131 And as he is going forth out of the temple, one of his disciples saith to him, 'Teacher, see! what stones! and what buildings!' 2 and Jesus answering said to him, 'Seest thou these great buildings? there may not be left a stone upon a stone, that may not be thrown down.' 3 And as he is sitting at the mount of the Olives, over-against the temple, Peter, and James, and John, and Andrew, were questioning him by himself, 4 'Tell us when these things shall be? and what 'is' the sign when all these may be about to be fulfilled?'
5 And Jesus answering them, began to say, 'Take heed lest any one may lead you astray, 6 for many shall come in my name, saying—I am 'he', and many they shall lead astray; 7 and when ye may hear of wars and reports of wars, be not troubled, for these behove to be, but the end 'is' not yet; 8 for nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there shall be earthquakes in divers places, and there shall be famines and troubles; beginnings of sorrows 'are' these. 9 'And take ye heed to yourselves, for they shall deliver you up to sanhedrims, and to synagogues, ye shall be beaten, and before governors and kings ye shall be set for my sake, for a testimony to them; 10 and to all the nations it behoveth first that the good news be proclaimed. 11 'And when they may lead you, delivering up, be not anxious beforehand what ye may speak, nor premeditate, but whatever may be given to you in that hour, that speak ye, for it is not ye who are speaking, but the Holy Spirit. 12 'And brother shall deliver up brother to death, and father child, and children shall rise up against parents, and shall put them to death, 13 and ye shall be hated by all because of my name, but he who hath endured to the end—he shall be saved.
14 'And when ye may see the abomination of the desolation, that was spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing where it ought not, (whoever is reading let him understand), then those in Judea, let them flee to the mountains; 15 and he upon the house-top, let him not come down to the house, nor come in to take anything out of his house; 16 and he who is in the field, let him not turn to the things behind, to take up his garment. 17 'And wo to those with child, and to those giving suck, in those days; 18 and pray ye that your flight may not be in winter, 19 for those days shall be tribulation, such as hath not been from the beginning of the creation that God created, till now, and may not be; 20 and if the Lord did not shorten the days, no flesh had been saved; but because of the chosen, whom He did choose to Himself, He did shorten the days. 21 'And then, if any may say to you, Lo, here 'is' the Christ, or, Lo, there, ye may not believe; 22 for there shall rise false Christs and false prophets, and they shall give signs and wonders, to seduce, if possible, also the chosen; 23 and ye, take heed; lo, I have foretold you all things.
24 'But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, 25 and the stars of the heaven shall be falling, and the powers that are in the heavens shall be shaken. 26 'And then they shall see the Son of Man coming in clouds with much power and glory, 27 and then he shall send his messengers, and gather together his chosen from the four winds, from the end of the earth unto the end of heaven.
28 'And from the fig-tree learn ye the simile: when the branch may already become tender, and may put forth the leaves, ye know that nigh is the summer; 29 so ye, also, when these ye may see coming to pass, ye know that it is nigh, at the doors. 30 Verily I say to you, that this generation may not pass away till all these things may come to pass; 31 the heaven and the earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away. 32 'And concerning that day and the hour no one hath known—not even the messengers who are in the heaven, not even the Son—except the Father. 33 Take heed, watch and pray, for ye have not known when the time is; 34 as a man who is gone abroad, having left his house, and given to his servants the authority, and to each one his work, did command also the porter that he may watch;
Matthew Henry's Commentary on Mark 13:1-34
Commentary on Mark 13:1-4
(Read Mark 13:1-4)
See how little Christ values outward pomp, where there is not real purity of heart. He looks with pity upon the ruin of precious souls, and weeps over them, but we do not find him look with pity upon the ruin of a fine house. Let us then be reminded how needful it is for us to have a more lasting abode in heaven, and to be prepared for it by the influences of the Holy Spirit, sought in the earnest use of all the means of grace.
Commentary on Mark 13:5-13
(Read Mark 13:5-13)
Our Lord Jesus, in reply to the disciples' question, does not so much satisfy their curiosity as direct their consciences. When many are deceived, we should thereby be awakened to look to ourselves. And the disciples of Christ, if it be not their own fault, may enjoy holy security and peace of mind, when all around is in disorder. But they must take heed that they are not drawn away from Christ and their duty to him, by the sufferings they will meet with for his sake. They shall be hated of all men: trouble enough! Yet the work they were called to should be carried on and prosper. Though they may be crushed and borne down, the gospel cannot be. The salvation promised is more than deliverance from evil, it is everlasting blessedness.
Commentary on Mark 13:14-23
(Read Mark 13:14-23)
The Jews in rebelling against the Romans, and in persecuting the Christians, hastened their own ruin apace. Here we have a prediction of that ruin which came upon them within less than forty years after this. Such destruction and desolation, that the like cannot be found in any history. Promises of power to persevere, and cautions against falling away, well agree with each other. But the more we consider these things, the more we shall see abundant cause to flee without delay for refuge to Christ, and to renounce every earthly object, for the salvation of our souls.
Commentary on Mark 13:24-27
(Read Mark 13:24-27)
The disciples had confounded the destruction of Jerusalem and the end of the world. This mistake Christ set right, and showed that the day of Christ's coming, and the day of judgment, shall be after that tribulation. Here he foretells the final dissolution of the present frame and fabric of the world. Also, the visible appearance of the Lord Jesus coming in the clouds, and the gathering together of all the elect to him.
Commentary on Mark 13:28-37
(Read Mark 13:28-37)
We have the application of this prophetic sermon. As to the destruction of Jerusalem, expect it to come very shortly. As to the end of the world, do not inquire when it will come, for of that day and that hour knoweth no man. Christ, as God, could not be ignorant of anything; but the Divine wisdom which dwelt in our Saviour, communicated itself to his human soul according to the Divine pleasure. As to both, our duty is to watch and pray. Our Lord Jesus, when he ascended on high, left something for all his servants to do. We ought to be always upon our watch, in expectation of his return. This applies to Christ's coming to us at our death, as well as to the general judgment. We know not whether our Master will come in the days of youth, or middle age, or old age; but, as soon as we are born, we begin to die, and therefore we must expect death. Our great care must be, that, whenever our Lord comes, he may not find us secure, indulging in ease and sloth, mindless of our work and duty. He says to all, Watch, that you may be found in peace, without spot, and blameless.