Marcos 13

BLIVRE · Chapter 13/16

1Quando ele estava saindo do templo, um de seus discípulos lhe disse: Mestre, olha que pedras, e que edifícios!

2Jesus respondeu, dizendo-lhe: Vês estes grandes edifícios? Não será deixada pedra sobre pedra, que não seja derrubada.

3Depois, sentando-se ele no monte das Oliveiras, de frente ao templo, Pedro, Tiago, João, e André perguntaram-lhe à parte:

4Dize-nos, quando serão essas coisas? E que sinal haverá de quando todas essas coisas se cumprirão?

5E Jesus, respondendo-lhes, começou a dizer: Cuidado! ninguém vos engane;

6porque muitos virão em meu nome, dizendo: “Sou eu”, e enganarão a muitos.

7E quando ouvirdes de guerras e de rumores de guerras, não vos perturbeis; porque [assim] deve acontecer; mas ainda não será o fim.

8Porque nação se levantará contra nação, e reino contra reino, e haverá terremotos em muitos lugares, e haverá fomes e tumultos. Estes serão os princípios das dores.

9Mas cuidai de vós mesmos; porque vos entregarão em tribunais e em sinagogas; sereis açoitados, e sereis levados diante de governadores e reis, por causa de mim, para que lhes haja testemunho.

10Mas antes o Evangelho deve ser pregado entre todas as nações.

11Porém, quando vos levarem para vos entregar, não estejais ansiosos antecipadamente do que deveis dizer, nem o planejeis; mas o que naquela hora for dado, isso falai. Porque não sois vós os que falais, mas o Espírito Santo.

12E o irmão entregará ao irmão à morte, e o pai ao filho; e os filhos se levantarão contra os pais, e os matarão.

13E sereis odiados por todos por causa do meu nome; mas quem perseverar até o fim, esse será salvo.

14E quando virdes a abominação da desolação, que foi dita pelo profeta Daniel, estar onde não deve, (quem lê, entenda), então os que estiverem na Judeia, fujam para os montes.

15E quem estiver sobre telhado, não desça para a casa, nem entre para tomar alguma coisa de sua casa.

16E quem estiver no campo, não volte atrás, para tomar sua roupa.

17Mas ai das grávidas, e das que amamentarem naqueles dias!

18Orai, porém, para que a vossa fuga não aconteça no inverno.

19Porque aqueles dias serão de tal aflição, qual nunca foi desde o princípio da criação das coisas, que Deus criou, até agora, nem jamais será.

20E se o Senhor não encurtasse aqueles dias, ninguém se salvaria; mas por causa dos escolhidos, que escolheu, ele encurtou aqueles dias.

21Então se alguém vos disser: “Eis aqui o Cristo”; ou “ei-lo ali”, não creiais nele.

22Porque se levantarão falsos cristos, e falsos profetas, que farão sinais e prodígios, para enganar, se possível, até os escolhidos.

23Vós, porém, tende cuidado; eis que tenho vos dito tudo com antecedência.

24Mas naqueles dias, depois daquela aflição, o sol se escurecerá, e a lua não dará seu brilho;

25as estrelas do céu cairão, e as forças que estão nos céus se abalarão.

26Então verão o Filho do homem vir nas nuvens, com grande poder e glória.

27Ele então enviará os seus anjos, e ajuntará os seus escolhidos dos quatro ventos, desde a extremidade da terra, até a extremidade do céu.

28E aprendei a parábola da figueira: Quando o seu ramo já vai ficando tenro, e brota folhas, bem sabeis que o verão já está perto.

29Assim também vós, quando virdes suceder estas coisas, sabei que já está perto, às portas.

30Em verdade vos digo que não passará esta geração, até que todas estas coisas aconteçam.

31O céu e a terra passarão, mas as minhas palavras em maneira nenhuma passarão.

32Porém daquele dia e hora ninguém sabe, nem os anjos que estão no céu, nem o Filho, a não ser somente o Pai.

33Olhai, vigiai, e orai; porque não sabeis quando será o tempo.

