Mark 13:5-8

The Coming Dreadful Cataclysms But The End Is Not Yet (13:5-8).

Tacitus, a first century Roman historian, after referring to the horrors, calamities, disasters and portents, of the period, went on to say ‘never has it been better proved, by such terrible disasters to Rome, or by such clear evidence, that the gods were concerned, not with our safety but with vengeance on our sins.' It is clear from this that to a contemporary the first century AD was a time of terrible troubles, including dreadful wars, earthquakes and famines, for the Roman Empire of which Judaea was a part (although not necessarily moreso than some other centuries).

Jesus' first warning is against His people being led astray by the devastating events that are to happen. They must not wrongly take them as signs of ‘the end', even though many would wrongly take them as such.