Mark 13
Summary. During this time, the Lord Jesus was teaching every day in the temple in Jerusalem, but at night, He went outside of the city and lodged on Mount Olivet (See Luke 21:37-38). In this chapter, as the Lord Jesus was sitting with His disciples on the Mount of Olives, the Lord answered His disciples’ questions about the temple buildings and the signs of His coming and the end of the age. The disciples at that time did not know when and what would happen to the temple buildings in Jerusalem, but now we know what happened to the temple buildings. The Lord prophesied about the end time, but we don’t know about that time, how the end of the age will come, and when the Lord will return. Nobody knows this time, but the Lord gives us various signs to watch for and prepare for those times if we live in those times. The Lord gives us a few prominent signs and warnings in this chapter. 1) The destruction of the current temple of the Lord (the Bible) by changing the way to interpret the Bible because they will claim they found new original texts for translating the Bible; because of this, many things will be changed in the original Bible to fit what they have found, and the fake bible will appear. 2) The way to build a new temple for God according to the new fake bible to replace the old temple; but that will not bring praises to God but will bring praises to men; the ones that will build it will claim they did it by their own intelligence (they used the fake new bible); there will be no need for God’s help to build the new temple; they will build God’s temple but do not need God. 3) The abomination will start by replacing the true Bible and lifting up the new fake bible as the true one instead of the old one that the Lord has given to humans. What they will also change in the fake bible will be to fit the description of where and how to build the new temple of God; the way we have the Bible now will no longer be used; the new fake bible will replace the true one throughout the world. 4) Other signs relate to people doing things with human intelligence and claiming that humans are more intelligent than God. Humans no longer need God to be in this world; this will be harder for humans who still hold on to the true Bible to accept. If the Lord wants to bring change, it will be a big war between humans. There will be two types of humans: the black and the white belief, not the color of skin referring to here, but the color of the mind, and there will be war, internal war in humans themselves.
[1]
And as He went out of the temple, one of His disciples says to Him, Teacher , behold, what manner of stones and what manner of buildings!
[2]
And Jesus said to him, Do you see these great buildings? There shall not be left here stone upon stone, which shall not be thrown down.
Comments Mark 13:1-2
For Mark 13:1-2 see, Comments Matthew 24:1-2, and Comments Luke 21:5-6.
Q: How do we explain the word differences between the Gospels? For example, Matthew 24:1-2 talks about the disciples coming to the Lord Jesus and about Him answering them, while Mark 13:1-2 talks about one disciple talking to the Lord and about the Lord answering him. A: Yes, it is true that the Gospels tell differently, but remember also that the disciples go together in a group to the Lord. One approaches the Lord to ask questions, and the rest are behind. When the Lord answers, He answers to the one that asks, but the rest that are there are also part of listening as well. The Lord Jesus talks to one of them, but all understand; all are listening and are part of the conversation at the same time. The words might differ in some places in the Gospels, but the meaning does not change.
Q: How do we explain the word differences between the Gospels? For example, Matthew 24:1-2 talks about the disciples coming to the Lord Jesus and about Him answering them, while Mark 13:1-2 talks about one disciple talking to the Lord and about the Lord answering him. A: Yes, it is true that the Gospels tell differently, but remember also that the disciples go together in a group to the Lord. One approaches the Lord to ask questions, and the rest are behind. When the Lord answers, He answers to the one that asks, but the rest that are there are also part of listening as well. The Lord Jesus talks to one of them, but all understand; all are listening and are part of the conversation at the same time. The words might differ in some places in the Gospels, but the meaning does not change.
Comments Mark 13:2 In this place, the Lord tells what would happen with the temple, and it did happen, but later on, not right away at that time.
[3]
And as He sat upon 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 these things are all about to be accomplished?
[5]
And Jesus began to say to them, Take heed lest anyone leads you astray.
[6]
Many will come in My name, saying, I am he; and they will lead many astray.