34Assim como o homem que, partindo-se para fora de sua terra, deixou sua casa, e deu autoridade aos seus servos, e a cada um o seu trabalho, e mandou ao porteiro que vigiasse,

35assim também vigiai, porque não sabeis quando virá o Senhor da casa; se à tarde, se à meia-noite, se ao cantar do galo, se pela manhã,

36para que ele não venha de repente, e vos ache dormindo.

37E as coisas que vos digo, digo a todos: Vigiai.

📖 Chapter study

Summary

Jesus predicts the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem and describes signs that would precede the end, including wars, persecutions, and false prophets, closing with the exhortation to watch, for no one knows the day or the hour.

Explanation

This discourse, given on the Mount of Olives facing the temple, responds to the disciples' admiration of the massive stones of the building, which would indeed be torn down by the Romans in 70 AD, fulfilling Jesus' prediction. The mention of the 'abomination of desolation... standing where it ought not' points to a desecration of the temple, a theme already present in the book of Daniel, associated both with an imminent historical crisis and with a broader pattern of spiritual crisis. Jesus repeatedly insists that no one should be deceived by false christs or despair in the face of wars and catastrophes, for these things 'must happen' before the final end. The closing parable about the master of the house who travels and leaves his servants in charge reinforces the chapter's central theme: constant watchfulness and responsibility, not anxious calculation of specific dates.

Fun facts

  • The phrase 'let the reader understand,' inserted in the middle of the prophecy about the abomination of desolation, is a rare direct comment from the narrator within Jesus' own words, suggesting a special alert for the gospel's earliest readers.
  • The four disciples who ask the question privately — Peter, James, John, and Andrew — form the innermost group mentioned by Mark, the first ones Jesus called beside the Sea of Galilee in chapter 1.

