Mar 13 | HCSB | STEP | As He was going out of the temple complex , one of His disciples said to Him , “Teacher , look ! What massive stones ! What impressive buildings !”

Mark 13

Destruction of the Temple Predicted

1 As ^a He was going out of the ^{▼▼temple complex: In the Jerusalem temple, the complex included the sanctuary (the holy place and the holy of holies), at least 4 courtyards (for priests, Jewish men, Jewish women, and Gentiles), numerous gates, and several covered walkways.}temple complex, ^c one of His disciples said to Him, “Teacher, ^d look! What massive stones! What impressive buildings!” ^e

2 Jesus said to him, “Do you see these great buildings? ^f Not one stone will be left here on another that will not be thrown down!”

Signs of the End of the Age

3 While He was sitting on the ^{▼▼Mount of Olives: A mountain east of Jerusalem, across the Kidron Valley}Mount of Olives ^h across from the temple complex, ⁱ Peter, ^j James, ^k John, ^l and Andrew ^m asked Him privately, 4 “Tell us, when will these things happen? And what will be the sign when all these things are about to take place?”

5 Then Jesus began by telling them: “Watch out that no one deceives you. 6 Many will come in My name, ⁿ saying, ‘I am He,’ ^o and they will deceive ^p many. 7 When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, ^q don’t be alarmed; ^r these things must take place, ^s but the end is not yet. 8 For nation will rise up against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. ^t There will be earthquakes in various places, and famines. ^{▼▼Other mss add and disturbances} These are the beginning ^v of birth pains. ^w

Persecutions Predicted

9 “But you, be on your guard! They will hand you over to sanhedrins, ^{▼▼Local Jewish courts or local councils
,} ^y and you will be flogged ^z in the ^{▼▼synagogue(s): A place where the Jewish people met for prayer, worship and teaching of the Scriptures}synagogues. ^ab You will stand before governors and kings ^ac because of Me, ^ad as a witness ^ae to them. ^af 10 And the good news ^{▼▼Or the gospel
,} ^ah must first be proclaimed to all nations. 11 So when they arrest you and hand you over, don’t worry beforehand what you will say. On the contrary, whatever is given to you in that hour – say it. For it isn’t you speaking, but the Holy Spirit. 12 Then brother will betray ^ai brother to death, ^aj and a father his child. Children will rise up against parents and put them to death. 13 And you will be hated by everyone because of My name. ^ak But the one who endures to the end will be delivered. ^{▼▼Or saved
,} ^am

The Great Tribulation

14 “When you see the abomination that causes desolation ^{an
,} ^ao standing where it should not” (let the reader understand ^{▼▼These are, most likely, Mark’s words to his readers.}), “then those in Judea ^aq must flee to the mountains! 15 A man on the housetop must not come down or go in to get anything out of his house. ^ar 16 And a man in the field must not go back to get his clothes. ^as 17 Woe ^at to pregnant women and nursing mothers in those days! 18 Pray ^au it ^{▼▼Other mss read pray that your escape} won’t happen in winter. 19 For those will be days of tribulation, ^aw the kind that hasn’t been from the beginning ^ax of the world, ^{▼▼Lit creation
,} ^az which God created, until now and never will be again! 20 Unless the Lord ^ba limited those days, ^bb no one would survive. ^{▼▼Lit days, all flesh would not survive} But He limited those days because of the elect, ^bd whom He chose. ^be

21 “Then if anyone tells you, ‘Look, here is the ^{▼▼Messiah: Or the Christ; the Greek word Christos means "the anointed one".}Messiah! ^bg Look – there!’ do not believe it! 22 For false messiahs ^{▼▼Or false christs} and false prophets will rise up and will perform signs and wonders ^bi to lead astray, if possible, the elect. 23 And you must watch! I have told you everything in advance.

The Coming of the Son of Man

24 “But in those days, after that tribulation: ^bj

The sun will be darkened,
and the moon will not shed its light;
25 the stars ^bk will be falling from the sky,
and the celestial powers will be shaken. ^bl

26 Then they will see the ^{▼▼Son of Man: The most frequent title Jesus used for Himself; Dn 7:13}Son of Man ^bn coming ^bo in clouds ^bp with great power ^bq and glory. ^br 27 He will send out the angels ^bs and gather His elect ^bt from the four winds, from the end of the earth to the end of the sky. ^bu

The Parable of the Fig Tree

28 “Learn ^bv this parable ^bw from the fig ^bx tree: As soon as its branch becomes tender and sprouts leaves, you know that summer is near. ^by 29 In the same way, when you see these things happening, know ^{▼▼Or you know} that He ^{▼▼Or it; = summer} is near – at the door! 30 ^{▼▼I assure you: This is a phrase used only by Jesus to testify to the certainty and importance of His words; in Mt, Mk and Lk it is literally Amen, I say to you, and in Jn it is literally Amen, amen, I say to you.}I assure you: ^cc This generation will certainly not pass away until all these things take place. 31 Heaven and earth ^cd will pass away, ^ce but My words will never pass away. ^cf

No One Knows the Day or Hour

32 “Now concerning that day ^cg or hour no one knows – neither the angels ^ch in heaven nor the Son ^ci – except the Father. ^cj 33 Watch! Be alert! ^{▼▼Other mss add and pray} For you don’t know when the time ^cl is coming. ^cm 34 It is like ^cn a man on a journey, who left his house, gave authority to his ^{▼▼slave: The strong Greek word doulos cannot be accurately translated in English by "servant" or "bond servant"; the HCSB translates this word as "slave," not out of insensitivity to the legitimate concerns of modern English speakers, but out of a commitment to accurately convey the brutal reality of the Roman empire's inhumane institution as well as the ownership called for by Christ.}slaves, ^cp gave each one his work, and commanded the doorkeeper to be alert. 35 Therefore be alert, ^cq since you don’t know when the master ^cr of the house is coming – whether in the evening or at midnight or at the crowing of the rooster or early in the morning. 36 Otherwise, he might come suddenly and find you sleeping. ^cs 37 And what I say to you, I say to everyone: Be alert!”