Calvary Chapel Baltimore · Pastor Joshua Plantholt
Mark 13:24–31
Signs in the heavens, the Son of Man on the clouds, the lesson of the fig tree, and the words that will not pass away. Scripture quotations are from the ESV.
Before we begin
The Olivet Discourse is a teaching from Jesus, given in response to a set of questions. Matthew 24:3 says, “As he sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, ‘Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?’” So there are three different events in view here: the signs of the coming destruction of the temple, the sign of the Lord’s coming, and the end of the age.
In my view, this is where people typically get into trouble when trying to understand the Olivet Discourse. They want to put the entire teaching into only one timeline: the fall of Jerusalem in AD 70, or entirely the return of the Lord, or the end of all things. But the disciples asked three questions about three different events, and I believe Jesus’ response holds all three timelines and all three events in view.
Now, before we read our text: today’s passage, especially for America and in our history, has spawned lots of wonky and disastrous ideas. Partly, I’d assume, that’s because many American teachers and preachers are insistent on their particular end-times systems, and very dogmatic about when the Lord will return. Next week we will look entirely at the return of the Lord. But for today, because of the nature of our text, which has spawned so many timelines around the Lord’s return, I feel I should at least address next week’s passage, where Jesus says no one knows the day or the hour (Mark 13:32). There is a reason the conclusion to the Olivet Discourse gives many, many warnings that nobody knows the day or the hour, and that He could come at any time.
“But Jesus doesn’t say nobody knows the year”
I remember one time talking to somebody who literally had a date for the return of the Lord. When I quoted that nobody knows the day or the hour, they replied with a smirk, “But Jesus doesn’t say nobody knows the year.” Well, you guessed it: their date came and went. The year is implied. The point is, nobody knows.
Setting dates: a short history of getting it wrong
This is nothing new. Hippolytus wrote in the early third century about two bishops in his own day. One led Christians into the wilderness to meet Jesus, he was so convinced the moment was upon them. The other told his people that judgment was coming within the year, and sadly, they all stopped farming their fields.
And in our own country’s history, America has been a country that keeps trying to guess the date of the Lord’s return. For example:
William Miller was a Baptist farmer and a War of 1812 captain from New York. Using Daniel 8:14 and today’s text, the Millerite movement predicted that the Lord would return on October 22, 1844. The reasoning was this: in 1755 there was a great earthquake in Lisbon; in 1780 there was a day of darkness, possibly from wildfires; in 1833 there was a meteor shower; and all that was left now was the Lord’s return. It was estimated that 50,000 to 100,000 people believed William Miller’s date. And of course, October 22, 1844 came and went. But out of that Great Disappointment, out of a failed date-setting movement, came the Seventh-day Adventist Church.
Of course, there is Hal Lindsey, of The Late Great Planet Earth. He suggested the rapture would happen before 1988, based on today’s text, specifically Matthew’s account: “Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place.” (Matthew 24:34) Some of Hal Lindsey’s theology is still ingrained in many Americans. He took the fig tree growing leaves as the sign of Israel becoming a nation. If the generation that saw the fig tree sprout leaves would see these things, and a biblical generation is forty years, then he had a date. So he took Israel’s founding in 1948, added forty years, and became convinced that the Lord was going to return by 1988. He sold 28 million copies of his book.
Chuck Smith took the fig tree as Israel being established as a nation in 1948. Since he was absolutely convinced that the Lord had to come before the tribulation, and the tribulation had to be seven years, he took Hal Lindsey’s forty, subtracted seven for the tribulation, and said he believed the Lord would come back anytime before 1981. That’s not quite setting a date, though it’s teetering.
Edgar Whisenant, a NASA engineer, wrote a book called 88 Reasons Why the Rapture Will Be in 1988, and specifically on Rosh Hashanah 1988. TBN really picked him up, and even coached viewers on how to prepare for the coming rapture. Some Christians even went into massive debt, intending to leave the bills for the antichrist. And of course, when September 11–13, 1988 came and went, he revised his date to 1989, and then 1993, and then 1994.
Harold Camping was the big one in my lifetime. He predicted that May 21, 2011 would be the judgment and the return of the Lord. When the date came and went, he said judgment had come, but only spiritually, in ways we couldn’t discern. He then revised his timeline to October 21, 2011. Camping had a stroke in June 2011, and in March 2012 he said publicly, “We humbly acknowledge we were wrong about the timing,” and called his date-setting “sinful.” He died in 2013.
