Mark 13:13
   The idea of being hated by others is offense I know. But look at what Jesus is saying. It is for his name that we will be hated. That serves as an important reminder of a reality that cannot be denied. Those who reject Christ tend to dislike him. And why? Because he is difficult to reject. The Holy Spirit convicts and people feel guilt for their sin, and they don’t like that. So, they respond with hatred.
   This part about enduring to the end need not be disturbing to us. Those who live much of their lives for Christ only to repudiate him in the last years, evidence for all the fact that they were not his to begin with. Christian life is a reality that remains with you. It is not simply a commitment that you dabble with for a time and then give up. Real Christians are ‘all in’ so to speak.

Heavenly Father, give us today the grace to remember your great love. Never will we forget that you have done all of this. It is your work. Salvation, grace, faith, heaven, it is all your plan. You are the Master of life and have made it possible for us to live for eternity. Thank you! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise you, Amen.

Mark 13:12
   Religion is divisive. It is statements like this that cause many to say that religion is evil and should be outlawed. But, so many other things are divisive. Politics, for example is divisive. Can we eliminate this problem? Well, if we were to eliminate the human race, then yes, the problem would cease to exist. We are by our very nature political, and religious. Though we may pretend to be neither, we are both by default. Even the so-called irreligious have adopted a religion. It is just part of being human.
   Thus, even though Christians believe and practice the truth, because it controls our religion, and our politics for that matter, it is going to cause conflict with others. We don’t have to be conflict lovers. We don’t need to seek it out and enjoy it as some do. But it is a reality that is not going away. When you believe something to be certain, somebody’s going to disagree with you.
   Jesus is here highlighting the fact that this division will not stop at familial relationships. The Jews were very close in their family life. And this is a good thing. But, Christians, though lovers of family, find their Christian brothers and sisters closer to them than they do their family. Now, there is an important point to make here. Christians a should not be the instigators of this division. Cults encourage severing ties with ‘unbelieving’ family members. That is not the Christian way. If your family will be civil to you in spite of your beliefs, don’t dare scare them away!

Heavenly Father, thank you for giving us a book like the Bible. It is intensely practical, and I like that! You are wise and good to us. Thank you for your graciousness as we deal with others. We want to win them to you, for you are worthy. You love us so much, and we want to share your love with our families and friends. I praise you for your provision in putting these blessed people in our lives. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise you, Amen.

Mark 13:11
   This is an important admonition. It applies directly to those giving testimony before officials, be they civil or religious. In other words, when we go to people with the gospel, trying to teach them, we may plan out our words beforehand. Whereas, when we are delivered up, meaning that our opportunity to testify is given to us due to persecution, we should not plan out what we will say on such an occasion.
   Why is this? Does this mean that the Holy Spirit only helps us when we are in these situations, and not at other times? No. The fact is that the Holy Spirit speaks through us in any case if we are God’s children. But, direct persecution is a special case, and God doesn’t want us taking vengeance on our enemies by having some planned speech to aim at them. Instead, he wants any judgment in our words to be directly from the Spirit. Some might say that our words are likely to be sharper in such a case. Maybe, but those who are recipients of such persecution have already proven their willingness to speak what the Lord would have them to say.

Heavenly Father, we can only stand in awe as we see your wisdom in your plan. You could have had the angels do all of this. You could have had them immediately carry the gospel to every part of our little globe. But, in your infinite wisdom, you chose to use humanity to reach humanity. And why is this the best? Because it was no angel that saved the lost from their sins, but the Perfect Human, Jesus Christ the Righteous One. A human Savior would have human messengers. And yet, as the Savior is also completely Divine, we humans are given the power of the Spirit to carry out this mission. In this way, we have every energy an angel could ever have for this task. I praise you Father, for you are so intelligent, so wise, so mighty! Thank you! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise you, Amen.

Mark 13:10
   This verse means several things, but the main point makes a lot of sense in the context. Before the end of the story, all the world will have been reached with the gospel of Christ. This goes back to the previous verse. The mission of the Great Commission is not simply one of conversion. We don’t preach only to those likely to believe. We preach to everyone. Why? Well, because not only does God want people to be saved, but he wants the lost to hear the truth, even if they never get saved.
   I believe that this means that before the end every governmental grouping of people will have been reached with the gospel. The question is exactly how small of a group that could entail, and that answer is not entirely clear. I believe it safe to say that any straggling pockets of persons that have not heard will only have not heard because they are in very closed groups that don’t explore much.
   Besides all this, in Revelation, the gospel will be proclaimed by an angel before it is all said and done. We find this in Revelation 14:6-7. So, ultimately the idea is that no ethnic group on earth could claim that they were ‘missed’ in the Great Commission.