[7]
And when you shall hear of wars and rumors of wars, be not troubled; it must come to pass, but the end is not yet.
[8]
For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; there will be earthquakes in divers places; there will be famines. These are the beginning of travail.
[9]
But you take heed to yourselves; they will deliver you up to councils; and in synagogues you will be beaten; and before governors and kings you will stand for My sake, for a testimony to them.
[10]
And the gospel must first be proclaimed to all the nations.
[11]
And when they lead you away, delivering you up, do not be anxious beforehand what you should speak; but whatever shall be given you in that hour, that speak; for it is not you that speak, but the Holy Spirit .
[12]
And brother will deliver up brother to death, and father child; and children will rise up against parents, and will put them to death.
[13]
And you will be hated by all on account of My name; but the one having endured to the end, he will be saved.
Comments Mark 13:3-13
For Mark 13:3-13, see Comments Matthew 24:3-14, and Comments Luke 21:7-19.
Comparison Analysis
Mark 13:3-4, Matthew 24:3. See Comments Matthew 24:3. Q: In Mark, it looks like the disciples are asking about when things will happen to the temple, while in Matthew, they are asking about the temple, the second coming of the Lord, and the end of the age. A: We should understand that the Gospel of Mark does not give the entire question that the disciples put to the Lord. Here in Mark, the disciples asked more about the time when things will happen; it is a more specific question of when it will happen, but the Lord will not tell the exact time. It is not for anyone to know the time; the persons in that time, when the Lord Jesus was on earth and spoke to them, could not know when it would happen. Still, now, when we read the Bible, we can understand more about these things. The time the Lord spoke about overlaps with our time now; the time the Lord talked about came to pass: the destruction of the temple is history now for us. The time of the past (the time the Lord talked about) and now time overlap each other (in the sense that it happened, and now we can know what happened, but for the persons that were in the past they did not have a chance to think the way we have it now). Therefore, only now can people know what has happened, but the people at that time had no idea what the Lord was talking about. Also, the time of the past, when the Lord was crucified, and the time of now, expecting His return, overlap for us in an unknown sense as well. Now the overlap is more apparent for us as well; think that at that time, they did not know that the Lord would be crucified and now we don’t know the time of the Lord’s return; you can notice the overlap (we talk here about the overlap of the unknown, the times the Lord predicted). When the Lord spoke to them at that time, they did not know about the destruction of the temple (that time was unknown to them). At this time, we know about the destruction of the temple, but we don’t know about the second coming time; the time of the second coming of the Lord is unknown now to us; therefore, this unknown time could also be taken as an overlap situation.
See "Comments on the temple of the Lord" in Comments Matthew 24:3. Now, the Bible is the Living Word of God, so it is His temple; He dwells in the Living Word; people will try to change and destroy this temple (the Bible).
When the Lord Jesus was born on earth, the circle came to completion: nothing that the Lord created will be wiped off completely; the Lord had already taken part of the earth with Him when He rose from the dead. The Lord was in human flesh when He rose; He ate fish, and the disciples saw His nail-pierced hands; the Lord’s glory covered His earthly human body and carried that body up to heaven. The body of the Lord Jesus was transfigured from the inner to come out (His heavenly body from inside His human body covered the human body), not transformed from out into inner, meaning that His human body did not change. But instead, the inner body, the heavenly body, came out and covered the human body.
The Lord’s body is from the earth; the connection (the Heavenly Spirit) between His body and earth is here, and the Lord is here; when He (the Holy Spirit) goes back, the earth will melt down. In human’s eyes, it will take a long time for the departure of the Holy Spirit and the return of the Lord Jesus, but in the Lord’s eyes, it is not long at all. Still, because of the mercy the Father has towards His created things, He has already spared the earth, and His begotten Son has taken back with Him the part of the earth; imagine part of the earth is in the Lord Jesus Himself. Nothing will disappear completely; the Lord has already spared the earth.