Nobody knows: the Westminster Confession
So I share all of this to say, especially in light of next week’s text: Jesus couldn’t be more clear. Nobody knows. Nobody knows. That’s why even the Westminster Confession, written largely by men who expected the gospel to triumph across the world before the end, refuses to name a day. It says God has kept that day “unknown to men,” so that we will “be always watchful” and “ever prepared to say, Come Lord Jesus, come quickly” (Westminster Confession of Faith 33.3).
And so, when we talk about the return of the Lord, this is my personal persuasion. Many godly people disagree with me; this is one of the most disputed teachings of Jesus. But if Jesus says nobody knows, and that we need to be ready because He could come at any moment (Mark 13:35–36), then that’s enough for me.
The passage
Mark 13:24–31
24“But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, 25and the stars will be falling from heaven, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken. 26And then they will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. 27And then he will send out the angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven. 28“From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts out its leaves, you know that summer is near. 29So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that he is near, at the very gates. 30Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. 31Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.
Verse by verse
vv. 24–25
24“But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, 25and the stars will be falling from heaven, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken.
after that tribulation. I believe multiple timelines are in view here, because it says, “after that tribulation.” This could be immediately after the fall of Jerusalem, like a conclusion of its judgment; this could also mean the persecution of the church in the end times by the antichrist. I’m not certain.
the sun will be darkened. This is not new language. Jesus is quoting the prophets. In Isaiah 13:10, against Babylon: “the sun will be dark at its rising, and the moon will not shed its light.”
the stars. In apocalyptic language, stars can mean people: rulers and leaders. In Revelation 1:20, the messengers of the seven churches are called stars.
Future, and first century: a dual fulfillment
I believe there will come a time when God starts to blot out the stars, the sun, and the moon. He will begin to de-create this universe and bring it to Himself for judgment, and then re-create it all without sin in the new heaven and new earth (Revelation 21:1–2), and the believer will live in the new Jerusalem. Before the Lord returns, according to the book of Revelation, it seems that God will strike the constellations: lights going dim, a third of the stars (Revelation 8:12), the cosmos and the earth slowly rolled back. All of that seems to be a literal event that will happen in the future. I have over 180 teachings through the book of Revelation, so feel free to walk through those if you have any further questions about this as it relates to the end times.
But remember the first context. He’s talking to the apostles, and He’s talking to them in a specific genre. The Bible has lots of literary genres in it: law, history, poetry, epistles, parables, gospels, apocalyptic literature. Now, if we are going to be biblical, and we must, we should recognize that Jesus is using apocalyptic language here. He’s echoing the same style of communication as the prophets of old, like Isaiah and Ezekiel and Joel. He speaks about the sun being darkened and stars falling; well, in apocalyptic literature, these things are idioms describing rulers and authorities being replaced.
Something that surprised me in my study of the Olivet Discourse is this: like many people, I grew up putting most of this into the future, but Jesus is actually quoting the Old Testament here. I do believe these things will literally happen, and they will be described in the book of Revelation. But, using apocalyptic literature to understand them, they also seem to happen in the first century. So here is where I think the dual fulfillment is happening.
The prophets’ language for the fall of a nation
Every image here is drawn from Old Testament oracles against nations. Jesus is referencing the judgment that fell upon Babylon in Isaiah 13:9–10:
9Behold, the day of the LORD comes, cruel, with wrath and fierce anger, to make the land a desolation and to destroy its sinners from it. 10For the stars of the heavens and their constellations will not give their light; the sun will be dark at its rising, and the moon will not shed its light.
Isaiah 13:9–10
He is also quoting the apocalyptic language of Joel 2:28–32, the same text Peter quotes as beginning to be fulfilled at Pentecost. Or consider Isaiah 34:4–5, against Edom:
4All the host of heaven shall rot away, and the skies roll up like a scroll. All their host shall fall, as leaves fall from the vine, like leaves falling from the fig tree. 5For my sword has drunk its fill in the heavens; behold, it descends for judgment upon Edom, upon the people I have devoted to destruction.
