That is not dissimilar to my line of thinking. It may even be a very early harmonization from Matthew.pavurcn wrote: ↑Sun Jan 21, 2018 10:00 amThe gospel being preached to all nations looks like an insertion that has nothing essential to do with the trial situation of the preceding and following verses. It could have been an independent pericope that got swept into this little set-piece.Ben C. Smith wrote: ↑Sun Jan 21, 2018 8:59 am This seems to specify the sense which most people read out of Mark 13.10: the gospel will be preached first, before the end will come. But Mark is missing that crucial piece of information about the end.
I know how I am tempted to explain this anomaly. How do you explain it?
Well, in the text as we now possess it, "all these things" must hearken back to the beginning of the chapter:Likewise, I wonder (as others have) about what the original context or reference might be for "before all these things take place" in verse 30. All what things, exactly? There seems to be a difference between (1) "in those days" (of ultimate tribulations) and (2) what you are definitely bound to see before you die (persecutions, false messiahs, wars, rumors of war) when "the end is not yet."
Even the disciples' double question seems to imply information that Mark is not giving us. They have already asked about "these things," presumably things to do with the destruction of the temple, which so far is the only topic on the table. But now they also ask about the fulfillment of "all these things," as if there were more to the topic than just the temple's ruin. Matthew is again much clearer here, making the disciples' second question specifically about Jesus' coming.
But, to answer your question, it seems to me that "all these things" must include, contextually, everything discussed so far from the moment the disciples asked the question. It would seem arbitrary to omit anything from "all these things," I think. Would it not? But that is to take the entire chapter as a unified whole, and I believe you and I are on the same page so far as finding evidence that it is not really a unified whole is concerned.