The Gospel of Mark, rightly Divided
Mark 13:10-23 | Session 51 | Mark Rightly Divided
Mark 13:1-27 | The Olivet Discourse
Mark 13:5-13 | General Warnings
Verses 5-10, see session 50
Verses 11-12 –
Note: these verses also included on session 50
Jesus provides additional details about Jewish believers being delivered to their persecutors and forced to defend themselves before councils, synagogues, and other authorities (v. 9). He instructs them not to worry about what they will say, as "the Holy Ghost" would speak on their behalf.
It's interesting that this reference to the Holy Ghost precedes any discussion about His coming, yet the knowledge is assumed. This suggests two possibilities: either our understanding of the Spirit's work is incomplete (i.e., the Spirit was active before Pentecost, just in different ways), or the disciples were so familiar with Joel's prophecy about the outpouring of the Spirit that no further explanation was necessary.
There is a contrast with what we are instructed to do today. 2 Timothy 2:15 encourages us to study so that we will not be ashamed. And 1 Peter 3:15 exhorts us to always be ready to give an answer for the hope that is in us. These verses emphasize the importance of preparation and knowledge in our faith, rather than relying solely on spontaneous inspiration.
In the future, after the rapture, the Spirit's direct vocal guidance will resume.
Verse 13 -
These words reveal the intensity of hatred that those who believe Jesus is the Messiah will face: they will be universally despised. This hatred will stem solely from their association with Jesus' name.
During the age of grace, Christians have experienced persecution, but not to this extreme degree. Ironically, they have more often been the persecutors than the persecuted, although some promote a martyrdom narrative using isolated incidents. Since the 4th century, Christianity has been the dominant political and military force worldwide.
Here, the Lord instructs his followers on how to be saved: endure to the end. This concept, like the rest of this passage, is incompatible with the age of grace. However, it aligns perfectly with the prophetic program that would be paused and later resume.
Mark 13:14-27 | Specific Warnings
Verse 14 -
The Lord, speaking directly to the disciples, tells them directly about the "abomination of desolation." Once again, this indicates to me that this is a prophecy which could have been fulfilled in their day, but that the insertion of the age of grace delayed the fulfillment, which is why we now read this as a yet-future prophetic passage and apply it in a more general sense than the "ye" was originally intended. Unlike most commentaries, I see nothing in verse 14 to indicate that the Lord has moved from the original question to a non-asked question about the end times.
What is “abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet”? This is a reference to Daniel 9:27:
And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.
The "he" refers to "the prince that shall come" (Dan. 9:26), commonly known as the Antichrist. During the middle of Daniel's 70th week (the final seven-year tribulation period), he will "cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease." Such sacrifices occur only in the Temple, indicating its existence during this time. The daily Temple activities will be halted, and then "for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate." This challenging phrase means "to spread abominations fully, he shall desecrate the Temple." In other words, the Temple will be stripped of its sacred purpose—sacrifice to the Lord—and ultimately face destruction, as the Lord foretold.
The disciples are instructed to "flee to the mountains" when they witness this event. Note the Israel-centric nature of this message, focusing on occurrences in the now-nonexistent Temple. Applying this passage to the Body of Christ rather than Israel represents unsound hermeneutics. Unfortunately, many in the church have become so accustomed to adopting all of Jesus' teachings to the disciples as their own that they fail to recognize this misapplication.
Verses 15-18 -
These verses press the urgency of the instruction to “flee to the mountains” (v. 14). When the time comes, the Jew who sees this happening, and it appears that it will happen suddenly, should simply drop everything, turn back for nothing, and get out of town. The tone of the passage gives indication that things will begin to move so quickly that even to run home and grab a few supplies will put you in danger.
The passage expresses sorrow for those with young children (v. 17), as they would inevitably slow down travel. Moreover, winter conditions (v. 18) would further impede progress, especially for those traveling on foot.
The Lord's uncertainty about whether it will be winter reveals two important points. First, it suggests that the Lord himself did not know the exact timing. Second, it indicates that the time was not predetermined in God's eternal plans. It's possible that even today, the time of the end hasn't been set into an unchangeable schedule. Instead, there may be certain contingencies that must occur first. For instance, there could be a specific event that triggers the rapture, followed by a period of unknown length for preparation before the start of the 70th week. Only then would the prophetic clock begin ticking.
Verse 19 -
Considering the unbelievably horrid atrocities already committed by wicked governments, the claims of this verse are astounding.
Verse 20 -
The verbs "had shortened" and "he hath shortened" are in the Greek aorist tense, which has no direct equivalent in English. This tense denotes a single, specific action in time, regardless of whether it's past, present, or future. While often translated in the past tense, it shouldn't be automatically interpreted as referring to a past event unless the context clearly demands it.
It's debatable whether this indicates that the 1,260 days mentioned in Revelation 12:6 and Daniel 12:7 are themselves the "shortened" days (as most interpret), or if there's a possibility that these 1,260 days could be further shortened. This ambiguity leaves room for theological discussion.
What is unambiguous is that these days are shortened "for the elect's sake." These are further specified as those "whom he hath chosen." Allowing Scripture to be our sole guide, this can only refer to the elect nation of Israel.
The concept of Israel as God's chosen people is well-established throughout the Old Testament. Several key verses affirm that Israel is the "elect" nation, chosen by God:
· Deuteronomy 7:6:
"For thou art an holy people unto the LORD thy God: the LORD thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto himself, above all people that are upon the face of the earth."
· Isaiah 45:4:
"For Jacob my servant's sake, and Israel mine elect, I have even called thee by thy name: I have surnamed thee, though thou hast not known me."
· Isaiah 65:9:
"And I will bring forth a seed out of Jacob, and out of Judah an inheritor of my mountains: and mine elect shall inherit it, and my servants shall dwell there."
Verses 21-22 -
The Lord gives specific warning in those last days to avoid all who claim to be Christ. They shall come with "signs and wonders, to seduce" (v. 22). Signs and wonders have always held a seductive allure—who wouldn't want supernatural powers to achieve a higher purpose? The mistake people make is assuming such powers are inherently divine. From the seductive abilities of Pharaoh's magicians to those of Simon the Sorcerer, or even the powers of the Antichrist himself, who will come "with all power and signs and lying wonders" (2 Thess. 2:9), these deceptions are potent. The false prophet, too, "doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men, And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do" (Rev. 13:13). It would be all too easy to be taken in by these "wonder-working powers." Add to this the strong delusion that will be upon the world (2 Thess. 2:11), and it becomes a perilous time indeed.
Verse 23 -
Again, we note that the Lord appears to be telling these things to the disciples so they might be prepared. Why, then, is the common interpretation that He must be speaking beyond them to another time and place? The only reason this is now understood as referring to another time and place is because we now know the rest of the story—Israel's rejection of Christ and the subsequent, previously unknown blindness of Israel during the dispensation of God's grace, as well as the future return to the prophecies of the Olivet Discourse. Sadly, the common interpretation is that Jesus was never speaking to the disciples, but always speaking to a last-days audience. This gives the implication that Jesus was aware of that which Paul says was unknown (Col. 1:26), and also that Jesus spoke somewhat deceptively to the disciples, warning them of something that wasn't meant for them.