Isaiah 34:4–5
And the oracle against Egypt in Ezekiel 32:1–8:
1In the twelfth year, in the twelfth month, on the first day of the month, the word of the LORD came to me: 2“Son of man, raise a lamentation over Pharaoh king of Egypt and say to him: “You consider yourself a lion of the nations, but you are like a dragon in the seas; you burst forth in your rivers, trouble the waters with your feet, and foul their rivers. 3Thus says the Lord GOD: I will throw my net over you with a host of many peoples, and they will haul you up in my dragnet. 4And I will cast you on the ground; on the open field I will fling you, and will cause all the birds of the heavens to settle on you, and I will gorge the beasts of the whole earth with you. 5I will strew your flesh upon the mountains and fill the valleys with your carcass. 6I will drench the land even to the mountains with your flowing blood, and the ravines will be full of you. 7When I blot you out, I will cover the heavens and make their stars dark; I will cover the sun with a cloud, and the moon shall not give its light. 8All the bright lights of heaven will I make dark over you, and put darkness on your land, declares the Lord GOD.
Ezekiel 32:1–8
So Jesus, the true messenger of God, is echoing a long line of prophetic idioms for the collapse of a political or religious order: the things that were will soon no longer be.
Stars, sun, and moon: when the lights are people
In apocalyptic language, stars can mean people: rulers, leaders. In Revelation 1–3, the messengers of the seven churches, who are almost certainly human, are called stars (Revelation 1:20). This is what God pointed out to Abraham about his descendants: they would be like the stars (Genesis 15:5).
Or think about the sun and the moon, and the moon would be affected too. This reminds us of Joseph’s dream (Genesis 37:9–10): Joseph dreamed that the sun and the moon would bow down to him, and when his father, Jacob, heard it, Genesis 37:10:
10But when he told it to his father and to his brothers, his father rebuked him and said to him, “What is this dream that you have dreamed? Shall I and your mother and your brothers indeed come to bow ourselves to the ground before you?”
Genesis 37:10
So Jesus is using apocalyptic imagery, literally quoting the Old Testament and things that had already happened in the Old Testament.
Now, to really prove this point, let’s look at the book of Daniel, Daniel 8:9–10:
9Out of one of them came a little horn, which grew exceedingly great toward the south, toward the east, and toward the glorious land. 10It grew great, even to the host of heaven. And some of the host and some of the stars it threw down to the ground and trampled on them.
Daniel 8:9–10
It becomes very clear in Daniel 8 that the horn is a person, but so are the stars. So throwing stars down from the sky, or blotting them out, is a common expression in the Old Testament for displacing rulers and authorities. And this seems to be how Jesus uses this language in His Olivet Discourse about the destruction of Jerusalem.
Jerusalem, where heaven and earth were meant to meet
Loved ones, God had designed Jerusalem to be the place where heaven and earth meet, where man ascended into the presence of God and gathered at His temple. Jerusalem was meant to be the city of the great King (Psalm 48:1–2), a light to the nations (Isaiah 49:6), a guide to the people, the place where God’s priests would help guide the nations into righteousness and right worship. But instead, the temple had become a den of robbers (Mark 11:17).
And so, with the fall of Jerusalem, the old stars and moon and sun, the old guides and priests to humanity, were to come down and be shaken from their place. The fall of Jerusalem is going to mean a change in powers. The sun and moon in Genesis 1 were said to rule, but soon they will come down. These things must come crashing down.
As this relates to AD 70: the old order, the old covenant, the old guides are coming down. Soon the Lord will no longer call us to gather outside the temple. Rather, in the new covenant, His people, the church, will become the temple of God (1 Corinthians 3:16), filled with His Spirit and presence, and now, everywhere we are, we can worship Him in spirit and truth (John 4:23–24).
v. 26
26And then they will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory.
the Son of Man coming in clouds. This phrase is taken from Daniel 7:13–14, where one like a son of man comes with the clouds of heaven to the Ancient of Days and is given dominion and glory and a kingdom.
Coming on the clouds: Daniel 7 and Acts 1
“The Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory” is actually a phrase taken from Daniel 7:
13“I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him. 14And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed.
Daniel 7:13–14
This is describing Jesus ascending to heaven after He had completed His earthly mission, to receive all glory and power and the kingdom. So the Son of Man coming in the clouds in Daniel 7 is His ascension. But in Acts 1:11, the two men in white robes tell the disciples that He will return in the same way: “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.”
So Jesus ascended into heaven on the clouds with great power and glory, and He will descend and return in the clouds with great power and glory. And when He returns, He will come on the clouds with great power and glory, and none will be able to stand before Him on that day.
What a powerful verse!
