Jesus In The Two Specific Questions For Exegesis Of Mark 13

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Premise #2 – Jesus in this Text is Answering Two Specific Questions.
Look back with me at Mark 13 if you will. In verse 1 the disciples try to impress Jesus with the beauty and splendor of the temple that was before them. In verse 2 Jesus rains on their parade by not being all that impressed. In fact, look what He tells them. He says that this temple, which they were in awe over, would be completely and utterly destroyed. The disciples were speechless. Only after arriving at the Mount of Olives did Peter, James, and Andrew muster up the courage to ask Jesus about this dire prediction. The disciples ask two questions in verse 4.
1) “Tell us, when will these things be,….?”
2) “…and what will be the sign when all these things are about to be accomplished?” …show more content…

Yes, in answering the two questions (see premise #2), Jesus’ teaching was fulfilled with the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple in 70 AD. On the other hand, yes, Jesus’ prophecy of the events associated with 70 AD are a likely prototype of a time that is yet to come. Often in studying prophecy in the Old Testament, we see this similar thing occur. The hermeneutic of the immediate/future fulfillment is seen in many OT prophecies. One example is found in Isaiah 7:14 which says, “Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.” As New Testament believers we automatically will say that this verse, although written 600 years before Christ, was fulfilled by the Virgin Mary giving birth to Christ who was conceived by the Holy Spirit. This is how Matthew saw it in his Gospel (Matthew 1:22-23). Isaiah 7:14 had a future fulfillment in Christ. However, the contemporaries of Isaiah would not have read this verse the same way. They would have looked for an immediate fulfillment of this prophecy in their lifetime specifically because King Ahaz was told to be looking for the sign of a young woman giving

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