Mark 13:5-8-- Everybody Wants to End the World

And Jesus began to say to them, "See to it that no one misleads you. Many will come in my name, saying, 'I am He!' and will mislead many. When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be frightened; those things must take place; but that is not yet the end. For nation will rise up against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; there will be earthquakes in various places; there will also be famines. These things are merely the beginning of birth pangs.

The context Jesus is speaking of is the destruction of the temple and the destruction of the power structure of Israel—the priests and Sanhedrin. This is “the end” that Jesus declares.  Possibly it might also imply the destruction of the world power that controls Israel, but it is not necessary, since Jesus never spoke of the Romans being destroyed. Jesus first speaks of the fact that it would be easy to be confused about when the end occurs.  Jesus mentions that prophets would come claiming to be the Jewish emperor, but Jesus clearly says that they are not to be listened to.  Also, he says, there are events that could mislead one to think that the end has come.  There will be many wars, people will talk about possible wars, there will be earthquakes and famines.  But these are not indications of the end.  They are merely “birth pangs”—pains that happen before the actual birth, but are not the event.  They are not the indications one should be looking for, for the final events are still to come.

When it comes to prophecy or the end of the world, people are simply not rational.  No matter how many times Jesus says you can't predict the time of the end, that doesn't stop a popular prophet from declaring that very thing every decade or so.  It amazes me how often people, even Bible students, take this passage to interpret it to mean the opposite of what it says.  They take this passage and then look at the increase of wars, earthquakes, famines and other such signs as indications of the end.  Some people want the end so badly, they will read it in everything.  Every Bible passage, every newspaper article, every new immorality is an indication that the world is right on the edge of falling off a cliff.

Jesus says the exact opposite. There are horrors and disasters and immoralities and suffering and traumatic events... but that's just the way the world goes. Not every war is the final war-- in fact, if there is only one final war that means that almost all wars are NOT the final war.  Not every earthquake is the final, devastating, God-judging earthquake. In fact, most earthquakes are just run-of-the-mill, everyday earthquakes.  No big deal at all. 

I guess what Jesus is saying is, stop making everything so dramatic.  There are enough problems and disasters in the world, let's not make everything about the end of the world.  Show some balance.  Please.  We are crazy enough, we don't need to be pointed at because we can't stop predicting an end that never comes.