Mark 13:5-6, Matthew 24:4-5. See Comments Matthew 24:4-5.
Mark 13:7-8, Matthew 24:6-8. The meaning of these verses of Scripture is the same. See Comments Matthew 24:6-8. Here, we can also add that the war is not a physical war alone. Also, the war of the spiritual world will happen: the war of how to take away the believers from the faith will start up. There will be not just fighting physically, but fighting in the mind will appear, and that is why parents can put children to death. Inside human beings, changes will happen, and selfishness will cover the eye of the heart; that’s why families can betray each other. The Bible has already told us about these disasters. Words cannot describe what will happen in those times.
Mark 13:9, Matthew 24:9. See Comments Matthew 24:9. Maybe these verses use the words differently, but they both have the same meaning.
Mark 13:10, Matthew 24:14. See Comments Matthew 24:14. This is where we can notice there is no copy between the Gospels of Mark and Matthew. The purpose of the Gospel is to be proclaimed all over the world. These days, there are still some places where people have never heard about the name of the Lord. The second coming of the Lord is not yet here; this sign must be fulfilled first.
Mark 13:11. Because of the work of the Holy Spirit, the name of the Lord will spread all over the earth. When everywhere humans have known about the Lord, this written here will happen.
Mark 13:12, Matthew 24:10. The meaning is straightforward. Q: Why will this kind of behavior happen? A: This verse shows the picture of things that will happen when people think of themselves only.
Mark 13:13, Matthew 24:13. “But the one having endured to the end, he will be saved.” In this verse, the Lord warns all humans to know so that when this time comes, it is no one’s fault but themselves because the Gospel has been proclaimed. Humans find excuses to say that it is not their fault they are not saved, but the Bible has already been spread everywhere; the people themselves walked by the Bible many times but never even looked at it. Still, when the Word is spread all over, there will be resistance to it in some places, but the end is not there yet; even families will fight each other, but the end is not there yet. However, if inside your heart you are not wavering from faith according to what you have seen happening to some people you know, you did not back off from the faith; those that can stand until the end will be saved.
Q: Can you lose salvation? A: If you do not stand to the end, you can lose salvation. If you admit the Lord today, and when troubles come the next day, you back off from the Lord, and that is a betrayer’s action, and you will be cut off.
Comparison Analysis
Mark 13:3-4, Matthew 24:3. See Comments Matthew 24:3. Q: In Mark, it looks like the disciples are asking about when things will happen to the temple, while in Matthew, they are asking about the temple, the second coming of the Lord, and the end of the age. A: We should understand that the Gospel of Mark does not give the entire question that the disciples put to the Lord. Here in Mark, the disciples asked more about the time when things will happen; it is a more specific question of when it will happen, but the Lord will not tell the exact time. It is not for anyone to know the time; the persons in that time, when the Lord Jesus was on earth and spoke to them, could not know when it would happen. Still, now, when we read the Bible, we can understand more about these things. The time the Lord spoke about overlaps with our time now; the time the Lord talked about came to pass: the destruction of the temple is history now for us. The time of the past (the time the Lord talked about) and now time overlap each other (in the sense that it happened, and now we can know what happened, but for the persons that were in the past they did not have a chance to think the way we have it now). Therefore, only now can people know what has happened, but the people at that time had no idea what the Lord was talking about. Also, the time of the past, when the Lord was crucified, and the time of now, expecting His return, overlap for us in an unknown sense as well. Now the overlap is more apparent for us as well; think that at that time, they did not know that the Lord would be crucified and now we don’t know the time of the Lord’s return; you can notice the overlap (we talk here about the overlap of the unknown, the times the Lord predicted). When the Lord spoke to them at that time, they did not know about the destruction of the temple (that time was unknown to them). At this time, we know about the destruction of the temple, but we don’t know about the second coming time; the time of the second coming of the Lord is unknown now to us; therefore, this unknown time could also be taken as an overlap situation.
