second Coming. Just suppose for a moment that all the events, especially those in verses 24-27 are happening literally, and this is the return of Christ. So Jesus would be saying, “When you see the stars falling out of the sky, the sun extinguished, the universe collapsing, and Jesus Himself riding on the clouds with angels sweeping Christians off the earth, then you will know the Second Coming is near?” If this was the Second Coming, Jesus wouldn’t be “near”, rather He would be here! Matthew 24 is speaking about a judgment in 2

which God came near. It is talking about a judgment that one would not literally see Jesus, but because of this prophecy Christians would understand that when they saw Jerusalem fall, they had actually seen Jesus Himself come in judgment.

13:30 “Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place”: The expression “pass away” can be defined as, “come to an end, disappear” (Arndt p. 626). And the statement “all these things” must include everything spoken up to verse 34. “This generation”: “The sum total of those born at the same time, expanded to include all those living at a given time, generation, contemporaries “ (Arndt p. 154).

Those who need Matthew 24:3-34 to refer to events just prior to the Second Coming so that their theories look credible, must somehow convince people that the phrase this generation refers to something other than the generation living when Jesus spoke these words. 1. Some have tried to argue that the expression refers to the human race in general, but Bruce notes, “Plainly the idea of the human race cannot be entertained; every description of the Second Coming implies that human beings will be around to witness it, for otherwise it would have no context to give it any significance (1 Thess. 4:15)” (Hard Sayings Of Jesus, F.F. Bruce, p. 226). In addition, the lexicon definition is “a contemporary race, people living at the same time”. 2. Others argue that “this generation” refers to the Jewish race in general, yet when Jesus used this same expression in other contexts, He was referring to the generation then living, His contemporaries (Matt. 11:16 “But to what shall I compare this generation?” 12:39 “An evil and adulterous generation craves for a sign..”; 12:41 “The men of Nineveh shall stand up with this generation at the judgment and shall condemn it..”12:42). The men of Nineveh will not condemn the whole Jewish race; rather, they will condemn the generation that heard Jesus speak and yet failed to repent. See also Matthew 16:4, 17:17. 3. Some try to argue, “this generation” does not mean the generation now living, “but the generation which will be alive at the time about which I am speaking, the generation alive on the earth when these things begin to take place.” Hal Lindsey popularized this view when he wrote, “What generation?

3

Obviously, in context, the generation that would see the signs—chief among them the rebirth of Israel (interesting enough, where is that sign in Matthew 24?). A generation in the Bible is something like forty years. If this is a correct deduction, then within forty years or so of 1948, all these things could take place. Many scholars who have studied Bible prophecy all their lives believe that this is so” (The Late Great Planet Earth. Hal Lindsey, p. 54, 1970 Edition). With the passing of time Mr. Lindsey has tried to retreat from what said in 1970. In an Eternity Magazine article, dated January 1977, he said, “I don’t believe, for instance, you can say that the state of Israel was born May 14, 1948 and so exactly forty years from then, it’s going to happen. I’ve never done that and never would. That’s why I say it’s between 40 and 100 years. And nobody knows whether ‘this generation’ officially began with the rebirth of Israel or not” (Quoted in: Lion And The Lamb On Planet Earth. Rodney M. Miller, p. 296). 4. The Jehovah Witnesses have their own slant on “this generation”. They believe that “this generation” began in 1914: “Even if we presume that youngsters 15 years of age would be perceptive enough to realize the import of what happened in 1914, it would still make the youngest of ‘this generation’ nearly 70 years old today (as of 1968, making the youngest 104 in 2002). A side note: If this is true, then how many of “this generation” will be able to flee (24:16), and how many will be “with child”???) So the great majority of the generation to whom Jesus was referring has already passed away in death, and remember; Jesus said that the end of this wicked world would come before that generation passed away in death. This, of itself, tells us that the years left before the foretold end comes cannot be many” (AWAKE, October 8, 1968).

If this is the case, then what Jesus said here had no relevance to the people who heard Him. From the context, a great catastrophe was to happen to the present generation (23:35 “that upon you may fall”; 23:36 “Truly I say to you, all these things shall come upon this generation”; 23:38 “your house is being left to you desolate”). Bruce notes, “if the generation of the end-time had been intended, ‘that generation’ would have been a more natural way of referring to it than ‘this generation’” (pp. 226-227). The language is clear; it is this generation, and not a generation or generations in the distant future.

4

To escape the definite time-limit imposed by 24:34, others have tried to argue that the expression “these things take place”, means that with the destruction of Jerusalem the things in this chapter began to be fulfilled and will not fully take place until the Second Coming. The phrase “take place” cannot be interpreted to mean, “Begin to take place”. The phrase means, “To come to pass, happen, take place.” The same expression is found in 24:6 and 5:18. The verse does not say, “some of these things”, but rather, “all these things”. The words of Jesus eliminate any kind of partial, beginning, or dual fulfillment theory concerning verses 4-33.

