Mark 13:24-37 The Voice (VOICE)
24-25 As Isaiah said in the days after that great suffering,
The sun will refuse to shine,
and the moon will hold back its light.
The stars in heaven will fall,
and the powers in the heavens will be shaken.[a]
26 Then you will see (as Daniel predicted) “the Son of Man coming in the clouds,”[b] clothed in power and majesty. 27 And He will send out His heavenly messengers and gather together to Himself those He has chosen from the four corners of the world, from every direction and every land.
The disciples can’t help but notice that something is in the air during this week between His entry into Jerusalem and His crucifixion. Surely the moment when Jesus is to reveal Himself as the Anointed can’t be far off. By repeatedly calling Himself the Son of Man, Jesus has told people His kingdom will be divinely instituted like the one described in Daniel 7. They are also thinking of promises about the coming Anointed One. But for Jesus, everything now is connected to His imminent death and resurrection. Even as He predicts the temple’s fall—an event that will occur about 40 years later—and speaks of His second coming, He is still thinking about His death. After all, resurrection can’t happen without death. And the old world must die before the world is made new.
Jesus: 28 Learn this lesson from the fig tree: When its branch is new and tender and begins to put forth leaves, you know that summer must be near. 29 In the same way, when you see and hear the things I’ve described to you taking place, you’ll know the time is drawing near. 30 It’s true—this generation will not pass away before all these things have happened. 31 Heaven and earth may pass away, but these words of Mine will never pass away.
32 Take heed: no one knows the day or hour when the end is coming. The messengers in heaven don’t know, nor does the Son. Only the Father knows.
33 So be alert. Watch for it [and pray,][c] for you never know when that time might approach.
34 This situation is like a man who went on a journey; when he departed, he left his servants in charge of the house. Each of them had his own job to do; and the man left the porter to stand at the door, watching. 35 So stay awake, because no one knows when the master of the house is coming back. It could be in the evening or at midnight or when the rooster crows or in the morning. 36 Stay awake; be alert so that when he suddenly returns, the master won’t find you sleeping.
37 The teaching I am giving the four of you now is for everyone who will follow Me: stay awake, and keep your eyes open.