*13:2 This was literally fulfilled in 70 AD. The Jews used the temple buildings as their last bastion of defense. They themselves set fire to some buildings and the Roman soldiers finished the job. Apparently the gold on the dome melted and ran down the cracks between the stones. So the looters literally tore stone from stone to make sure they got all the gold.
†13:3 I take the point to be that He could see the temple from where He was sitting.
‡13:4 There are two questions: “When these things?” and “What the sign?” The answer to the first is given in Luke 21:20-24. The answer to the second begins here in verse 5.
§13:8 The verb is in the passive voice, so the necessary question is, who does the raising?
*13:8 In our day we have seen violence and looting in the wake of earthquakes and food shortages. Perhaps 1% of the Greek manuscripts, of objectively inferior quality, omit ‘and tumults’ (to be followed by NIV, NASB, LB, TEV, etc.).
†13:8 The Text has ‘birth pains’, so what is the ‘baby’? I suppose the ‘baby’ is the Messianic Kingdom.
‡13:10 See the footnote at Matthew 24:14.
§13:11 In Seminary I was taught that this instruction is for martyrs, not preachers! But churches today would be better off if their pastors got their messages from the Holy Spirit.
*13:13 It is already the case in many places that anyone who takes a public stand in defense of biblical values is vituperated by the media—some have gone to prison in what once were ‘Christian’ countries.
†13:13 We must endure persecution, without denying the Lord—if you deny Him, He will deny you.
‡13:14 Perhaps 1% of the Greek manuscripts, of objectively inferior quality, omit ‘the one spoken of by Daniel the prophet’, to be followed by NIV, NASB, LB, TEV, etc.
§13:15 I confess that I cannot imagine a situation where a few seconds would make any difference. Evidently the attack will be sudden.
*13:18 I find this instruction to be curious. Is the Lord really saying that by praying we can influence the time of year when the ‘abomination’ will take place? I wonder.
†13:19 The Lord Jesus Christ affirms that God created this world; anyone who embraces the evolutionary hypothesis of origins is calling Him a liar.
‡13:19 There has always been affliction and distress in the world, but not like what is coming.
§13:20 The tense of the verb is definitely past. The Lord is evidently referring to something that has already been determined.
*13:22 Again, the voice is passive; I suppose it is Satan that does the raising up.
†13:25 See Isaiah 13:10, 34:4. The reference is presumably to angelic beings, not literal stars (just one would demolish the planet).
‡13:26 Note that this Return will be visible, in contrast to the Rapture (as I understand it).
§13:27 I have difficulty understanding this statement, if it is to be taken literally. That the elect will be collected from all over the world, no problem, but from all over heaven? However, since resurrected saints will participate in the administration of the Messianic Kingdom (1 Corinthians 6:2, 2 Timothy 2:12, Revelation 5:10, 20:6), perhaps they are included in this statement.
*13:30 “This generation” could refer to the Jewish race (render ‘this race’), but I think it more probable that it refers to the generation that “sees all these things”. To be more precise, I think that those who were alive on the planet in 1967 (when the city of Jerusalem returned to the political control of the nation Israel) are the generation in question.
†13:31 Jesus affirms that His words have eternal validity/authority.
‡13:32 While He was walking this earth as Jesus, He didn't know, but presumably now He does.
§13:33 Since the Return draws ever closer, of necessity, we, of all people, should be doing this. A mere handful (0.6%) of the Greek manuscripts, of objectively inferior quality, omit ‘pray’ (to be followed by NIV, NASB, LB, TEV, etc.).
*13:37 To whom does the ‘all’ refer? Those who are not followers of Christ will not pay attention in any case (presumably).