See "Comments on the temple of the Lord" in Comments Matthew 24:3. Now, the Bible is the Living Word of God, so it is His temple; He dwells in the Living Word; people will try to change and destroy this temple (the Bible).
When the Lord Jesus was born on earth, the circle came to completion: nothing that the Lord created will be wiped off completely; the Lord had already taken part of the earth with Him when He rose from the dead. The Lord was in human flesh when He rose; He ate fish, and the disciples saw His nail-pierced hands; the Lord’s glory covered His earthly human body and carried that body up to heaven. The body of the Lord Jesus was transfigured from the inner to come out (His heavenly body from inside His human body covered the human body), not transformed from out into inner, meaning that His human body did not change. But instead, the inner body, the heavenly body, came out and covered the human body.
The Lord’s body is from the earth; the connection (the Heavenly Spirit) between His body and earth is here, and the Lord is here; when He (the Holy Spirit) goes back, the earth will melt down. In human’s eyes, it will take a long time for the departure of the Holy Spirit and the return of the Lord Jesus, but in the Lord’s eyes, it is not long at all. Still, because of the mercy the Father has towards His created things, He has already spared the earth, and His begotten Son has taken back with Him the part of the earth; imagine part of the earth is in the Lord Jesus Himself. Nothing will disappear completely; the Lord has already spared the earth.
Mark 13:5-6, Matthew 24:4-5. See Comments Matthew 24:4-5.
Mark 13:7-8, Matthew 24:6-8. The meaning of these verses of Scripture is the same. See Comments Matthew 24:6-8. Here, we can also add that the war is not a physical war alone. Also, the war of the spiritual world will happen: the war of how to take away the believers from the faith will start up. There will be not just fighting physically, but fighting in the mind will appear, and that is why parents can put children to death. Inside human beings, changes will happen, and selfishness will cover the eye of the heart; that’s why families can betray each other. The Bible has already told us about these disasters. Words cannot describe what will happen in those times.
Mark 13:9, Matthew 24:9. See Comments Matthew 24:9. Maybe these verses use the words differently, but they both have the same meaning.
Mark 13:10, Matthew 24:14. See Comments Matthew 24:14. This is where we can notice there is no copy between the Gospels of Mark and Matthew. The purpose of the Gospel is to be proclaimed all over the world. These days, there are still some places where people have never heard about the name of the Lord. The second coming of the Lord is not yet here; this sign must be fulfilled first.
Mark 13:11. Because of the work of the Holy Spirit, the name of the Lord will spread all over the earth. When everywhere humans have known about the Lord, this written here will happen.
Mark 13:12, Matthew 24:10. The meaning is straightforward. Q: Why will this kind of behavior happen? A: This verse shows the picture of things that will happen when people think of themselves only.
Mark 13:13, Matthew 24:13. “But the one having endured to the end, he will be saved.” In this verse, the Lord warns all humans to know so that when this time comes, it is no one’s fault but themselves because the Gospel has been proclaimed. Humans find excuses to say that it is not their fault they are not saved, but the Bible has already been spread everywhere; the people themselves walked by the Bible many times but never even looked at it. Still, when the Word is spread all over, there will be resistance to it in some places, but the end is not there yet; even families will fight each other, but the end is not there yet. However, if inside your heart you are not wavering from faith according to what you have seen happening to some people you know, you did not back off from the faith; those that can stand until the end will be saved.
Q: Can you lose salvation? A: If you do not stand to the end, you can lose salvation. If you admit the Lord today, and when troubles come the next day, you back off from the Lord, and that is a betrayer’s action, and you will be cut off.
[14]
But when you see the abomination of the desolation, which was spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing where it ought not (the one reading, let him understand), then those in Judaea let them flee to the mountains,
[15]
and the one upon the housetop let him not go down, nor enter in, to take anything out of his house;
[16]
and the one in the field let him not return to take his garment.
[17]
But woe to those in womb with child and to those that give suck in those days!
