Sermon Tone Analysis

Intro

Are you ready to go deep this morning?

We are going to start out with a short Bibliology lesson.

What does that mean? the study of the Bible.

Hermeneutics.

Does anyone recognize this word?

It’s an approach to interpreting and understanding the Bible.

There is only one correct interpretation and that is God’s original meaning.

When someone says “what does the passage say to you?”

You can think about your own application, but you don’t get to interpret God’s Word to mean what you want.

So our goal is always - what did God say and mean when through the Holy Spirit, his Word was written.

A few general rules:

Historical and cultural context - who, when, where,

Purpose of the book - why

Understanding immediate context - within book, previous chapter, etc

Literary form & word meaning - History, Narrative, Poetry, Prophecy; metaphor, parables, proverbs, allegory

Theological analysis - what we know about God and what other Scripture says

We will use all of these to better understand today’s passage.

But people still end up with different interpretations, because they are starting from different places.

Based on our understanding of the Bible, at First Baptist, and in our state and national fellowships - we teach the pre-tribulation Rapture of the church, the literal second coming of Jesus Christ, and a millennial kingdom, before the new heaven and new earth.

In last week’s sermon, Jesus prophesied that the Jerusalem temple would be totally destroyed and that his followers should expect all kinds of trials - but continue to share the Gospel.

This week we will finish the Olivet discourse in the rest of chapter 13 as Jesus tells them about a great period of tribulation and his return - the second coming.

These teachings from Jesus about eschatology or the study of end times or last things, have a really broad interpretation.

Our understanding of this passage is affected by our overall end times position that comes from the rest of Scripture.

Series

We are resuming our series from Mark’s Gospel: The Crown & The Cross.

Mark shows Jesus as a man with a clear message and mission, and the reader is called to actively response to the message.

Jesus’ responses always helped his listeners better understand God’s heart and his statements are typically clear commands for us to follow.

In the first half of Mark the emphasis was on seeing Jesus revealed as Messiah - the King who deserved the crown.

The second half’s focus is on Jesus in Jerusalem fulfilling His life’s mission to suffer and die on the cross - and to rise from the dead.

We are finishing part 2 of 2 in Mark 13 this week.

Our parallel passages are in Matthew 24 and Luke 21.

If you missed last week, you can watch or listen on our website or YouTube page.

PRAY

READ Mark 13:14-23

Abomination of Desolation

We have to remember the context of this passage.

Jesus was answering the questions from his four close disciples in verse 4 - when will the destruction of the temple be? and what are the signs?

Jesus didn’t tell them when this would occur, but he does give a number of signs.

Last week, we also talked about the idea that some prophecies have multiple fulfillments.

We also have the difficulty of interpreting prophecy when we don’t know how much time is between events.

The mountain range viewed from a distance makes the peaks appear close together when there may be hundreds of miles between them.

When God wants to be specific he give specific time spans, but when He doesn’t want us to know we should not try to predict exact dates.

v. 14 gives a warning - when you see the abomination of desolation flee - run away!

In the previous verses Jesus warned about all the things that would occur, but his message was Preach the Gospel - not run and hide.

Now, here is the sign that the destruction of Jerusalem is upon you and his command is “Escape to the mountains!”

There is parenthetical note in verse 14.

What is it?

“Let the reader understand.”

The author, Mark added that to point the reader to the prophecy of Daniel and other Scripture passages that use the same terms.

Our parallel passage in Matt 24:15 spells out “spoken of by the prophet Daniel” He was writing to early Christians around 50-60 AD.

Just 10-20 years before the Temple was destroyed in 70 AD.

Daniel 9 talked about a rebuilding of Jerusalem and then a week of desolations and on the wing of abominations shall come one who makes desolate.

But he is also writing to us - And now that we have the complete Bible through Revelation, we can use other NT divinely inspired passages to fit the pieces together.

We believe Daniel was talking about the Anti-Christ.

Verse 14 says “standing where he ought not to be.

This Abomination matches Paul’s description of “the man of lawlessness” in 2 Thess 2:3–4, who will exalt himself in the temple as God.

Both texts depict a blasphemous Antichrist who will do a scandalous deed that will trigger the return of the Lord.

Both texts also warn disciples against mistaken eschatological assumptions, especially against being deceived by signs and wonders.

Cooper’s Holman Commentary, says “Perhaps the best solution is to understand the “abomination that causes desolation” from Daniel as having a multiple fulfillment in (1) 167 BC in the Maccabean period when Antiochus IV desecrated the temple, (2) the events of A.D. 70 when Rome invaded, destroyed the Temple and all worship there, and finally (3) the ultimate end times in the middle of the Great Tribulation - the antichrist and the false prophet desecrate the Temple.

The tribulation explained hear as worse than any other most likely is describing the final Tribulation, because the next verses tell us the Son of Man comes immediately after the Tribulation.

That did not occur in 70 AD.

So it cannot be only talking about the destruction of Jerusalem.

READ Mark 13:24-27

Coming of the Son of Man

A number of prophetic passages talk about great cosmic upheaval at the end of the ages when Jesus returns for a second time.

Jesus said in v 13

These passages all talk about Christ’s return after great destruction.

When things are at their darkest - the Son of Man Jesus appears and all see Him coming in great power and glory.

The picture is one of total cosmic collapse.

Darkness and chaos will envelop everything, just as before time (Gen 1:2).

Mark will again describe a condition of “darkness over the whole earth” at the crucifixion scene (15:33), as though there Satan was making a final desperate attempt to engulf God’s Son in total darkness.

Son of Man (Jesus uses this phrase for himself often) will coming in clouds with great power and glory.

This is the second coming when Jesus gathers the elect or those who were saved during the great tribulation.

The phrase ‘The Son of Man coming in clouds’ ” (v.

26) also appears in the vision of Dan 7:13 .

Contrast this Coming of Jesus with the descriptions of the Rapture:

The Rapture (1 Thess 4:13 to 5:11) is described as happening unexpectedly like a thief in the night - when people are experiencing peace and security.

This is not the same as the description of darkening skies - so we can’t confuse this coming of Jesus with the Rapture.

They are two distinct events.

1 Thess 5:9 - God has not destined us for wrath (Tribulation) but to be saved by Jesus.

This also gives us hope, that Jesus takes the elect home before the Tribulation begins.

These are two different events.

I’m pointing this out because some other views of end times have no Rapture - they see these descriptions as all about the same event.

READ Mark 13:28-31

Fig Tree’s Lesson

Regarding the destruction of Jerusalem, when you see these signs he will be at the gates.

This generation will not pass - Mark 8:12 - this generation seeks a sign.

No sign will be given to this generation (Pharisees).

So as we read this, the generation that will not pass away before the destruction of the Temple is the group of people alive in 70 AD.

Otherwise, if we interpret this verse to me the final end of the earth, none of those people would have been alive.

Many many generations have come and gone in the past 2000 years since Jesus said that.

And He is never wrong.

His word will never pass away.

Even though heaven and earth as we know them will pass away, God’s Word remains and it will always be true, it will also be accomplished.

v. 29 When you see these things happening he is near - at the very gates.

Referring to the one attacking Jerusalem.

And then later in a second fulfillment it could be referring to the Antichrist coming as the final abomination of desolation.

READ Mark 13:32-37

Stay Awake!