And just to marvel for a second: what a powerful verse! “And then they will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory.” When the Lord returns, when Jesus, the Son of Man, the King of kings and Lord of lords returns, He will return with great power and glory. He will liberate and save His people, and the wicked will be crushed. I think of Revelation 6 here:
15Then the kings of the earth and the great ones and the generals and the rich and the powerful, and everyone, slave and free, hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains, 16calling to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who is seated on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb, 17for the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?”
Revelation 6:15–17
v. 27
27And then he will send out the angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven.
the angels. In Greek, “angel” and “messenger” are the same word (ἄγγελος, angelos). Context decides whether a heavenly or a human messenger is meant.
He will gather His people
When Jesus returns, He will gather His people from everywhere. He will send out His angels and gather His elect, His future people, to Himself. And what a day that will be!
Now, as tempted as I am to speak more about the return of the Lord here, Jesus is going to unpack this further in verses 32 through 37, so I’ll leave that discussion there. But for today, let me say this: Jesus is going to come back. And what a day to be gathered up into the presence of the Lord. What a day!
Angels, or messengers? The preterist reading
The preterists would say that after the ascension of Jesus and the destruction of Jerusalem, the angels, the messengers, would then fulfill the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19–20) and bring the nations to Christ. Now, obviously, that is true; the word angel and the word messenger are the same. But this seems to be talking about the final gathering of the elect. That’s one of the reasons I think the word elect is used here, looking forward to the future people of God. And it says they will be gathered from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven. Basically, from everywhere.
vv. 28–29
28“From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts out its leaves, you know that summer is near. 29So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that he is near, at the very gates.
the fig tree. Just one day earlier, in Mark 11, Jesus found a fig tree with leaves but no fruit, a picture of the temple, and He cursed it.
he is near. There is no separate word for “he” here; in Greek the subject is built into the verb, so it can be read either “he” or “it.” Some translators say he, some say it. The ESV prints “he” and gives “it” in a footnote.
Two parables: the fig tree and the returning master
Now Jesus is going to give us two cast besides, two parables of sorts. His first parable is the fig tree. The second parable is of a master going on a journey and then returning. The parable of the fig tree, then, seems to describe the fall of Jerusalem and when those things will happen. And the second parable, of the master returning, seems pretty plainly to me to refer to when Jesus returns, which no one knows. Today we will study the fig tree.
The fig tree in Mark 11, and the fig tree in Mark 13
We want to remember that in chapter 11, just one day earlier, Jesus found a fig tree with leaves on it. That fig tree was a picture of the temple. Upon inspection, it had leaves but no fruit, and so He cursed it, and it died. (Read the whole account in Mark 11:12–25.) Now here we are the very next day, and Jesus refers to the fig tree in His discussion about the fall of Jerusalem and the temple.
But this time He uses it differently. This time He isn’t pointing at what the tree is. He’s pointing at what the tree does before summer, and that’s sprout leaves. The fig tree sheds its leaves in the winter, and in the spring it grows leaves, and it is a sign that summer is around the corner.
What are the leaves?
So what are the leaves here? The signs. When false christs come; when there are wars and rumors of wars; when there are earthquakes in various places, and famines; when you are delivered over to synagogues and councils and governors; when families turn against families; when there is an abomination of desolation set up: then know that the destruction is near. So get out! All these things are signs to get out of the city. And as we see from Mark 11, the fig tree already had leaves on it, so the time is very near.
A scripture for you: summer fruit
1This is what the Lord GOD showed me: behold, a basket of summer fruit. 2And he said, “Amos, what do you see?” And I said, “A basket of summer fruit.” Then the LORD said to me, “The end has come upon my people Israel; I will never again pass by them.
Amos 8:1–2
Get out of the city: the church and the fall of Jerusalem
The first-century context is that the church should not be in Jerusalem leading up to the events of AD 70. God told the church to flee, and this is exactly what happened: they got out. Early church tradition records that before the war with Rome, the believers in Jerusalem were commanded by a revelation to leave the city, and they withdrew to Pella, across the Jordan (Eusebius, Church History 3.5.3).
v. 30
30Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place.
this generation. The fig tree focuses on the destruction of the temple, and the generation of the disciples would see all these things happen.
v. 31
31Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.
Where Jesus is headed next
And that’s today’s text. Next week we will focus entirely on the return of the Lord and on being ready for that. But in many ways, Jesus has begun His conclusion. He has answered the question about the destruction of the temple and what the church is going to go through in these end times.
