1 As he went out of the temple, one of his disciples said to him, "Teacher, see what kind of stones and what kind of buildings!"
2 Jesus said to him, "Do you see these great buildings? There will not be left here one stone on another, which will not be thrown down."
3 As he sat on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter, James, John, and Andrew asked him privately,
4 "Tell us, when will these things be? What is the sign that these things are all about to be fulfilled?"
5 Jesus, answering, began to tell them, "Be careful that no one leads you astray.
6 For many will come in my name, saying, 'I am he!{Literally, "I AM!"}' and will lead many astray.
7 "When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, don't be troubled. For those must happen, but the end is not yet.
8 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places. There will be famines and troubles. These things are the beginning of birth pains.
9 But watch yourselves, for they will deliver you up to councils. You will be beaten in synagogues. You will stand before rulers and kings for my sake, for a testimony to them.
10 The Gospel must first be preached to all the nations.
11 When they lead you away and deliver you up, don't be anxious beforehand, or premeditate what you will say, but say whatever will be given you in that hour. For it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit.
12 "Brother will deliver up brother to death, and the father his child. Children will rise up against parents, and cause them to be put to death.
13 You will be hated by all men for my name's sake, but he who endures to the end, the same will be saved.
14 But when you see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing where it ought not (let the reader understand), then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains,
15 and let him who is on the housetop not go down, nor enter in, to take anything out of his house.
16 Let him who is in the field not return back to take his cloak.
17 But woe to those who are with child and to those who nurse babies in those days!
18 Pray that your flight won't be in the winter.
19 For in those days there will be oppression, such as there has not been the like from the beginning of the creation which God created until now, and never will be.
20 Unless the Lord had shortened the days, no flesh would have been saved; but for the sake of the chosen ones, whom he picked out, he shortened the days.
21 Then if anyone tells you, 'Look, here is the Christ!' or, 'Look, there!' don't believe it.
22 For there will arise false christs and false prophets, and will show signs and wonders, that they may lead astray, if possible, even the chosen ones.
23 But you watch. "Behold, I have told you all things beforehand.
24 But in those days, after that oppression, the sun will be darkened, the moon will not give its light,
25 the stars will be falling from the sky, and the powers that are in the heavens will be shaken.
26 Then they will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory.
27 Then he will send out his angels, and will gather together his chosen ones from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of the sky.
28 "Now from the fig tree, learn this parable. When the branch has now become tender, and puts forth its leaves, you know that the summer is near;
29 even so you also, when you see these things coming to pass, know that it is near, at the doors.
30 Most assuredly I say to you, this generation{The word translated "generation" (genea) could also be translated "race," "family," or "people."} will not pass away until all these things happen.
31 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.
32 But of that day or that hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.
33 Watch, keep alert, and pray; for you don't know when the time is.
34 "It is like a man, traveling to another country, having left his house, and given authority to his servants, and to each one his work, and also commanded the doorkeeper to keep watch.
35 Watch therefore, for you don't know when the lord of the house is coming, whether at evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or in the morning;
36 lest coming suddenly he might find you sleeping.
37 What I tell you, I tell all: Watch."
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Matthew Henry Commentary » Commentary on Mark 13
Commentary on Mark 13 Matthew Henry Commentary
Chapter 13
We have here the substance of that prophetical sermon which our Lord Jesus preached, pointing at the destruction of Jerusalem, and the consummation of all things; it was one of the last of his sermons, and not ad populum-to the people, but ad clerum-to the clergy; it was private, preached only to four of his disciples, with whom his secret was. Here is,
Mar 13:1-4
We may here see,
Mar 13:5-13
Our Lord Jesus, in reply to their question, sets himself, not so much to satisfy their curiosity as to direct their consciences; leaves them still in the dark concerning the times and seasons, which the father has kept in his own power, and which it was not for them to know; but gives them the cautions which were needful, with reference to the events that should now shortly come to pass.
Mar 13:14-23
The Jews, in rebelling against the Romans, and in persecuting the Christians, were hastening to their own ruin apace, both efficiently and meritoriously, were setting both God and man against them; see 1 Th. 2:15. Now here we have a prediction of that ruin which came upon them within less than forty years after this: we had it before, Mt. 24:15, etc. Observe,
Mar 13:24-27
These verses seem to point at Christ's second coming, to judge the world; the disciples, in their question, had confounded the destruction of Jerusalem and the end of the world (Mt. 24:3), which was built upon a mistake, as if the temple must needs stand as long as the world stands; this mistake Christ rectifies, and shows that the end of the world in those days, those other days you enquire about, the day of Christ's coming, and the day of judgment, shall be after that tribulation, and not coincident with it. Let those who live to see the Jewish nation destroyed, take heed of thinking that, because the Son of man doth not visibly come in the clouds then, he will never so come; no, he will come after that. And here he foretels,
Mar 13:28-37
We have here the application of this prophetical sermon; now learn to look forward in a right manner.