Advent Series: The Widest Horizon

Mark 13: v 24-37 

STARTER QUESTION: Today (Sunday 3rd December) is Advent Sunday. What do you think this 4-week season of Advent is all about? In what ways, if any, do you celebrate this season?

“Advent is a season of expectation and preparation as the church prepares to celebrate the coming (adventus) of Christ in his incarnation, and also looks ahead to his final advent as judge at the end of time. The readings and liturgies not only direct us to Christ’s birth, they also challenge the modern reluctance to confront the theme of divine judgement.”

(Church of England Common Worship: Times and Seasons)

BRIEF INTRODUCTION

This chapter is possibly one of the most difficult and challenging chapters in the Bible and has been the subject of numerous books and theories. This brief introduction hardly scratches the surface, but hopefully it gives a glimpse as to what it may be about.

The whole chapter has been called the “little Apocalypse” – apocalyptic has significant characteristics: battle between good and evil; conviction that things will end in crisis; the need for God to put everything right. The language is often vivid and full of imagery (for example the book of Daniel which is quoted three times in verses 14, 19 and 26). Having said that, the language is not typical apocalyptic. There is no visionary claim; it is not markedly pessimistic.

So the claim made by some that this chapter is a piece of Jewish-Christian apocalyptic and not from Jesus himself, has to be questioned. Mark is about to describe the events of Jesus’ passion so he may well be pointing out a longer perspective of what is to come.

A further issue is which time Jesus is referring to in his warnings of catastrophe, hardship, persecution and betrayal? Is it all about the destruction of Jerusalem in AD70? Is it about the end of the world as we know it? So one possible way to look at this chapter is:

Verses 1-4                       Warning about the temple

Verses 5-13                    The continuing experience of hardship for the disciples

Verses 14-23                  The destruction of Jerusalem

Verses 24-27                  The end of all things

Verses 28-37                  Watchfulness at all times

Be on your guard against trust in buildings, such as the temple (1-4); against those who claim to be the Messiah (5-13). Verses 14-23 seem to be clearly about an historical event (fall of Jerusalem?). Verses 24-27 seem to be looking forward to Christ’s Second Coming.

“This chapter does not hold out great encouragement for ‘triumphalistic’ or ‘prosperity’ versions of Christianity. The descriptions chill the bones. We do well to remember that something of this account of Jesus has actually been happening to some Christians in every age. We do not await much of this. Persecution, false teachers, natural disasters are not elements of a future age they happen now.” (Donald English)

READ verses 24-27

Q. What do you think is the significance of “in those days”? Are the things described here what will happen just before Jesus returns? How important is the “Second Coming” in your life – do you ever think about it, or is it not really part of your Christian perspective?

This kind of cosmic calamity is spoken of in many Old Testament passages. You might like to look up a few, for example, Isaiah 13.9-11; Amos 8.9-10; Ezekiel 32.7-9.

So here is the big question:

Q. Were these verses fulfilled with the siege of Jerusalem in AD 70? Or do they refer to the tribulation, yet in our future? Or perhaps to a mix of both?

READ verses 28-37

Jesus says that he does not know the day or the hour when he will come again. There were things which even he left without questioning in the hand of God. There can be no greater warning and rebuke to those who work out dates and timetables as to when he will come again. Surely it is nothing less than blasphemy for us to enquire into that of which our Lord consented to be ignorant. So what conclusions can we reach?

Q. Are there any “truths” in this chapter that we need to take on board in our lives?

PRAYER

Pray for all the preparations that are being made for services during Advent, leading up to the joy of Christmas.

Pray that in the business of this time of year we may each find space to meet with God and to prepare our hearts to celebrate Jesus’ first coming as a baby in Bethlehem – but also to prepare our hearts so that we are ready should Jesus return in our lifetime.

Pray for those parts of the world which are constantly in the news because of war, famine etc.

A few further thoughts …

So here is the big question: Were these verses fulfilled with the siege of Jerusalem in AD 70? Or do they refer to the tribulation, yet in our future? Or perhaps to a mix of both?

There are two key theories:

Preterism—from praeter, the Latin word for "past"—teaches that all biblical prophecy has been fulfilled. The more moderate partial-preterism allows that there may be some prophecies yet to come to fruition. Both rely on Jesus' words in Mark 13:30: "Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place." Many of the prophecies in Mark 13 do appear to have been "completely" fulfilled by the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple in AD 70. The rest, such as earthquakes and famines (Mark 13:8), the defilement of the temple (Mark 13:14), and Jesus' dramatic return (Mark 13:24–27) have not. Preterists "spiritualise" these verses, saying for example, that the "abomination of desolation" was the disrespect with which the Roman army treated Jerusalem. Or, they indicate that the common-level incidents of war and famine prior to 70 AD are the entire fulfillment of these ideas.

Futurism teaches that many of the prophecies in Daniel, Revelation and Mark 13 have yet to come true, even though the vast majority still reference Israel. The church did not permanently take the place of Israel in God's plan. After the members of the church are raptured, God will again use Israel to reach the world with His truth. Although some prophecies such as war (Mark 13:8) and false teachers (Mark 13:5–6, 21–22) do have other fulfillments, the prophecies directed at Israel will happen to Israel during the seven-year tribulation and later. As for Mark 13:30, futurists explain that "this generation" refers to the generation in the future that will experience the events of the tribulation: the horrors that are to come will come quickly and not last long.

Jesus says that he does not know the day or the hour when he will come again. There were things which even he left without questioning in the hand of God. There can be no greater warning and rebuke to those who work out dates and timetables as to when he will come again. Surely it is nothing less than blasphemy for us to enquire into that of which our Lord consented to be ignorant. So what conclusions can we reach?

We are to live like people who know the Master is coming, but we don’t know when. We live in the shadow of eternity. This is no reason to be fearful, but it does mean that we are to live as if Jesus could return at any time. All of our life then is a preparation to meet Jesus.

Are there any “truths” in this chapter that we need to take on board in our lives?

• We disregard the doctrine of the Second Coming at our peril. Jesus will return

• Speculation as to when this will happen is useless and something we should not consider. History will come to a climax but only God knows when

• Watch and be ready! “‘Watch’ is the final and most important word of the Olivet discourse. The point of Mark 13 is not so much to inform as to admonish; not to provide knowledge of arcane matters but to instill obedience in believers. ‘What I say to you, I say to everyone. Watch’ (v 37). ‘To everyone’ designates a wider audience that the Twelve. This is the word of Jesus to the Twelve, the word of Mark to his readers, and the word of the Spirit to believers in every age. The end is unknown and will come suddenly: live in constant readiness.” (James R Edwards)