Mark 13:1-8

[mindlight]

As Jesus was leaving the temple one of his disciples said to him, “Look! What massive stones! What wonderful buildings!” 2“Do you see these great buildings?” Jesus asked. “Not one stone here will be left on top of another. Every one will be thrown down.” 3 And then as Jesus was relaxing on the Mount of Olives across from the temple, Peter, James, John and Andrew asked him a private question. 4“Tell us,” they said. “When will these things happen? What will happen to tell us that they are all about to occur?” 5 Jesus said to them, “Keep watch! Be careful that no one fools you. 6 Many will come in my name. They will claim, ‘I am he.’ They will fool many people. 7 You will hear about wars and rumors of future wars. Don't be alarmed. Those things will happen. But the end still isn't here. 8 Nation will fight against nation. Kingdom will fight against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in many different places. People will go hungry. All of those things are the beginning. They’re like birth pains.”

The disciples were impressed by the temple which Herod had built though your average shopping Mall would probably dwarf this building in the modern age. Jesus prophesied the destruction of the temple in 70 AD. The disciples want to know dates but Jesus answers by saying that they should keep watch and to be careful that no one fools them.

First question is keep watch for what. Is Jesus talking about his second coming. That would fit with the warning about false Messiahs.

Second question : there have been many times in history when things have looked entirely desperate, wars, deceivers, earthquakes, hunger have always been with us. Is Jesus talking about the time related to the fall of Jerusalem here or futher to a time that has yet to come when things will get much worse?

Since right now is comparatively peaceful are we not in the times that Jesus prophesised. WW2 or times afterwards in the Cold war were far more violent on a global scale.

What is Jesus message here. Is he simply telling them to endure through these times and to wait for Him to return. In the meantime they should be careful not to be fooled by the false messiahs of every age who claim to offer the hope that only Jesus can provide and which we should trust in Him alone for?

Would appreciate your comments as I have a sermon to prepare on these themes.

 

[dysert]

As Jesus was leaving the temple one of his disciples said to him, “Look! What massive stones! What wonderful buildings!” 2“Do you see these great buildings?” Jesus asked. “Not one stone here will be left on top of another. Every one will be thrown down.” 3 And then as Jesus was relaxing on the Mount of Olives across from the temple, Peter, James, John and Andrew asked him a private question. 4“Tell us,” they said. “When will these things happen? What will happen to tell us that they are all about to occur?” 5 Jesus said to them, “Keep watch! Be careful that no one fools you. 6 Many will come in my name. They will claim, ‘I am he.’ They will fool many people. 7 You will hear about wars and rumors of future wars. Don't be alarmed. Those things will happen. But the end still isn't here. 8 Nation will fight against nation. Kingdom will fight against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in many different places. People will go hungry. All of those things are the beginning. They’re like birth pains.”

The disciples were impressed by the temple which Herod had built though your average shopping Mall would probably dwarf this building in the modern age. Jesus prophesied the destruction of the temple in 70 AD. The disciples want to know dates but Jesus answers by saying that they should keep watch and to be careful that no one fools them.

First question is keep watch for what. Is Jesus talking about his second coming. That would fit with the warning about false Messiahs.

Second question : there have been many times in history when things have looked entirely desperate, wars, deceivers, earthquakes, hunger have always been with us. Is Jesus talking about the time related to the fall of Jerusalem here or futher to a time that has yet to come when things will get much worse?

Since right now is comparatively peaceful are we not in the times that Jesus prophesised. WW2 or times afterwards in the Cold war were far more violent on a global scale.

What is Jesus message here. Is he simply telling them to endure through these times and to wait for Him to return. In the meantime they should be careful not to be fooled by the false messiahs of every age who claim to offer the hope that only Jesus can provide and which we should trust in Him alone for?

Would appreciate your comments as I have a sermon to prepare on these themes.

I have taught on the Olivet Discource many times. You're welcome to read a paper I wrote on it to see if you find anything useful in it: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BxAJG5BgcLftR3lFVl9pNWNvTFk/view?usp=sharing

 

[Gregory the NonTheologian]

As Jesus was leaving the temple one of his disciples said to him, “Look! What massive stones! What wonderful buildings!” 2“Do you see these great buildings?” Jesus asked. “Not one stone here will be left on top of another. Every one will be thrown down.” 3 And then as Jesus was relaxing on the Mount of Olives across from the temple, Peter, James, John and Andrew asked him a private question. 4“Tell us,” they said. “When will these things happen? What will happen to tell us that they are all about to occur?” 5 Jesus said to them, “Keep watch! Be careful that no one fools you. 6 Many will come in my name. They will claim, ‘I am he.’ They will fool many people. 7 You will hear about wars and rumors of future wars. Don't be alarmed. Those things will happen. But the end still isn't here. 8 Nation will fight against nation. Kingdom will fight against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in many different places. People will go hungry. All of those things are the beginning. They’re like birth pains.”

The disciples were impressed by the temple which Herod had built though your average shopping Mall would probably dwarf this building in the modern age. Jesus prophesied the destruction of the temple in 70 AD. The disciples want to know dates but Jesus answers by saying that they should keep watch and to be careful that no one fools them.

First question is keep watch for what. Is Jesus talking about his second coming. That would fit with the warning about false Messiahs.

Second question : there have been many times in history when things have looked entirely desperate, wars, deceivers, earthquakes, hunger have always been with us. Is Jesus talking about the time related to the fall of Jerusalem here or futher to a time that has yet to come when things will get much worse?

Since right now is comparatively peaceful are we not in the times that Jesus prophesised. WW2 or times afterwards in the Cold war were far more violent on a global scale.

What is Jesus message here. Is he simply telling them to endure through these times and to wait for Him to return. In the meantime they should be careful not to be fooled by the false messiahs of every age who claim to offer the hope that only Jesus can provide and which we should trust in Him alone for?

Would appreciate your comments as I have a sermon to prepare on these themes.

First question is keep watch for what. Is Jesus talking about his second coming. That would fit with the warning about false Messiahs.

It seems that Jesus is certainly speaking about His second coming later in the chapter: And then if any man shall say to you, Lo, here is Christ ... And then shall He send His angels (Mark 13:21ff.) During the first part of the chapter, though, it seems that he is speaking specifically about the destruction of Jerusalem. Many of the things referred to in Mark 13:5-21 are attested to in the Acts of the Apostles and the writings of Josephus.

Would appreciate your comments as I have a sermon to prepare on these themes

Might I suggest that you take a look at John Chrysostom's Homilies Nos. 75-76 on Chapter 24 of the Gospel of Matthew? They are available on newadvent.org, ccel.org, and are found in Volume 10 of the First Series on the Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers. Although the homilies are on Matthew, he writes on the parallel passages in Mark and Luke, which include the ones you are interested in.