Mark 13

Mar 13:2 Jesus said to him,
"Do you see these great buildings?
There will not be left here one stone on another,
which will not be thrown down."

Here again we have an entire chapter of end-time prophecy
given to us by Jesus himself.

I looked back over Matthew chapter 24 and it is nearly a word for word match.

They might not agree on "the greatest commandment",
but these chapters are almost identical (one part of Matthew moved to 10:17-23)
and a few differences can be seen in this Harmony

Anyway, about the 'not one stone' part, I've been thinking about that.
My Life Application Bible notes state that this happened already in 70A.D. (70CE?)
and every other commentary I have agrees with it.

I can see that Jesus predicted the loss of their temple,
and the Jews don't have their temple anymore,
so that aspect of it has been fulfilled.

And in another way of looking at it,
Jesus teaches us that all our man-made accomplishments
are like chasing after wind,
and all will return to dust,
and I can certainly see the wisdom in that.

but something still bothers me about it.

I'm not trying to turn a molehill into a mountain or anything,
but isn't the wailing wall still there?
Isn't that why people still flock to it?
because its is the only part of the temple that is left?

But Jesus seemed to make a point by using a very graphic word choice
"There will not be one stone left upon another"
which sounds pretty specific.

I am thinking that if anyone can be taken literally,
it is Jesus himself, dontcha think?

In my mind I'm wondering if it is really fulfilled yet.
Maybe begun, but not fulfilled...

In fact, in this chapter he says a lot of things will begin,
but not be fulfilled until...

Well, I am going to try a paraphrase here.

Okay, they ask him

Mar 13:4 Tell us, When shall all these things be?
And what shall be the sign when all these things shall be fulfilled?

and He lists a buncha stuff that will be the beginnings...

Mar 13:8 These things are the beginnings of sorrows.

but its not until verse 14

Mar 13:14 But when you see the abomination of desolation,
that spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing where it ought not
(let him who reads understand), then...

Major bad stuff starts happening like the world has never seen,
which he refers to as "tribulation" in verse 19,

and again in verse 24 as "that tribulation".

Mar 13:19 "For [in] those days [there] will be tribulation [or, affliction],
such as [there] has not been like from [the] beginning of [the] creation
which God created, until now, and never at all shall be.

(end of paraphrase)

Looking back on what I wrote about this back in Matthew 24
I made a big deal about how Jesus called Daniel a prophet in this verse.

I was talking to someone about this,
and she pointed out that some texts (more accurate, in her opinion)
omit the part "spoken of by Daniel, the prophet".

At first I felt a little deflated.
I mean...
Here I am, trying to study,
and wanting to understand,
and it is discouraging to realize
that manuscripts disagree.

anyway,
plodding on,

I wondered how the meaning would change without these words.

After thinking about it, not much!

Mar 13:20 And unless the Lord had shortened those days,
no flesh would be saved....

! ! !

Does anyone believe this has already happened?

If so, how can you explain the very next thing that happens in "those days":

Mar 13:24 But in those days, after that tribulation,
the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light,
Mar 13:25 and the stars of Heaven shall fall,
and the powers in the heavens shall be shaken.
Mar 13:26 And then they will see the Son of Man coming in the clouds
with great power and glory.
Mar 13:27 And then He shall send His angels and shall gather His elect
from the four winds, from the end of the earth to the end of heaven.

Ok, that has definitely not happened yet, right?

Did I miss the second coming?