The End Times Revisited

Mark 13:1-37
The End Times

Okay, I LIED, again!!  Forgive me??? Somehow, I just can’t leave this topic alone.

I know that we are in a series on the Letter to the Messianic Jews, but God said I should briefly interrupt my schedule to post this. This year, my daily devotion plan includes re-reading the Brit Hadahah one chapter at a time during the week and re-reading one chapter at a time from the historical books in the Tanakh on the weekends.

This morning’s reading was Mark 13:1-37. That, coupled with the fact that I have been thinking a lot about Billy Graham the last several days and listening to snippets of his old sermons on SiriusXM channel 145 as I drive on my errands, prompted me to write this post.

I’m sure most of us know the Rev. Graham preached Christ and the Cross in every sermon he delivered.  His goal was to reach non-believers with the message of salvation.  He didn’t want anyone to be left behind.

Mark 13 is his version of the Olivet Discourse we saw earlier in this and other series I have posted.  Of the thirty-seven verses, only three are not “red letter” verses.  Yeshua is explaining to Kefa, James, Yochanan, and Andrew when and what signs will precede the destruction of the Temple as He said would occur in verse 2.

I would commend you to review this chapter for yourselves. The themes of the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple by the Romans in 70 CE seem to be interwoven with the Final Tribulation and Yeshua’s return.

In my study this morning, I found the following Study Note to be very enlightening:

Some interpreters assign all of Mark 13 to the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple. Most believe Jesus used the earlier destruction to foreshadow the end times. Some who hold this latter view assign verses 1-13 to the first-century events and verses 14-37 to earth’s last days [This had been my view as expressed in this series]. Others assign verses 1-31 to the first century and verses 32-37 to the end times. However, still, others find an A1-B1-A2-B2 pattern and assign verses 1-13 and 28-31 to the first century and verses 14-27 and 32-37 to the end times. [1]

This last view of the A1-B1-A2-B2 pattern makes much more sense to me.

What saith thou?

[1] HCSB Study Notes.