[18]
And pray you that it be not in the winter.
[19]
For those days will be tribulation, such as there has not been the like from the beginning of the creation which God created until now, and never shall be.
[20]
And except the Lord had shortened the days, no any flesh there would have been saved; but on account of the elect whom He chose, He has shortened the days.
[21]
And then if anyone shall say to you, Behold, here is the Christ! Behold, there! Do not believe it.
[22]
For there will arise false Christs and false prophets, and will give signs and wonders, to deceive, if possible, the elect.
[23]
You however take heed; I have told you all things beforehand.
Comments Mark 13:14-23
For Mark 13:14-23 see Comments Matthew 24:15-28.
Passage Analysis
Note: For comments on the second coming of the Lord see Comments Matthew 25:6b: Additional Notes on Timeline Events Related to the Second Coming of the Lord and End Time.
Mark 13:14-20, Matthew 24:15-22. See Comments Matthew 24:15 and Matthew 24:22.
“The abomination of the desolation.” In this place, the abomination itself, a person who has covered themselves with the dark and pretends to be the holy son himself, will perform miracles by dark powers that will trick many believers. But for the ones that keep reading the true Word, the eyes of the heart will be opened to see and understand and will not fall into the trap of the dark side.
“But on account of the elect whom He chose, He has shortened the days.” This saying means a short period of time for the sake of the elect ones. As the Bible says, the Lord will cut the time short because humans’ eyes will see miracles performing which will lead the hearts away from the Lord. In those days the ones that call themselves Christians will be the ones that go ahead and burn Bibles in front of people. Watch out, all humans! All these will happen as the Bible tells us, but when the eyes see these things, it will look worse than it was written because all humans perform them, not the evil ones alone. As the Bible says, nations against nations, kingdom against kingdom, humans killing humans everywhere, but all evil is still not ending yet by the hand of humans themselves. Keep the true Bible to your heart, and you will see the light.
Mark 13:21-22; Matthew 24:23-24. See Comments Matthew 24:3-5.
Mark 13:23; Matthew 24:25. The Bible clearly says that people will come, read the Word, mix words out, and declare the time of the Lord’s return is not yet. Still, when the abomination has appeared, that is the first step of judgment. Because of people listening to the abomination, the Lord will start pouring His wrath on the earth. Life will not be easy for humans in those times; the mind will find it hard to think what is true and what is fake because the evil one has faked the bible for humans to read. When you fake the bible and read on, the mind will not see the true light of the Word. There is only one way to be safe: meditate on the Word, and don’t follow humans who come and teach you and lead you astray; nothing can compare to the true Word of God.
Passage Analysis
Note: For comments on the second coming of the Lord see Comments Matthew 25:6b: Additional Notes on Timeline Events Related to the Second Coming of the Lord and End Time.
Mark 13:14-20, Matthew 24:15-22. See Comments Matthew 24:15 and Matthew 24:22.
“The abomination of the desolation.” In this place, the abomination itself, a person who has covered themselves with the dark and pretends to be the holy son himself, will perform miracles by dark powers that will trick many believers. But for the ones that keep reading the true Word, the eyes of the heart will be opened to see and understand and will not fall into the trap of the dark side.
“But on account of the elect whom He chose, He has shortened the days.” This saying means a short period of time for the sake of the elect ones. As the Bible says, the Lord will cut the time short because humans’ eyes will see miracles performing which will lead the hearts away from the Lord. In those days the ones that call themselves Christians will be the ones that go ahead and burn Bibles in front of people. Watch out, all humans! All these will happen as the Bible tells us, but when the eyes see these things, it will look worse than it was written because all humans perform them, not the evil ones alone. As the Bible says, nations against nations, kingdom against kingdom, humans killing humans everywhere, but all evil is still not ending yet by the hand of humans themselves. Keep the true Bible to your heart, and you will see the light.
Mark 13:21-22; Matthew 24:23-24. See Comments Matthew 24:3-5.
