Mark 13: Stay Awake

What does it really mean to "stay awake" spiritually? Through a relatable story about midnight shopping for a TV, Pastor Brandon illuminates Jesus' urgent command to remain vigilant for his return.

Mark 13 stands as one of the most profound prophetic chapters in Scripture, where Jesus speaks of both the near-future destruction of Jerusalem's Temple and the distant end of the age. With striking accuracy, he foretells events that would come to pass in 70 AD when Roman forces under Titus would devastate Jerusalem—fulfilling his shocking prediction that "not one stone will be left on top of another." Yet these prophecies simultaneously point toward his ultimate return, demonstrating the dual nature of biblical prophecy.

Through warnings about false messiahs, wars, persecution, and cosmic disturbances, Jesus prepares his followers not for panic but for perseverance. He assures them that even in their darkest moments of trial, the Holy Spirit would give them words to speak—a promise that has sustained believers throughout history. The chapter culminates with Jesus emphasizing that while the exact timing of his return remains known only to the Father, disciples must live with constant readiness.

This message speaks powerfully to our modern tendency toward spiritual drowsiness. Just as Pastor Brandon fought to stay alert during his unexpected five-hour wait for that coveted TV, we're called to maintain spiritual vigilance not through date-setting or fear, but through living with joyful expectation—like the excitement of the day before vacation. What would change if you approached today knowing your King might return tomorrow? Join us as we explore how to live wide awake in a spiritually sleeping world.

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Chapters

• 0:00 Stay Awake: The Walmart TV Story
• 5:52 Temple Destruction and End Times Prophecy
• 9:34 Jesus Warns About Coming Persecution
• 12:30 The Coming of the Son of Man
• 15:39 How to Stay Alert in Modern Times

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:24

Well, hello everybody. Welcome back to the Bible Breakdown Podcast with your host, pastor Brandon. Today, mark, chapter 13, and today's title is Stay Awake, stay awake. I'm going to tell you a story today where I am going to kind of just reveal a moment that I am not proud of but I'm also not ashamed of at the same time. Hopefully that will make sense in just a moment. So make sure you get your Bibles out, get your Bible journals out, get your popcorn out, get your coffee out. We're going to jump into Mark, chapter 13. But before we do that, as always, take just a moment like share and subscribe to the YouTube channel and the podcast. Make sure to leave us a five-star review on the podcast. It really does help. Make sure you're also going to the Bible Breakdown discussion on Facebook. It's an amazing group of people doing a wonderful job. The more we dig, the more we find, and you can find all of that at our hub at thebiblebreakdowncom.

Speaker 1: 1:16

Well, if you've been with us for a while, we are kind of rounding third base and kind of coming in toward the end of the Gospel of Mark, and there are four Gospels in the Bible and the Gospel of Mark, which was a collection of stories that Mark wrote down from the preaching of Peter in Rome. We're calling it the gospel in motion because it just starts right in and it is just going hard, and in every single chapter we're covering like four and five stories, like like there's not a lot of time here. I mean, if you, if you've read through the Gospels with me and you have heard about the life of Peter, you're not surprised. Peter is always the first one on the scene. He's always a man of action. It makes complete sense that this is how the Holy Spirit would use him.

Speaker 1: 2:02

Today is one of the few chapters where he is actually going to be talking about one major theme and it really ends out with the end of the chapter. And it's going to be talking about things both happening in the near future and in the far future. And I want to explain to you, just for a second, a little bit about prophecy. I'm going to tell you my story, then we're going to get into it, and that is prophecy a lot of times had double meanings. In other words, there would be a near future completion, but then a far future completion as well. As a matter of fact, you're going to see some of this in today's chapter because, in one way, jesus, who is at this point, is around 30 to 32 AD. He is talking in the future about something that's going to happen in 70 AD, which they would have thought was impossible. In 70 AD, the temple in Jerusalem was destroyed by General Titus of the Roman Empire, and they would have thought that is never going to happen, but it did. And he is going to be talking about those days that are coming, and it was just a terrible, terrible time for the Jewish people. At the same time, he's talking about the end of days which we actually haven't experienced yet, and so that's where, sometimes, when we see prophecy, we have to be careful to go okay, was this meant for just then, or is it meant for then and later? And so we're going to talk about that at the end. But really, the bottom line is to stay awake.

Speaker 1: 3:27

And the story I want to tell you is I am old enough to remember when they first started doing midnight shopping for Thanksgiving. They used to have the day after Thanksgiving, you know, when all the stores would do all the sales to get ready for Christmas. Well, they had this thing they started doing, which was at midnight. These special deals were going to happen and you can only get them if you were there, and the local Walmart had one that at midnight. If you were there and I'm sorry, I don't remember the size of the TV, but rest assured, it was two to three times bigger than any TV I'd ever owned and it was also going to be cheaper than any TV I owned. Whatever it was, it was three times bigger and half the price. And it was one of those things. Because their hope was, I think, is you get in the store, you buy other things, right? Well, I didn't care about any other things, I wanted that TV. And I got there at midnight and they weren't ready for us.