Heavenly Father, thank you for allowing us to be part of your work. You have blessed us and made us able to minster. It is the joy of our lives to be able to share your truth with others. Thank you! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise you, Amen.

Mark 13:9
    Christians in history have been used time and again to reveal the true character of religious and civil leadership. Let a corrupt religion, or a corrupt government last for long and you will see Christians being given opportunity to testify. This testimony most often comes in the form of the Christian’s response to persecution.
    Looking back on history, we can see this fulfilled time and time again. Christians have been marginalized, maligned,  martyred, and murdered.

Heavenly Father, thank you for telling us beforehand why persecution will take place. We know that this is in your plan, so that the hearts of the wicked in high places might be made evident for what they are. You have everything planned out, and have given us the strength we need in the Spirit to endure it all. Thank you! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise you, Amen.

Mark 13:8
   Famines, earthquakes, wars and other events will transpire, Jesus says. This describes many events over a long period of time. But, as Jesus says, this is only a foretaste of what is to come.

Heavenly Father, thank you for delivering your church from the wrath to come. You are so merciful! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise you, Amen.

Mark 13:7
   We wonder what the significance of this is, but really, it has minimal significance. What Jesus is doing here is giving the disciples an idea of the general contents of this present age in regards to wars and various upheavals. In other words, he is saying, there will continue to be many human conflicts. The world will still fight with itself, even on a grand scale. But these events are not cause to think that the end has arrived.
   For example, World War 3, if we ever have one, would not be the end, but only a big bump along the way. Even if the events surrounding the tribulation are initially called World War 3, it will be obvious pretty quickly that it is not just a war that is going on.
   So, this leaves the door open for quite a bit of time to pass, and quite a bit of activity during that time. And, it tells us that a war, or even a rumor of a war, does not necessarily indicate the closeness of the Lord’s coming. Instead, it tells the disciples that there would be some wars and such before the time of the end. And, we can see the truth of that in our day so many years, and conflicts, later.

Heavenly Father, the prophecies of Scripture are so very amazing. And, Jesus words here are no different than the rest. Thank you for giving us so much truth! We will praise you with our tongues, and with our minds, and with our hearts. You are worthy! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise you, Amen.

Mark 13:6
   At first we may think that these words could not apply to our present day. We think there are not many claiming to be Christ. But, the truth is that there are, and have been, many pretenders. In order to qualify as a usurper of the name of Christ as our Lord explains here, one must simply claim to be something on their own. In other words, any who would claim to be more than their fellows are claiming to be someone in this world. Many have claimed to be something great in this way, but they have gone the way of all men, and are rotting in the grave.
   How many even today are worshipping men that claimed to be something. Buddha, Muhammad, Confucius, Gandhi, the Baha’i founder, the Popes and potentates of the hierarchal religions, and then dictators of all stripes. All of these would claim a greatness that distinguishes them above the common mass of men. But, none can substantiate this claim, nor do they try.

Heavenly Father, thank you for your beautiful world! You have given us so much richly to enjoy. We are blessed to be a part of it all. I praise you for your mighty power. You are great! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise you, Amen.

Mark13:5
   Why is it so important to avoid deception? Of course nobody wants to be deceived. But, it is especially important because that is just what the enemy wants to do, deceive us. So, Jesus is starting out by warning them of deception.Thos may be seen as a warning for all of history following the ascension of Christ. The biggest danger is deception. And, we know that the enemy is a subtile one. This verse sets the tone for what follows.

Heavenly Father, thank you for giving us the warnings that you have. It is very important for us to heed. You will receive all of the glory, but the enemy doesn’t like it. I will praise you forever! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise you, Amen.

Mark 13:4
   This is the beginning of perhaps one of the most difficult passages in all of the Gospels. Jesus will, in answer to their question, give them a discourse upon the coming history of the world. It is very important, then, to understand his words carefully. Rushing into this is very unwise. The Word of God is meant to be studied, not just to be read through.
   The verse here does not give us the entire question that was asked. However, we do see these four men come to Christ to ask. So each of them likely added their own ideas to the question. Doubtless, they knew they were asking a big question, and they hoped for a big answer. They wanted to ask it right.

Heavenly Father, thank you for answering our questions. Though there is much we do not know, you have revealed so very much. Thank you! Your knowledge is glorious! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise you, Amen.