Verse-by-verse explanation

  1. Marcos 13:1Herod's temple was famous precisely for the impressive size of the stones used in its construction, and the disciple's comment reflects the common amazement of anyone seeing it up close for the first time.
  2. Marcos 13:2The Jerusalem temple was one of the most impressive buildings in the ancient world, built with enormous stone blocks, and the disciples remark on that grandeur almost reflexively. The prediction that not one stone would be left upon another came true a few decades later, when the Roman army destroyed the temple in the year 70, an event that had already happened, or was close at hand, when Mark wrote.
  3. Marcos 13:3The Mount of Olives faced the temple across a valley, offering a wide view of the whole building, a fitting setting for the private question that follows. Andrew appears here alongside the inner group of Peter, James, and John.
  4. Marcos 13:4The disciples' question combines two points: when the announced destruction of the temple would happen, and what sign would show that the time had come. The whole discourse in this chapter answers that double question.
  5. Marcos 13:5Jesus opens the discourse with a direct warning against being deceived, a theme that comes up again several times through the rest of the chapter.
  6. Marcos 13:6The prediction of people showing up claiming to be the Christ actually came true in the following decades, when several messianic leaders appeared before the great Jewish revolt against Rome.
  7. Marcos 13:7Wars and rumors of wars would be part of the normal course of history, not an automatic sign of the end. Jesus asks for calm in the face of that kind of news.
  8. Marcos 13:8The phrase "beginnings of sorrows" uses the same image as labor pains, common in apocalyptic texts of the time to describe suffering that intensifies before a decisive outcome.
  9. Marcos 13:9This warning about courts, synagogues, and standing before governors and kings matches almost exactly what the first followers of Jesus would actually experience, later recorded in the book of Acts.
  10. Marcos 13:10This condition, preaching the gospel to all nations, appears in the middle of the warnings about persecution, tying the suffering of the early Christians to a mission that would also reach non-Jews.
  11. Marcos 13:11The promise of not needing to prepare a defense in advance was a practical comfort for those who would face trials without the time or resources to prepare properly.
  12. Marcos 13:12The description of family turning against family shows how much persecution could split even the closest bonds under extreme pressure.
  13. Marcos 13:13The section's final promise ties perseverance to the end together with salvation, a direct encouragement for anyone facing hatred and rejection because of their faith.
  14. Marcos 13:14This expression comes from a much older prophecy and describes something sacred being defiled in a visible, shocking way. The parenthetical "let him that readeth understand" is the author himself calling for special attention to this point, a warning meant for the first readers to recognize. Scholars still debate exactly which historical event this refers to.
  15. Marcos 13:15Housetops at the time were flat, used for various everyday activities. The instruction is to flee immediately, without even going down to grab belongings inside the house.
  16. Marcos 13:16In the same way, whoever was working in the field should not go back even for his own cloak, an item of considerable value at the time. The urgency of fleeing comes before any material possession.
  17. Marcos 13:17The concern for pregnant and nursing women reflects the extra difficulty of fleeing quickly under those physical conditions.
  18. Marcos 13:18Fleeing in winter brought real practical complications: cold, heavy rains, and flooded rivers would make an already urgent escape even harder.
  19. Marcos 13:19The description uses absolute superlative language, similar to an ancient prophecy from the book of Daniel about an anguish without precedent since the beginning of the world.
  20. Marcos 13:20The idea that God "shortened" the days for the sake of the elect introduces a limit of mercy within a scenario described as extreme, preventing total destruction.
  21. Marcos 13:21The warning against false messiahs repeats, reinforcing that even amid the announced crisis, rumors about the Christ's arrival should not be accepted without question.
  22. Marcos 13:22The mention of signs and wonders used to deceive suggests these false claims would not be obvious or easy to spot, capable of confusing even the most alert.
  23. Marcos 13:23Jesus closes this part of the discourse by reminding them that He had already warned everything in advance. The warning itself serves as protection against being caught by surprise.
  24. Marcos 13:24The image of the darkened sun and the moon giving no light uses common apocalyptic language from the Old Testament, tied to great historical upheavals, not necessarily a literal astronomical event.
  25. Marcos 13:25The stars falling and the powers of the heavens being shaken continue that same symbolic language of cosmic upheaval used in earlier prophetic texts.
  26. Marcos 13:26The coming of the Son of man in the clouds points directly to a vision from the book of Daniel, of a figure arriving among the clouds of heaven with authority given by God.
  27. Marcos 13:27The gathering of the elect from the four winds describes a complete gathering, leaving out no one scattered anywhere in the world.
  28. Marcos 13:28A budding fig tree was a seasonal sign familiar to anyone in the region, a simple, concrete way to teach how to recognize signs before an expected event.
  29. Marcos 13:29The same logic of the fig tree applies to the signs described earlier: when they appear, they serve as a warning that the moment is near.
  30. Marcos 13:30This is one of the most debated statements in the chapter, because it ties the fulfillment of the things described to the generation alive at that moment. Many link it to the destruction of the temple, which in fact happened only a few decades later.
  31. Marcos 13:31The statement about heaven and earth passing away, but Jesus' words not passing away, places His own teaching above even the permanence of the physical universe.
  32. Marcos 13:32This statement puzzles readers because it seems to limit Jesus' own knowledge of the exact moment of future events. It is one of the most debated verses among scholars because of this tension, with no single explanation universally accepted; the text simply records the statement without developing it further.
  33. Marcos 13:33The call to watch and pray complements the previous statement about no one knowing the exact day. Since the date is unknown, the right attitude is to always be ready.
  34. Marcos 13:34The parable of the man who travels and leaves authority and tasks to his servants sets the stage for the final comparison about watchfulness that closes the chapter.
  35. Marcos 13:35The night was divided into watches, evening, midnight, cockcrow, and morning, used by soldiers and ordinary people alike to mark time without a clock. Listing these four watches is a way of saying "at any hour", reinforcing that no one knows when the master of the house will return.
  36. Marcos 13:36The fear of being found sleeping represents being unprepared at exactly the moment it would matter most to be alert.
  37. Marcos 13:37The closing line generalizes the warning: what was said privately to the four disciples at the start of the chapter applies, in practice, to everyone who hears the teaching.

Chapters

Our apps

Our apps →

Bible in Stories

The Bible told as a story, with audio and videos.

📱 Get the app

World in Stories

True stories of humanity that sound made up.

Feito! Pequenas Vitórias

A light daily routine for people who lose track of the day.