Speaker 1: 4:25

It turns out they ended up telling us well, you have to be here until 5 am, and then at 5 am we actually only have about seven TVs, so you need to be here to be the front of the line. And can I tell you that was the longest five hours of my life. Because here's the thing If you're expecting to only have to be there till midnight and you got enough, you know gas in the tank, you know, as far as you know, energy wise to only have to be there till midnight and you got enough, you know, gas in the tank, you know as far as you know energy wise to make it to. You know 12, 30 and they tell you got five more hours. That's a long time. And when you realize there's about a hundred other people wanting that tv. So you got to not only stay awake, you got to stay awake and alert. Well, when I tell you that I stayed alert, okay, I I started talking to strangers, I was making jokes, I was doing everything I could so I could stay awake and I got my TV, by the way. But that is what Jesus is talking about here. He is saying you need to do what you need to do, stay awake, because you don't want to be found sleeping when all this happens. Let's jump into this, let's read it, and then we're going to finish it up together.

Speaker 1: 5:29

Verse 1 of chapter 13 says as Jesus was leaving the temple that day, one of his disciples said Teacher, look at these magnificent buildings, look at these impressive stones in the walls. Jesus replied yeah, look at these great buildings, but they will be completely demolished. Not one stone will be left on top of the other. Later, jesus sat on the Mount of Olives across the valley from the temple, and Peter, james, john and Andrew came to him privately and asked him. Jesus replied don't let anyone mislead you, for many will come in my name claiming I am the Messiah, and they will deceive many. And you will hear of wars and threats of wars. But don't panic. Yes, these things must take place, but the end won't follow immediately. Nation will go to war against nation, kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in many parts of the world, as well as famines. But this is only the first of the birth pains, with more to come.

Speaker 1: 6:33

With these, things begin to happen. Watch out. You will be handed over to the local councils and beaten in the synagogues. You will stand trial before governors and kings because you are my followers, but this will be the opportunity to tell them about me, for the good news must first be preached" to all the nations. But when you are arrested and stand trial, don't worry in advance about what to say. Just say what God tells you at that time, for it is not you who will be speaking, but the Holy Spirit. A brother will betray his brother to death. A father will betray his own child, and children will rebel against their parents and cause them to be killed, and everyone will hate you because you are my followers. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.

Speaker 1: 7:20

The day is coming when you will see the sacrilegious object that causes desecration standing where it should not be, read or pay attention. Then those in Judea must flee to the hills. A person out on the deck of a roof must not go down into the house to pack. A person out in the field must not return even to get a coat. How terrible it will be for pregnant women and for nursing mothers in those days. And pray that your flight will not be in the winter, for there will be greater anguish in those days than at any time since God created the world, and it will never be so great again. In fact, unless the Lord shortens that time of calamity, not a single person will survive. But for the sake of his chosen ones, he has shortened those days.

Speaker 1: 8:07

Then if anyone tells you, look, here is the Messiah or there he is, don't believe it, for false messiahs and false prophets will rise up and perform signs and wonders as to deceive, if possible, god's chosen ones. Watch out. I have warned you about these things ahead of time. At that time, after the anguish of those days, the sun will be darkened, the moon will give no light, the stars will fall from the sky and the powers in the heavens will be shaken. Then everyone will see the Son of man coming on the clouds with great power and glory, and he will send out his angels to gather his chosen ones from all over the world, from the farthest ends of the earth and heaven. Now learn a lesson from the fig tree. When its branches bud and its leaves begin to sprout, you know that summer is near. In the same way, when you see all these things taking place, you can know that his return is very near, right at the door. I tell you the truth this generation will not pass from the scene before all these things take place. Heaven and earth will disappear, but my words will never disappear. However, no one knows the day or the hour when these things will happen, not even the angels in heaven or the Son himself. Only the Father knows. And since you don't know when that time will come, be on guard, stay alert.

Speaker 1: 9:25

The coming of the Son of man can be illustrated by the story of a man going on a long trip. When he left home, he gave each of his slaves instructions about the work they were to do and he told the gatekeepers to watch for his return. You too must keep watch, for you don't know when the master of the household will return in the evening, midnight, before dawn or daybreak. Don't let him find you sleeping when he arrives without warning. I say to you what I say to everyone Watch for him. Wow, so much, so, so very much.

Speaker 1: 10:01

To break down in this, the two things I want to talk about, three things I want to talk about is number one is just to clear up a couple of misconceptions and then to talk about what it means in the 21st century, to stay awake. Means, in the 21st century, to stay awake. First of all, notice how he is talking about these things, and some of these things sound like they've already happened, because if you ever studied 70 AD and the destruction of the temple, like literally it's eerie how close a lot of this was. I mean it's crazy. But then also some of it obviously hasn't happened yet. And at the same time, jesus says this generation will not pass before you see these things. And so, once again, what he is saying is is that the generation alive right then would not pass before they saw the destruction of the temple. And if you understand just how far fetched that was for their, for their mind because in their mind the entire Jewish nation would rise up and die before they would allow that to happen then that would have been just almost unfathomable right.

