Mark 13
Berean Standard Bible · Compare translations · AD 30 – AD 33 · Life of Jesus · Tap a verse to copy, share or highlight ·
37 verses · 737 words · ~4 min read · ~5 min listen
Temple Destruction and Other Signs
1As Jesus was leaving the temple, one of His disciples said to Him, “Teacher, look at the magnificent stones and buildings!”
2“Do you see all these great buildings?” Jesus replied. “Not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down.”
3While Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter, James, John, and Andrew asked Him privately, 4“Tell us, when will these things happen? And what will be the sign that they are about to be fulfilled?”
5Jesus began by telling them, “See to it that no one deceives you. 6Many will come in My name, claiming, ‘I am He,’ and will deceive many. 7When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed. These things must happen, but the end is still to come. 8Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places, as well as famines. These are the beginning of birth pains.
Witnessing to All Nations
9So be on your guard. You will be delivered over to the councils and beaten in the synagogues. On My account you will stand before governors and kings as witnesses to them. 10And the gospel must first be proclaimed to all the nations. 11But when they arrest you and hand you over, do not worry beforehand what to say. Instead, speak whatever you are given at that time, for it will not be you speaking, but the Holy Spirit.
12Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child. Children will rise against their parents and have them put to death. 13You will be hated by everyone because of My name, but the one who perseveres to the end will be saved.
The Abomination of Desolation
14So when you see the abomination of desolation standing where it should not be (let the reader understand), then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. 15Let no one on the housetop go back inside to retrieve anything from his house. 16And let no one in the field return for his cloak.
17How miserable those days will be for pregnant and nursing mothers! 18Pray that this will not occur in the winter. 19For those will be days of tribulation unseen from the beginning of Godʼs creation until now, and never to be seen again. 20If the Lord had not cut short those days, nobody would be saved. But for the sake of the elect, whom He has chosen, He has cut them short.
21At that time if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There He is!’ do not believe it. 22For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform signs and wonders to deceive even the elect, if that were possible. 23So be on your guard; I have told you everything in advance.
The Return of the Son of Man
24But in those days, after that tribulation:
26At that time they will see the Son of Man coming in the clouds with great power and glory. 27And He will send out the angels to gather His elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven.
The Lesson of the Fig Tree
28Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its branches become tender and sprout leaves, you know that summer is near. 29So also, when you see these things happening, know that He is near, right at the door. 30Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all these things have happened. 31Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will never pass away.
Readiness at Any Hour
32No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 33Be on your guard and stay alert! For you do not know when the appointed time will come.
34It is like a man going on a journey who left his house, put each servant in charge of his own task, and instructed the doorkeeper to keep watch. 35Therefore keep watch, because you do not know when the master of the house will return—whether in the evening, at midnight, when the rooster crows, or in the morning. 36Otherwise, he may arrive without notice and find you sleeping. 37And what I say to you, I say to everyone: Keep watch!”
Footnotes (7)
- a v14 See Daniel 9:27,Daniel 11:31,and Daniel 12:11; BYZ and TR include spoken of by Daniel the prophet.
- b v14 Or where he should not be
- c v25 Or and the celestial bodies will be shaken; see Isaiah 13:10,Isaiah 34:4,and Joel 2:10.
- d v26 See Daniel 7:13–14.
- e v28 Or this parable
- f v29 Or it is near
- g v33 BYZ and TR Be on your guard, stay alert, and pray!
Study notes on this chapter · 3
One like a son of man coming with the clouds
Daniel sees a human figure come with the clouds of heaven and receive an everlasting kingdom from the Ancient of Days. Jesus' favorite self-description, 'the Son of Man', draws on this, and before the high priest he says he will be seen 'coming on the clouds of heaven'.
When: Daniel (traditionally c. 550–530 BC; many scholars date the book to c. 165 BC); Jesus' trial, c. AD 30–33.
Editorial note by BibleWay. Interpretations vary; dates are approximate scholarly estimates.
The abomination of desolation
Jesus tells his disciples that when they see 'the abomination of desolation, spoken of by the prophet Daniel', standing in the holy place, those in Judea should flee to the mountains. Daniel's phrase was applied to Antiochus IV's desecration of the temple in 167 BC. Interpreters disagree on whether Jesus points to events in AD 66–70, to a future event, or to both.
When: Daniel, c. 530 or c. 165 BC; Jesus' Olivet discourse, c. AD 30–33; Jerusalem fell in AD 70.
Ways people read this (4)
- Fulfilled when Roman armies surrounded Jerusalem (Luke 21:20) and the temple was destroyed in AD 70 (preterist and many other readings).
- Fulfilled in part in AD 70 and awaiting a fuller fulfillment in an end-time desecration.
- A future event: the antichrist setting up an image or claiming worship in a rebuilt temple (dispensationalist readings).
- Antiochus IV's desecration was the first fulfillment, with Jesus applying the pattern to a new desecration.
Editorial note by BibleWay. Interpretations vary; dates are approximate scholarly estimates.
This generation will not pass away
After describing signs, the coming of the Son of Man and the gathering of the elect, Jesus says, 'This generation will not pass away until all these things take place.' The statement is among the most discussed in the gospels, since 'this generation' and 'all these things' can be read in several ways.
When: Jesus' Olivet discourse, c. AD 30–33.
Ways people read this (5)
- 'This generation' means Jesus' contemporaries, and the events (destruction of the temple, the coming of the Son of Man in judgment) happened in AD 70 (preterist).
- 'This generation' means the generation that sees the signs begin, which will also see the end.
- 'Generation' means 'race' or 'people' (the Jewish people will survive until the end).
- 'Generation' refers to an evil kind of people, as in Matthew 12:39, 45, and 'these things' are the signs, not the end itself.
- Jesus speaks of the destruction of the temple as a first stage and the final coming as a later one, with verse 36 marking the change.
Editorial note by BibleWay. Interpretations vary; dates are approximate scholarly estimates.