Mark 13:23; Matthew 24:25. The Bible clearly says that people will come, read the Word, mix words out, and declare the time of the Lord’s return is not yet. Still, when the abomination has appeared, that is the first step of judgment. Because of people listening to the abomination, the Lord will start pouring His wrath on the earth. Life will not be easy for humans in those times; the mind will find it hard to think what is true and what is fake because the evil one has faked the bible for humans to read. When you fake the bible and read on, the mind will not see the true light of the Word. There is only one way to be safe: meditate on the Word, and don’t follow humans who come and teach you and lead you astray; nothing can compare to the true Word of God.
[24]
But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light,
[25]
and the stars will be falling from heaven, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken.
[26]
And then will they see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory.
[27]
And then He will send the angels, and will gather together His elect, from the four winds, from the end of earth to the end of heaven.
Comments Mark 13:24-27
For Mark 13:14-23, see Comments Matthew 24:29-31.
Mark 13:24-25, Matthew 24:29. See Comments Matthew 24:29.
Additional Explanations to the Comments in Matthew
Q: Two times in one, what does it mean? A: It is the same time, same moment, but two worlds are sharing that time. The world as we see it and the parallel world both share this time and go parallel together, and that is why we used the term a gap of time (meaning a gap between these two parallel times). It is the same thing but two worlds that share but do not interfere with each other at all. Also, there are two gaps of time because it is not the same world that shares the same time and same moment: they overlap each other, and in between, there is a gap of time that does not impact each other; one world, one gap of time, the other world another gap of time. Notice the term that is used in these verses: “The moon will not give its light, and the stars will be falling from heaven,” but where do the stars fall down to? They can’t fall down on this earth; the earth will be destroyed; therefore, this here is talking about another world, and this verse is clear. The human world will have great troubles. It will be difficult for humans to survive, and this is a gap of time for this world to go through all the difficult time. About the other world, we cannot know about it; they have their gap of time.
Mark 13:26, Matthew 24:30. See Comments Matthew 24:30. In Matthew, we are told clearly that the majority will see the Son of Man coming in His glory as a vision, but the elect will see the Lord as He is.
Mark 13:27, Matthew 24:31. See Comments Matthew 24:31. The elect: these are the ones that will see Him as He is.
Mark 13:24-25, Matthew 24:29. See Comments Matthew 24:29.
Additional Explanations to the Comments in Matthew
Q: Two times in one, what does it mean? A: It is the same time, same moment, but two worlds are sharing that time. The world as we see it and the parallel world both share this time and go parallel together, and that is why we used the term a gap of time (meaning a gap between these two parallel times). It is the same thing but two worlds that share but do not interfere with each other at all. Also, there are two gaps of time because it is not the same world that shares the same time and same moment: they overlap each other, and in between, there is a gap of time that does not impact each other; one world, one gap of time, the other world another gap of time. Notice the term that is used in these verses: “The moon will not give its light, and the stars will be falling from heaven,” but where do the stars fall down to? They can’t fall down on this earth; the earth will be destroyed; therefore, this here is talking about another world, and this verse is clear. The human world will have great troubles. It will be difficult for humans to survive, and this is a gap of time for this world to go through all the difficult time. About the other world, we cannot know about it; they have their gap of time.
Mark 13:26, Matthew 24:30. See Comments Matthew 24:30. In Matthew, we are told clearly that the majority will see the Son of Man coming in His glory as a vision, but the elect will see the Lord as He is.
Mark 13:27, Matthew 24:31. See Comments Matthew 24:31. The elect: these are the ones that will see Him as He is.
[28]
Now from the fig tree learn the parable: when its branch has already become tender, and it puts forth the leaves, you know that the summer is near;
[29]
even so you, when you see these things coming to pass, know that He is near, at the doors.
[30]
Truly I say to you, This generation will have not pass away, until all these things shall be accomplished.
[31]
The heaven and the earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away.