Speaker 1: 10:59

And so first of all, he's not talking about that. That generation wouldn't pass until, like literally, the second coming of Christ had happened and all that he's talking about destruction of the temple. But then also there is the misconception where he says that no one knows the day or the hour of these things will happen, not the angels, nor the Son himself. Only the Father knows. This actually gave rise, a couple of hundred years after Jesus left, to saying that the Father is greater than the Son and the Son is a lesser being than the Father. That is not what he's saying at all. What he is saying is that all the Father, son, spirit all have different functions and operations in the plan of redemption. And so what he's saying is that my Father's role is to know the timing. The Son's role is redemption. So it is not in any way giving greater authority, as though the Son is of lesser deity. It is to say that their roles are different, same in essence, different in person, and therefore the father had the timing, the son had other aspects. We just want to make sure, understand the difference. And so then, finally, how do we, in the 21st century, be on guard and stay alert? Let's just get really, really honest for a moment here.

Speaker 1: 12:15

When I was a kid, I heard old people say, at any time Jesus could return, so let's stay ready, let's stay ready, we don't know, we don't know. And I remember one sweet lady I don't remember her name, but I can see her face right now. She would say I just feel like I'm not going to die before Jesus returns. And I remember, as a kid, being a jerk and being like, well, he better hurry up then, because you're old, you know what I mean. You know we've all got growing to do. And I remember thinking that and she passed away before the Lord came back the Lord didn't promise her that, she was just saying that's what I think, and if we're not careful, we can get weary. You know, like my story of them saying okay, it's going to be longer than you thought before the TV is ready. So you better stay ready, you better stay awake, you better stay in line. You know there were people who didn't make it. They were like, oh my goodness, it is four o'clock, I am too tired, I don't care how good this TV is, I'm out. And so not everybody got a TV that day, it was those who waited in line and you had to wait.

Speaker 1: 13:19

And here's the thing that people have tried to make dates for things. Can I tell you, since Jesus returned, we've been in the last days. The last days have been 2,000 years worth. If anyone tries to tell you that the last days didn't start until 1948 and all that, whatever, you really got to have a lot of Bible for that, and they don't. So I'm sorry, I'm not trying to be too straightforward, but it's never a problem to ask for receipts. You know what I mean. You're going to have to prove that to me. So anyone says that that is very subjective.

Speaker 1: 13:45

We have definitely been in the last days, at least since the beginning of the church in Acts, chapter 2, the resurrection of Jesus Christ. So we know that. And so in every generation there is the possibility that the timing of God will be that he could return, and I don't know if you think this is sacrilegious or not, but it may or may not be this generation. We don't know if you think this is sacrilegious or not, but it may or may not be this generation, we don't know. But you know what we are supposed to do. We are supposed to stay alert because you might I don't know it's important to stay alert and be about the Father's business, which is making disciples of all nations, and then to teach our children the same, so that they live with a sense of expectation, with a sense of the night before Christmas. Tomorrow might be the day. Tomorrow might be the day.

Speaker 1: 14:30

He said he would and he promised he did everything else. He said. He promised he's not going to have a batting average of just missing one, none of it. If he's got 99% right, I just trust him for that last percent. And he never said that it was going to be next Tuesday at 4 pm. He didn't say that. And also, do you notice how he says if anyone tries to give you a date, they're a false prophet. Don't listen. So, for anybody you may be listening to on the YouTubes or wherever else, if they say this is the date, this is the season, this is whatever, stop listening, because Jesus literally said they were going to do that and they were false prophets. You know what his lesson? Ready and be excited because the King is coming.

Speaker 1: 15:07

Now can I tell you, my favorite day of vacation, to be honest with you, is slowly becoming the day before vacation. Now, that is not because it is not stressful, you know. I told my wife that one time and she, like. She was like that's only, that's only fun for you, because you're not the one getting the last minute stuff together and point taken Right. But the reason why I like it is the expectation involved. It's a mountain of stuff. All that stuff is the expectation that I enjoy, because so many times the expectation is what is the most fun and that's the way we should be living every single day, realizing that any day our king is going to keep his promise and he's going to return. The only thing that's different is the payoff will be so much better than what we can imagine. And so what if today, the rest of the day, you lived with a sense of excitement that one day the king is going to return and he returns, he brings his reward with him?

Speaker 1: 16:03

Let's pray together right now. God, thank you so much for today. Thank you for your word and for your promises. Your word promises that you are faithful and you'll be with us. That's why I'm thankful for you. I'm thankful for the promise that you are coming again. I hold to that and I say thank you, god, for loving us the way that you do. In Jesus' name, we pray amen. And then what God's word says in Mark 8, chapter 34, if anyone would come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross and follow me. I hope you are seeing that we have got a God worth following. I love you. I'll see you tomorrow. For Mark, chapter 14.