13:31 “Heaven and earth will pass away but My words will not pass away”: The physical universe will not last for eternity (2 Peter 3:10; Revelation 20:11; 21:1).

Everyone who contends that the Bible has been corrupted, that is, books lost or removed, corruption of the text, doctrines missing or added, and so on, is claiming that Jesus is not Divine, for if Jesus was not able to keep the promise mentioned in this verse, then He was either ignorant of the future or powerless to keep His promise. While people claim that the Bible was for another time or culture, Jesus claimed that His words would not only outlast first century culture, but every culture, even the earth itself! Jesus here stated that His words have more relevance, weight, and importance than the entire physical universe and all the cultures that will come and go in this universe. So no matter how much time passes by Jesus’ words are always authoritative and His promises and judgments will come to pass.

13:32 “But of that day or hour no one knows”: Some feel that at this point Jesus transitions into a discussion on the Second Coming. We know at some point Jesus does transition over, for Matthew 25 that follows Matthew 24 (same information as this chapter) is dealing with the Second Coming.

From the fact that the destruction of Jerusalem and the Second Coming are both judgments in which God is involved, it would be reasonable that some of the teachings concerning one, could apply in principle to the other. For example, the need to be watchful would apply to both judgments, as well aslo the need to remain faithful and unmoved by the claims of false teachers. In reference to either judgment, carelessness could be fatal.

5

Some feel that Mark 13:32 begins a discussion of the Second Coming, in contrast to the destruction coming upon Jerusalem mentioned in verses 13:1-30. The question has always been at what point does Jesus start talking about the Second Coming: Matthew 24:36 or 25:1? Or yet another verse? Before we move on, a valuable lesson needs to be learned: “The fact that the first 35 verses have been so completely fulfilled in the destruction of Jerusalem should impress all that everything that is said concerning the final judgment will also be fulfilled, the one fulfillment is the guarantee of the other” (An Eschatology of Victory, J. Marcellus Kik , p. 158).

13:32 “Not even the angels in heaven”: Angels are not informed about everything (1 Peter 1:10-11). “Nor the Son, but the Father alone”: This does not mean that when Jesus came to earth He ceased to be Divine (John 14:9; John 1:1,14,18; 5:23; Colossians 2:9), rather it powerfully demonstrates the obedience which God requires (Hebrews 5:8-9). People may argue over the need for obedience or whether faith must obey, to be a saving faith, but the fact is that Jesus came to set an example for us to follow (1 Peter 2:21). The obedience which God requires is total and unquestioning. The same unquestioning obedience is seen in both Jesus and the Holy Spirit concerning their role in revealing the will of God (John 16:13 “He will not speak on His own initiative”; 12:49). One can ever become so famous that obedience to God becomes unnecessary. In addition, one can never become so faithful, or do so much for God that obedience is no longer required. The verse also reveals how God can choose not to use his omniscience.

God can know all things, but that does not mean that He always decides to know every choice that people might make in the future. God respects human freewill (Jeremiah 18:6-10). In addition, every time that God does something, He does not have to use all His power. For instance God does not have to work a miracle every time He acts. Some have erroneously thought that since Jesus limited His omniscience on this topic that such means He ceased to be Divine. Such an idea is ridiculous, for God has been limiting various aspects of His power from the beginning of time (Acts 17:30; 14:16).

Therefore, this verse demonstrates Jesus’ voluntarily subjection to the Father while upon the earth. There is no envy or jealousy here, and no inferiority. It was 6

decided that the Father would make the final call on this event. It equally demonstrates that as God, Jesus can freely choose not to know certain things.

13:33 “Take heed, keep on the alert; for you do not know when the appointed time is”: Watchfulness was also necessary concerning the destruction of Jerusalem: “When you see” (24:15). The precise day to flee is not given, only the “sign” to flee the city and the surrounding region. Two sieges were removed before the final one, and the Roman general Titus arrived unexpectedly for the final siege. The two previous sieges could have lulled the people into a false sense of security. The time delay between when Jesus spoke and when the event arrived was about 40 years.

13:34 “It is like a man, away on a journey, who upon leaving his house and putting his slaves in charge, assigning to each one his task, also commanded the doorkeeper to stay on the alert” 13:35 “Therefore, be on the alert---for you do not know when the master of the house is coming, whether in the evening, at midnight, at cock crowing, or in the morning” 13:36 “Lest He come suddenly and find you asleep” 13:37 “and what I say to you I say to all, ‘Be on the alert’!”

Jesus knows that is it so easy to let time slip by and somehow think that since Jesus did not come yesterday or the day before, that He is not coming today. Like the scoffers in 2 Peter 3:1-4. It is easy to just get lulled to sleep and think that this world is always going to just go on without any big interruptions.

7

8