When Will the End of the World Come? Jesus Answers (Mark 13)

Introduction

When Jesus leaves the temple in Jerusalem with his disciples, they are struck by the grandeur of the building. Its stones, its size, its permanence: everything seems eternal. Jesus tells them that none of it will remain. In Mark 13, he announces two distinct but related judgments: that of the temple, which took place in AD 70, and that of the world, still to come. The message is simple: Jesus will return to judge. We don't know when. And there is nothing more important to live for and prepare for.

Sermon Outline

1. Life before the end (v. 5-13)

• Before answering the question of timing, Jesus wants you to have right expectations about what will happen while you wait for the end.
• Don't be frightened by the news: wars, earthquakes, and famines will come, but that will not yet be the end, only "the beginning of birth pains," like the contractions of childbirth.
• Don't be deceived by false teachers: many will come in Jesus' name, claiming to be the Christ or to speak on his behalf. Anyone who claims to represent him is not to be taken at their word.
• Don't be caught off guard by hostility: persecution will exist wherever people live for Jesus, sometimes even within one's own family. Jesus warns us out of love, like a coach at the start of a marathon, so that we hold on to the end.

2. The end of the temple is past (v. 14-23)

• When Jesus speaks of "the abomination of desolation" and the urgency of fleeing to the mountains, he is not describing the end of the world but a specific historical event.
• This event is confined to Judea, the region around Jerusalem, and Jesus himself says that "history continues" afterward.
• It refers to the destruction of the temple in AD 70, when the Roman army besieged Jerusalem, killed its inhabitants, and burned the temple.
• The temple, the place that symbolized the privileged relationship between God and Israel, is judged because Israel and its leaders largely rejected the Son of God.

3. The end of the temple announces that the end of the world is near (v. 24-31)

• After this time of distress, Jesus describes a cosmic judgment using images from the Old Testament: the sun is darkened, the moon gives no light, the stars fall.
• The Son of Man will come on the clouds with power and glory (an allusion to Daniel's vision), and will gather those he has chosen.
• The parable of the fig tree teaches that when these things happen, the Son of Man is "at the door": the end of the temple proves that the end of the world is near.
• "Near" doesn't mean right away: it means there is no other event left to wait for in God's calendar before Jesus' return.

4. The hour of the end is unknown (v. 32-37)

• No one knows the day or the hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son. Only the Father knows.
• Those who claim to pinpoint the date of Jesus' return claim to know more than Jesus himself.
• Jesus compares his return to a man going on a journey: he leaves his house to his servants, assigns each his task, and orders the doorkeeper to stay awake.
• Stay watchful: don't be asleep when he returns, whether he comes in the evening, at midnight, at the crowing of the rooster, or in the morning.

Key Takeaways

• Jesus will certainly return to judge the world. We don't know when, but we know he will do it.
• Wars, disasters, and persecutions don't mean the end is here today: they remind us that there will be an end.
• The destruction of the temple in AD 70 is the forerunning sign that the end of the world is near. There is nothing left to wait for before it.
• Two extremes to avoid: constant eschatological anxiety (scanning the news, decoding the signs) and complete forgetfulness that Jesus is returning.
• If Jesus returns to set right what is crooked, the real question becomes: will I be ready? That is why he died, to enable us to be ready.

Personal Application

1. When you watch the news or come across videos predicting the end, how do you react? Do you live in eschatological anxiety, or in forgetfulness that Jesus is returning?
2. What voices around you or online claim to speak in Jesus' name without being faithful to his word? How are you learning to discern them?
3. Where do you encounter hostility (even subtle), because of your devotion to Jesus? Are you ready to endure it without being shaken?
4. If Jesus returned this afternoon, would you be ready? What is still holding you back from placing your trust in his forgiveness?
5. Will you take Jason's invitation seriously: creating a recurring event in your calendar that reminds you every day, "Jesus could return today"?

Scriptures Cited

• Mark 13:1-37 (the preached passage)
• Mark 11 (the temple and its religion had to be judged)
• Mark 12 (why the temple had to be judged)
• Daniel 7 (the Son of Man coming on the clouds)
• Malachi 3 (judgment begins with the temple)

Further reading

• How to Start a Home Group
• Someone Who Monopolizes the Conversation: What to Do?
• Why Do Small Groups Disappear?

Frequently Asked Questions

Was Jesus wrong when he said "this generation will not pass away until all these things have taken place"?

No. Throughout this passage, the phrase "all these things" or "these things" refers to the destruction of the temple. The disciples had asked their question about the temple at the beginning of the passage, and Jesus answers that this generation would indeed see that event, which took place in AD 70. He was not speaking of his return at that point.

If no one knows the day or the hour, why does Jesus say his return is "near"?

"Near" doesn't mean "right away." It means there is no other event that must happen before it in God's calendar. Since the destruction of the temple in AD 70, Jesus' return is the next date on the agenda. He may return a long time from now, or this afternoon. There is no other sign left to wait for.

How can I know if I will be ready for that day?

The good news is that when Jesus speaks these words, he is about to die to make it possible for us to be ready, to be forgiven, and not to fear this judgment. So the question is: have you accepted this forgiveness? The dream of a better world where God has set things right is not a fantasy, it is Jesus' promise. And in the end, it is Jesus who wins.