The chiasm of Mark 13
Before we go, I want to look at the chiasm here. Mark 13 is built like a set of nested steps: each line on the way in is answered by a matching line on the way out, with the center as the turning point. Today’s text is the last two steps on the way out: the signs of His coming (B′) and the timing, and the words that will stand (A′).
A13:1–2The stones will fall
1And as he came out of the temple, one of his disciples said to him, “Look, Teacher, what wonderful stones and what wonderful buildings!” 2And Jesus said to him, “Do you see these great buildings? There will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.”
B13:3–4The question — when? and what sign?
3And as he sat on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter and James and John and Andrew asked him privately, 4“Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign when all these things are about to be accomplished?”
C13:5–6False Christs — do not be led astray — false shepherds
5And Jesus began to say to them, “See that no one leads you astray. 6Many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am he!’ and they will lead many astray.
D13:7–8When you hear — not yet; the pains begin
7And when you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed. This must take place, but the end is not yet. 8For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places; there will be famines. These are but the beginning of the birth pains.
E13:9Four tribunals — witness before them
9“But be on your guard. For they will deliver you over to councils, and you will be beaten in synagogues, and you will stand before governors and kings for my sake, to bear witness before them.
F13:10The gospel to all nations
10And the gospel must first be proclaimed to all nations.
E′13:11–13Four relations — the Spirit speaks; endure to the end
11And when they bring you to trial and deliver you over, do not be anxious beforehand what you are to say, but say whatever is given you in that hour, for it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit. 12And brother will deliver brother over to death, and the father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death. 13And you will be hated by all for my name’s sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.
D′13:14–20When you see — the crisis; the days cut short
14“But when you see the abomination of desolation standing where he ought not to be (let the reader understand), then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. 15Let the one who is on the housetop not go down, nor enter his house, to take anything out, 16and let the one who is in the field not turn back to take his cloak. 17And alas for women who are pregnant and for those who are nursing infants in those days! 18Pray that it may not happen in winter. 19For in those days there will be such tribulation as has not been from the beginning of the creation that God created until now, and never will be. 20And if the Lord had not cut short the days, no human being would be saved. But for the sake of the elect, whom he chose, he shortened the days.
C′13:21–23False Christs — do not be led astray — false shepherds
21And then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘Look, there he is!’ do not believe it. 22For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform signs and wonders, to lead astray, if possible, the elect. 23But be on guard; I have told you all things beforehand.
B′13:24–27The answer — The signs of His coming — the Shepherd gathers His sheep
24“But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, 25and the stars will be falling from heaven, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken. 26And then they will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. 27And then he will send out the angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven.
A′13:28–31The timing — and the words that will stand
28“From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts out its leaves, you know that summer is near. 29So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that he is near, at the very gates. 30Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. 31Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.
Coda — the day, the watch, the doorkeeper
a13:32No one knows
32“But concerning that day or that hour, no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.
b13:33You do not know when
33Be on guard, keep awake. For you do not know when the time will come.
c13:34The householder departs
34It is like a man going on a journey, when he leaves home and puts his servants in charge, each with his work, and commands the doorkeeper to stay awake.
b′13:35You do not know when — the four watches
35Therefore stay awake—for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or in the morning—
a′13:36–37Lest he come suddenly
36lest he come suddenly and find you asleep. 37And what I say to you I say to all: Stay awake.”
The forest, not the trees
So for the rest of our time here, let’s get our focus off the trees and onto the forest. Let’s get the big picture thus far.
1. Why does the Lord wait?
Whether you believe the Lord is going to return before the great tribulation described in the book of Revelation or after, one thing I don’t think you can wiggle out of is that the church has faced great tribulation and will face tribulations. So the question is, why? The disciples asked when all these things were going to happen. They seemed ready for Jesus to rule and reign in power! And so Jesus responds with a full sermon, and He talks about how hard life is going to be: how difficult and disruptive and cruel life is going to be for the believer. Not the response I’m sure they hoped to get.
But why, Jesus? Why? Why come back after things have been hard? Why not come back before things are hard? Why not come in power today? Fascinating: Peter is one of those asking the question on the Mount of Olives (Mark 13:3–4). But many years later, it seems the early church wondered too, and the scoffers (2 Peter 3:3–4) were saying something along the lines of, Where’s Jesus? Why isn’t He here yet? They were making fun of His return. And Peter answers this question in 2 Peter 3:
8But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.
