Mark 13:7 Commentary - Dr Peter Masters

Navigator

Mark 13:7

Comments

Christ knows the future and he knows how to prepare his disciples to face the future. He is going away from them, and he will return again at the end of the world. This part of their question is never challenged or corrected. But before he returns, there will be many disturbing events, events which seem to shake the world and the fabric of society. The believer lives with some outline knowledge of God’s plan, and he must realise that that plan includes some cataclysmic events. These must not trouble us. They would certainly trouble us if we thought that they had knocked God’s plan off course, but as long as the Lord continues to be in control we remain calm, for our trust is in him to bring about the final perfect conclusion to all things. All these things God has allowed. We may indeed be troubled about war and terrible things happening but the point here is, don’t be disturbed thinking this somehow signals the end.

Application

Why must such things be? Because of fallen human nature. Every war proves the Bible to be true sadly. In this sense, every war, every trouble, every distress proves that we are depraved beings, that the human race has fallen from God’s grace and that we are sinners by nature and we cannot control ourselves, and we resort to violence and savagery so easily. So these things must needs be; they will characterise the human race.

Questions

Did the disciple expect Christ to return within their lifetimes? This is all in the plural – wars and rumours of wars – this is going on for centuries, for years and years. Don’t believe those scoffers who say, ‘Oh, the New Testament writers thought that Christ was coming very soon.’ All the evidence in the Scriptures is to the contrary. The warnings of Christ are that he won’t come back for a long time and there will be enough time in the history of the world for a multitude of wars and rumours of wars.

Outline

Purpose

Introduction

Mark 13:7 Commentary and Bible Study