Comments Mark 13:28-31
For Mark 13:28-31, see Comments Matthew 24:32-35.
[32]
But of that day or the hour, no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, neither the Son , if not the Father .
[33]
Take heed, watch and pray; for you do not know when the time is.
[34]
As a man, sojourning in another country, having left his house, and having given authority to his servants, to each one his work, he commanded also the porter that he should watch.
[35]
Watch therefore: for you do not know when the lord of the house comes, or at evening, or at midnight, or at cockcrowing, or at morning;
[36]
lest having come suddenly, he should find you sleeping.
Comments Mark 13:32-37
For Mark 13:32-37 see Comments Matthew 24:36-51; however, the parable given here in Mark is unique on its own.
Passage Analysis
For comments on the second coming of the Lord, see: “Additional Notes on Timeline Events Related to the Second Coming of the Lord and End Time” in Comments Matthew 25:6
Mark 13:32, Matthew 24:36. See Comments Matthew 24:36.
Mark 13:32-33. These verses clearly tell us that no one knows that day. The Holy Spirit gives the message about the judgment day from the Father. When the Father Himself will judge all souls, nobody knows when the Father wants to do that. As the Bible tells us, not even the beloved Son knows, so how can the things that have been created know? Watch out for those who claim that the judgment day will come at this time or that time! You can say that the day will come, but no one can say when. There is only one way to be safe in this time: do not try to impersonate the power on high to know; just stay in prayer and read the Word of God. The Father has already given the way out for all humans to be saved through the Lord Jesus. Therefore, meditate and read the Word, and the heart will be open for all; there is no need to guess when or how it will happen. As the Bible says, it can be “at evening, or at midnight, or at cockcrowing, or at morning.” So, all things will happen in their own time, but now, no one can say how or when.
Mark 13:34-35. The meaning here is that, in general, the Lord has given authority to His servants. The servant is a person who is willing from deep within his soul to do the work for the Lord, to cut off from all the things of this world, to keep the eyes of the soul to the Lord and the ear of the soul listening to the order to go out and tell human beings the time has come and be aware, but it will not tell what will happen. The servant’s duty is to warn people that the time is coming and stir up people’s hearts to be ready and turn to the Word of God to seek advice and direction. The responsibility to heed the warning of the servants relies on individual persons. But, if people stay thinking in their own minds without asking the Holy Spirit to guide their thoughts about that day to come, the mind will bring about what others around them are talking about, and they will be confused. Those who are concerned about that day will have to be different and will have to stay in meditation at all times. The person (this person here refers to the persons that the servants ministered to) won’t understand how he can continue the work of the Lord; the person feels in his heart that he needs to do something, but he does not know what he needs to do, because he did not meditate in the Word, but just reading; to meditate includes to follow as well what the Lord has told in their hearts what they must do. The Word already tells you how to follow; if you meditate but don’t follow, you will not walk through the troubles until the end. Also, remember this time will be the hardest time on earth.
In this place, the porter is the person whom the Lord has called deep in their soul to do the work to guide the heart of the chosen ones. It will become a burden in their heart to do the work, and they can’t stop until they do the work. When the work is complete, in their heart and soul, they will find the peace of the Lord flowing through their soul. “He should watch” is a warning to the porter to be watching and alert as well.
The servant has a duty, but think of the house; who else could be there? There will be more people in the house. Each servant will do their own duty, and people around, not only the Jews now but all over the world, will have that chance to serve, but only if they open the ear and the heart of their soul to accept the Word and accept the authority above them, and humble themselves, and come to the Lord. The Lord never rejects anyone if sincerely they humble to Him.
Mark 13:36. This verse talks about those people who think they believe but lack in their way. Today, they are meditating, the next day, they stop, and the day after, they start meditating again. That is why the Bible tells us that “he should find you sleeping;” you need to be always alert.
Mark 13:37. This verse tells everyone, not only believers, but people all over the world, that they have the same chance to be watchful and do good and be saved.