2 Peter 3:8
Anytime someone feels like the Lord’s taking too long to return, Peter says, essentially, that God’s timing is very different from our timing. We feel like the Lord has taken a long time to return, but it’s been, as it were, about two days in heaven.
9The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.
2 Peter 3:9
The reason the Lord allows trials into our lives, the reason God allows the church to go through easier or harder seasons, the reason He has waited this long, is that every day people are being saved. As much as I, or we, want the Lord to return today, what we should want more is the Lord’s perfect timing. If He tarries, I may see my twins baptized, and see my grandkids sing, “Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so.” Your great-grandkids, or the children of people you have impacted, may become pastors and missionaries who help lead many souls into heaven.
And so Jesus not only waits because people are being saved every day, but also so that we, the church, should reach repentance. The Lord allows trials, and lets things continue to roll on, because suffering produces endurance, endurance character, and character hope (Romans 5:3–4). The longer we walk with the Lord, the more we mature and walk in repentance; we are matured and brought out of darkness. His waiting is maturing us.
10But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed. 11Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness, 12waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn! 13But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.
2 Peter 3:10–13
14Therefore, beloved, since you are waiting for these, be diligent to be found by him without spot or blemish, and at peace.
2 Peter 3:14
“Without spot or blemish”: when the Lord returns, don’t be found in sin. “And at peace”: this is both peace with God and an unshakable peace of mind. Don’t get caught up in hysterics and be alarmists. Have great confidence that God is on the throne.
15And count the patience of our Lord as salvation, …
2 Peter 3:15
The Lord’s delay, His patient return, is not because God is indifferent to our sufferings and our trials. Every day that He waits is a deliberate act of mercy, in that every day He saves more people.
2. My words will not pass away
“Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.” (Mark 13:31) Why does Jesus say that here, especially since He’s not done talking? He hasn’t finished His sermon yet. So why does Jesus say that here? I believe it’s because He’s done talking about the fall of Jerusalem and the temple. The sun and the moon and the stars are going to fall, and the very stones are going to be thrown down (Mark 13:2). Heaven and earth will pass away. The temple will be thrown down. But His word will not pass away.
One of the things that becomes clear from the structure of Mark 13 is that the fall of Jerusalem and the destruction of the temple are paralleled with Jesus’ words never passing away (see the Chiasm tab). All through this teaching, Jesus is describing the destruction of the temple: not one stone will be left upon another; it will all be thrown down. But His word, His word will never pass away.
Here’s the point, and the big conclusion to the events of AD 70: the temple is coming down, but all is not lost. Jesus is replacing the temple of Jerusalem with Himself. The big, beautiful stones of the temple are going to come toppling down, but destroy Jesus’ body, and in three days He will raise it up again (John 2:19–21). His word will never pass away. Through faith in Jesus, man will no longer need to worship God beyond some veil in Jerusalem; because of the works of the Lord Jesus Christ, we have direct access to God Himself.
Man once had to meet with God from outside a tent or temple. We had to meet with God at the foot of a mountain, one that if we touched, we would drop dead (Exodus 19:12). But then God came down the mountain. The Lord Jesus Christ came to us as a baby in a manger (Luke 2:7), and He lived the perfect life, and He died as our sacrifice, that all who believe in Him will not perish, but have everlasting life (John 3:16).
When the temple veil tore (Mark 15:38) as Jesus died on the cross, we were liberated and no longer under the law, and the fall of Jerusalem and the destruction of the temple was the public confirmation of it: that we are no longer under the law or the temple, but that we now have a covenant through His blood (Luke 22:20). And we live on His word. To believe His gospel, His teaching, what He says about Himself, that is to have everlasting life.
31Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.
Mark 13:31
So when we have faith in the One who says that whoever believes in Him will not perish but have everlasting life (John 3:16), this is an unmovable truth. Everything will pass away, but His words, His promises, His truths are eternally true.
Appendix: every Scripture passage cited
Mark 13 is printed in full in the chiasm above.
Matthew 24:3
3As he sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?”
Mark 13:32
32“But concerning that day or that hour, no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.
Daniel 8:14
14And he said to me, “For 2,300 evenings and mornings. Then the sanctuary shall be restored to its rightful state.”
Matthew 24:34
34Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place.
Mark 13:35–36
35Therefore stay awake—for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or in the morning— 36lest he come suddenly and find you asleep.
