Mark 13:10 Commentary and Bible Study

Then he gives a great sign of the coming of the end. We haven't distinguished the first peak yet, but a great sign of the coming of the very end – the greatest peak, the return of Christ – is that ‘the gospel must first be published among all nations.’ Now as you read these verses, you realise that you are talking about something that is going to happen a long way off. There will be wars and rumours of wars, in the plural; famines, pestilences, earthquakes, other troubles – floods and so on. These things will go on. They are only the beginning of birth pangs. So, the great part of the prophecy, the second peak – the coming of Christ – is way down the centuries. But then here is a special sign. The gospel will be preached to every nation and the Scriptures translated into every language; only after this will the end of the world come. Here is another huge task that must be completed before the end. It is obviously a mistake to think that Christ taught that the end would come during the lives of the apostles. The gospel must first be published in their own language among all nations. Those nations must be reached, their languages must be learnt, and in some cases written languages must be developed. The Scriptures must be translated into those languages and (Revelation 5:9) there must be those who are won to the faith from those nations, and this not just many nations but all nations. How could that be done in a short time? Christ told the disciples that there would be a long period of gospel preaching before his second coming. These things will characterise the long wait – now already over 2,000 years – before the end of the age.