Passage Analysis
For comments on the second coming of the Lord, see: “Additional Notes on Timeline Events Related to the Second Coming of the Lord and End Time” in Comments Matthew 25:6
Mark 13:32, Matthew 24:36. See Comments Matthew 24:36.
Mark 13:32-33. These verses clearly tell us that no one knows that day. The Holy Spirit gives the message about the judgment day from the Father. When the Father Himself will judge all souls, nobody knows when the Father wants to do that. As the Bible tells us, not even the beloved Son knows, so how can the things that have been created know? Watch out for those who claim that the judgment day will come at this time or that time! You can say that the day will come, but no one can say when. There is only one way to be safe in this time: do not try to impersonate the power on high to know; just stay in prayer and read the Word of God. The Father has already given the way out for all humans to be saved through the Lord Jesus. Therefore, meditate and read the Word, and the heart will be open for all; there is no need to guess when or how it will happen. As the Bible says, it can be “at evening, or at midnight, or at cockcrowing, or at morning.” So, all things will happen in their own time, but now, no one can say how or when.
Mark 13:34-35. The meaning here is that, in general, the Lord has given authority to His servants. The servant is a person who is willing from deep within his soul to do the work for the Lord, to cut off from all the things of this world, to keep the eyes of the soul to the Lord and the ear of the soul listening to the order to go out and tell human beings the time has come and be aware, but it will not tell what will happen. The servant’s duty is to warn people that the time is coming and stir up people’s hearts to be ready and turn to the Word of God to seek advice and direction. The responsibility to heed the warning of the servants relies on individual persons. But, if people stay thinking in their own minds without asking the Holy Spirit to guide their thoughts about that day to come, the mind will bring about what others around them are talking about, and they will be confused. Those who are concerned about that day will have to be different and will have to stay in meditation at all times. The person (this person here refers to the persons that the servants ministered to) won’t understand how he can continue the work of the Lord; the person feels in his heart that he needs to do something, but he does not know what he needs to do, because he did not meditate in the Word, but just reading; to meditate includes to follow as well what the Lord has told in their hearts what they must do. The Word already tells you how to follow; if you meditate but don’t follow, you will not walk through the troubles until the end. Also, remember this time will be the hardest time on earth.
In this place, the porter is the person whom the Lord has called deep in their soul to do the work to guide the heart of the chosen ones. It will become a burden in their heart to do the work, and they can’t stop until they do the work. When the work is complete, in their heart and soul, they will find the peace of the Lord flowing through their soul. “He should watch” is a warning to the porter to be watching and alert as well.
The servant has a duty, but think of the house; who else could be there? There will be more people in the house. Each servant will do their own duty, and people around, not only the Jews now but all over the world, will have that chance to serve, but only if they open the ear and the heart of their soul to accept the Word and accept the authority above them, and humble themselves, and come to the Lord. The Lord never rejects anyone if sincerely they humble to Him.
Mark 13:36. This verse talks about those people who think they believe but lack in their way. Today, they are meditating, the next day, they stop, and the day after, they start meditating again. That is why the Bible tells us that “he should find you sleeping;” you need to be always alert.
Mark 13:37. This verse tells everyone, not only believers, but people all over the world, that they have the same chance to be watchful and do good and be saved.
Life and Faith Applications. 1) The Bible is the temple of the Holy Spirit. Treasure the Bible and choose a good Bible translation that holds to the original text. For every Bible we want to treasure, make sure we pray about it first; the Bible will touch the heart, and you will feel inside of you if that is the right one for you. If you find one, treasure it more than life and don’t trade it for anything else; not the Bible look, which counts; it counts if that Bible talks to your heart. Make sure to let your family know that the Bible is important to you. 2) No one knows the time of the Lord’s return; do not listen to anyone who claims to know that time; just meditate on the Word, and the Lord will speak to you about all things. 3) Be watchful and meditate constantly on the Word.