Mark 13:24–31
24“But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, 25and the stars will be falling from heaven, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken. 26And then they will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. 27And then he will send out the angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven. 28“From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts out its leaves, you know that summer is near. 29So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that he is near, at the very gates. 30Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. 31Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.
Mark 13:24–25
24“But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, 25and the stars will be falling from heaven, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken.
Revelation 21:1–2
1Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. 2And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
Revelation 8:12
12The fourth angel blew his trumpet, and a third of the sun was struck, and a third of the moon, and a third of the stars, so that a third of their light might be darkened, and a third of the day might be kept from shining, and likewise a third of the night.
Isaiah 13:9–10
9Behold, the day of the LORD comes, cruel, with wrath and fierce anger, to make the land a desolation and to destroy its sinners from it. 10For the stars of the heavens and their constellations will not give their light; the sun will be dark at its rising, and the moon will not shed its light.
Joel 2:28–32
28“And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions. 29Even on the male and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit. 30“And I will show wonders in the heavens and on the earth, blood and fire and columns of smoke. 31The sun shall be turned to darkness, and the moon to blood, before the great and awesome day of the LORD comes. 32And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved. For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be those who escape, as the LORD has said, and among the survivors shall be those whom the LORD calls.
Isaiah 34:4–5
4All the host of heaven shall rot away, and the skies roll up like a scroll. All their host shall fall, as leaves fall from the vine, like leaves falling from the fig tree. 5For my sword has drunk its fill in the heavens; behold, it descends for judgment upon Edom, upon the people I have devoted to destruction.
Ezekiel 32:1–8
1In the twelfth year, in the twelfth month, on the first day of the month, the word of the LORD came to me: 2“Son of man, raise a lamentation over Pharaoh king of Egypt and say to him: “You consider yourself a lion of the nations, but you are like a dragon in the seas; you burst forth in your rivers, trouble the waters with your feet, and foul their rivers. 3Thus says the Lord GOD: I will throw my net over you with a host of many peoples, and they will haul you up in my dragnet. 4And I will cast you on the ground; on the open field I will fling you, and will cause all the birds of the heavens to settle on you, and I will gorge the beasts of the whole earth with you. 5I will strew your flesh upon the mountains and fill the valleys with your carcass. 6I will drench the land even to the mountains with your flowing blood, and the ravines will be full of you. 7When I blot you out, I will cover the heavens and make their stars dark; I will cover the sun with a cloud, and the moon shall not give its light. 8All the bright lights of heaven will I make dark over you, and put darkness on your land, declares the Lord GOD.
Revelation 1:20
20As for the mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand, and the seven golden lampstands, the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.
Genesis 15:5
5And he brought him outside and said, “Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.”
Genesis 37:9–10
9Then he dreamed another dream and told it to his brothers and said, “Behold, I have dreamed another dream. Behold, the sun, the moon, and eleven stars were bowing down to me.” 10But when he told it to his father and to his brothers, his father rebuked him and said to him, “What is this dream that you have dreamed? Shall I and your mother and your brothers indeed come to bow ourselves to the ground before you?”
Genesis 37:10
10But when he told it to his father and to his brothers, his father rebuked him and said to him, “What is this dream that you have dreamed? Shall I and your mother and your brothers indeed come to bow ourselves to the ground before you?”
Daniel 8:9–10
9Out of one of them came a little horn, which grew exceedingly great toward the south, toward the east, and toward the glorious land. 10It grew great, even to the host of heaven. And some of the host and some of the stars it threw down to the ground and trampled on them.
Psalm 48:1–2
1Great is the LORD and greatly to be praised in the city of our God! His holy mountain, 2beautiful in elevation, is the joy of all the earth, Mount Zion, in the far north, the city of the great King.
Isaiah 49:6
6he says: “It is too light a thing that you should be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to bring back the preserved of Israel; I will make you as a light for the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.”
Mark 11:17
17And he was teaching them and saying to them, “Is it not written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations’? But you have made it a den of robbers.”
Genesis 1:16
16And God made the two great lights—the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night—and the stars.
1 Corinthians 3:16
16Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?
John 4:23–24
23But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. 24God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”
Mark 13:26
26And then they will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory.
Daniel 7:13–14
13“I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him. 14And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed.
Acts 1:9–11
9And when he had said these things, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. 10And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes, 11and said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.”
Revelation 6:15–17
15Then the kings of the earth and the great ones and the generals and the rich and the powerful, and everyone, slave and free, hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains, 16calling to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who is seated on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb, 17for the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?”
