The end of the world is a popular movie motif in many sci-fi thrillers. The world as we know it is often on the brink of destruction from a biohazard pandemic, nuclear war, an asteroid hit or a rouge AI system. Apprehension about the future of mankind is an innate concern for humanity, and it has been throughout time. Ancient cultures recounted myths of the end of the world; dystopian stories were told for centuries; modern literature frequently imagines coming ages; academic studies attempt to discern the world’s future. This is not accidental or simply an intriguing coincidence, but a function of mankind’s creation and role in biblical history. The worldview of the Scripture necessarily includes a focus on the future.
Eschatology is the study of the end times, the last days; escha– deriving from the Greek for “last.” The role of the last days of the world is as essential to the redemptive narrative of the Bible as the recounting of creation. The Scripture tells the Church of the story of our Creation, our Redemption and our eventual eternal presence with the Lord. Without a focus on the events of the end of time, the story of our salvation would be incomplete—and our Lord desires much more than that.
The study of Eschatology covers a lot of ground. The nature of death itself, the doctrines of Heaven and Hell, the resurrection from the dead, the second coming of Jesus, final judgment and the eternal reign and Kingdom of God are all part of the “last days.” It would be hard to address these issues without much attention to some key biblical texts: Revelation 20-22, 1 Thessalonians 4 & 5, Zechariah 9-14, multiple chapters in Isaiah, many of Jesus’ parables and Mark 13, which is our passage for this week.
While there are some popular texts that address the events at the end of time, Scripture frequently speaks of the last days. The concept that there is more than this world, that God has a long-term purpose in mind, that the plan of redemption extends beyond a single lifetime, all these and more permeate the biblical record. The scriptural fact that God has a goal in mind, that time is moving onward toward a purpose He initiated, that the end is something within His control shapes our Christian faith and practice.
There is much that the Bible tells us of “the last days,” yet there is much that is left unsaid as well. Chief among the oft-asked unanswered questions is the question of timing—when will all this take place? A natural curiosity, an understandable concern, believers through the ages have searched the Scriptures asking: when? Indeed, the motivation behind Jesus’ sharing of the eschaton in Mark 13 is the disciples’ question, “when will these things happen?”
As we naturally ask the same question, we need to be prepared and receptive to the same answer given by Jesus to His first followers—these answers are covered in Mark 13, and I invite you to read and study it well as we all move forward faithfully in “the Last Days.”
To prepare for worship this Sunday, read Mark 13.
- Jesus is prompted by the disciples to share about the coming of the End of the Age. What information are they interested in gaining? What information is Jesus willing to share?
- In verse 9, Jesus directs them to “be on their guard.” What is He warning them against? What does He expect them to do with this information?
- “The Abomination of Desolation” (verse 14) has been associated with many, many people, events or actions. What would argue for a “personal” application? Or that a person is in mind? What would argue for an event or an attitude/concept?
- What is the lesson of the fig tree? Why would someone (like me!) argue that this is the central message of this discourse?
- What attitude is Jesus calling for in the final section of this text? What is He calling us to be like? What attitudes, actions, thoughts is He evoking here?
By Henry Knapp