Mark 13:5-8 — Jesus opens with a long delay, not an imminent return

Jesus immediately warns about false Christs (v.5-6) — which assumes a gap between his first and second coming, since he is right there with them. Wars and rumors of wars, earthquakes, famines — these are NOT the sign; they are just things that will happen during the inter-advent period. They are 'the beginning of birth pangs,' not the birth itself. This directly undercuts the idea that Jesus expected an imminent return.