Mark 13:27
27And then he will send out the angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven.
Mark 13:32–37
32“But concerning that day or that hour, no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 33Be on guard, keep awake. For you do not know when the time will come. 34It is like a man going on a journey, when he leaves home and puts his servants in charge, each with his work, and commands the doorkeeper to stay awake. 35Therefore stay awake—for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or in the morning— 36lest he come suddenly and find you asleep. 37And what I say to you I say to all: Stay awake.”
Matthew 28:19–20
19Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
Mark 13:28–29
28“From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts out its leaves, you know that summer is near. 29So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that he is near, at the very gates.
Mark 11:12–21
12On the following day, when they came from Bethany, he was hungry. 13And seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to see if he could find anything on it. When he came to it, he found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs. 14And he said to it, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again.” And his disciples heard it. 15And they came to Jerusalem. And he entered the temple and began to drive out those who sold and those who bought in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who sold pigeons. 16And he would not allow anyone to carry anything through the temple. 17And he was teaching them and saying to them, “Is it not written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations’? But you have made it a den of robbers.” 18And the chief priests and the scribes heard it and were seeking a way to destroy him, for they feared him, because all the crowd was astonished at his teaching. 19And when evening came they went out of the city. 20As they passed by in the morning, they saw the fig tree withered away to its roots. 21And Peter remembered and said to him, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree that you cursed has withered.”
Mark 11:12–25
12On the following day, when they came from Bethany, he was hungry. 13And seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to see if he could find anything on it. When he came to it, he found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs. 14And he said to it, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again.” And his disciples heard it. 15And they came to Jerusalem. And he entered the temple and began to drive out those who sold and those who bought in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who sold pigeons. 16And he would not allow anyone to carry anything through the temple. 17And he was teaching them and saying to them, “Is it not written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations’? But you have made it a den of robbers.” 18And the chief priests and the scribes heard it and were seeking a way to destroy him, for they feared him, because all the crowd was astonished at his teaching. 19And when evening came they went out of the city. 20As they passed by in the morning, they saw the fig tree withered away to its roots. 21And Peter remembered and said to him, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree that you cursed has withered.” 22And Jesus answered them, “Have faith in God. 23Truly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will come to pass, it will be done for him. 24Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. 25And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.”
Amos 8:1–2
1This is what the Lord GOD showed me: behold, a basket of summer fruit. 2And he said, “Amos, what do you see?” And I said, “A basket of summer fruit.” Then the LORD said to me, “The end has come upon my people Israel; I will never again pass by them.
Mark 13:30
30Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place.
Mark 13:31
31Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.
Mark 13:3–4
3And as he sat on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter and James and John and Andrew asked him privately, 4“Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign when all these things are about to be accomplished?”
2 Peter 3:3–4
3knowing this first of all, that scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing, following their own sinful desires. 4They will say, “Where is the promise of his coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation.”
2 Peter 3:8–15
8But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. 9The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. 10But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed. 11Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness, 12waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn! 13But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. 14Therefore, beloved, since you are waiting for these, be diligent to be found by him without spot or blemish, and at peace. 15And count the patience of our Lord as salvation, just as our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you according to the wisdom given him,
2 Peter 3:8
8But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.
2 Peter 3:9
9The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.
Romans 5:3–4
3Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4and endurance produces character, and character produces hope,
2 Peter 3:10–13
10But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed. 11Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness, 12waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn! 13But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.
2 Peter 3:14
14Therefore, beloved, since you are waiting for these, be diligent to be found by him without spot or blemish, and at peace.
2 Peter 3:15
15And count the patience of our Lord as salvation, just as our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you according to the wisdom given him,
Mark 13:2
2And Jesus said to him, “Do you see these great buildings? There will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.”
John 2:19–21
19Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” 20The Jews then said, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will you raise it up in three days?” 21But he was speaking about the temple of his body.
Exodus 19:12
12And you shall set limits for the people all around, saying, ‘Take care not to go up into the mountain or touch the edge of it. Whoever touches the mountain shall be put to death.
Luke 2:7
7And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.
John 3:16
16“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
Mark 15:38
38And the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom.
Luke 22:20
20And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.
Isaiah 13:10
10For the stars of the heavens and their constellations will not give their light; the sun will be dark at its rising, and the moon will not shed its light.
Mark 13:28
28“From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts out its leaves, you know that summer is near.