Season of Advent Hope

Hope of Christs Return

The Message of Mark 10. The ‘Little Apocalypse’ (13:1–37)

Apocalyptic, as a recognizable genre of literary expression, has significant characteristics. There is a keen sense of the battle between good and evil, pessimism about that process working out well in natural terms, a conviction that things will end in crisis, and the need for God to put everything right in and through the crisis.

Second Coming, also called Second Advent or Parousia, in Christianity, the future return of Christ in glory, when it is understood that he will set up his kingdom, judge his enemies, and reward the faithful, living and dead.

vs. 2 Jesus proclaims the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem. His disciples asked the question when will this take place.

They are no on the Mt. of olives the pathway from Bethany to Jerusalem, the same place that Jesus stood and wept over Jerusalem.

The Mt. of olives is central in Jesus coming, going, and coming again to judge the living and the dead.

The belief that the Kidron Valley is the future Valley of Jehoshaphat (“The Lord Judges”), where God will judge humanity (Joel 3:2, 12), has inspired thousands of Jews to make their graves on the adjacent slopes.

The world’s largest Jewish cemetery spreads across the Mount of Olives, and Muslim graves dot the slopes across the Kidron Valley below the Temple Mount.

After his resurrection Jesus gave the great commission and ascended to heaven from the mt. of Olives and this will also be the place just as Zacharia predicted that Jesus will return as the conquering king.

The Message of (10. The ‘Little Apocalypse’ (13:1–37))

The question should have been, ‘How are we to live in the light of such a prophecy?’

It is knowledge which feeds spiritual and moral well-being and the lifestyle that they need.

The Message of Mark (10. The ‘Little Apocalypse’ (13:1–37)

13:1–4 Warning about the temple

13:5–13 The continuing experience of hardship by disciples.

13:14–23 The destruction of Jerusalem.

13:24–27 The end of all things.

13:28–37 Watchfulness during the entire end time—i.e. from now onward.

This whole chapter reminds the disciples to ‘be on guard.’

Advent begins not with Jesus talking about his first coming but about his second coming. The words that Jesus uses to describe his second coming are not easy to hear or give much optimism to the reader.

Hope: The confidence that, by integrating God’s redemptive acts in the past with trusting human responses in the present, the faithful will experience the fullness of God’s goodness both in the present and in the future. Also: Future Hope; Longing; Yearning.

BIG IDEA: Are you living your life on ready mode or unsteady self-control.

Mark 13:24–27 (ESV)

24 “But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, 25 and the stars will be falling from heaven, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken. 26 And then they will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. 27 And then he will send out the angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven.

1. Our Hope is a realistic Hope.

The text that we just read does not hold out for a pie in the sky type of hope. It does not hold out for a great hope in a prosperity sanitized version of Christianity.

Hope Is an Essential Part of Life

Humans seek after hope like moths seek after light. It’s intrinsic to who we are. Neuroscientists Tali Sharot argues hope is so essential to our survival that it is hardwired into our brains, arguing it can be the difference between living a healthier life versus one trapped by despair.

Studies show hopeful college kids get higher GPA’s and are more likely to graduate.

Hopeful athletes perform better on the field, cope better with injuries, and have greater mental adjustment when situations change.

In one study of the elderly, those who said they felt hopeless were more than twice as likely to die during the study follow-up period than those who were more hopeful.

It’s pretty clear: hope is powerfully catalytic, and why Dr. Shane Lopez, the psychologist who was regarded as the world’s leading researcher on hope, claimed that hope isn’t just an emotion but an essential life tool.

The text we just read should be a huge jolt of reality. The imagery of doom and gloom is very evident in the text. This text does not hold much for the triumphant prosperity gospel being peddled in Christian culture today.

The description actually chills one to the bone. We should not shy away from reading such text.

Some of Jesus words have been happening in every generation. In recent decades many of these things are daily occurrences for people in South Africa, South America, and Eastern Europe.

All of this is a direct testimony to the reality and consequences of this thing called SIN!

The coming of the Son of Man will be associated with celestial phenomena. The imagery and language are derived from the OT descriptions of the Day of the Lord. The quotation is an echo of Isaiah 13:10

Isaiah 13:10 ESV

10 For the stars of the heavens and their constellations will not give their light; the sun will be dark at its rising, and the moon will not shed its light.

(1) the sun will be darkened (see Rev 6:12),

(2) the moon will not give its light (see Rev 6:12), and

(3) the stars (perhaps meteorites) will be falling from heaven, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken (see Rev 6:13–14). Ultimate cosmic upheaval and universal cataclysmic judgment will signal that the end has come

The repeated assertion in Scripture that the end times will be accompanied by cosmic disturbances seems to imply that there will be unprecedented celestial disturbances of some sort that are literal and real. This is the reality of our hope.

Note: We know that with Christ’s return comes a new heaven and a new earth, and the reality of our Hope!

Theology

This also marks the new ordering of the world where, days, and nights, and seasons will come to an end. The only light that we will need is the light of Jesus.

Christians have been waiting for this to happen since the 1st century and were mocked for such hope.

This marks the wiping away of every tear from our eyes and the dead in Christ will rise to be given imperishable bodies. Jesus followers can rest assured that even in the middle of our suffering and struggles our faithfulness will be rewarded.

“In those Day’s after that Tribulation”

The Christian Calling is one of enduring Hope.

The Problem in the Waiting.

Think about Jesus first advent, how long people had been waiting for the Messiah to arrive for close to 1,000 years that many missed Jesus appearing all together.

Now we have waited another 2,000 year for the second advent to take place. The problem in the waiting is the misplaced conception that the hope we are waiting for comes without struggles, and pain in the process.

The Israelites suffered greatly at the hands of their enemies before Christ appeared the at the first advent in the stable in Bethlehem.

Scripture is very clear that one of the key reasons that we are called to suffering is to produce perseverance in us. This is the sign of the hope that we claim to follow.

Look what Paul says in Romans 5:3-5

Romans 5:3–5 ESV

3 Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5 and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

As Christians we must remember that everything that comes into our lives is under the sovereign reign, rule and control of God that He has promised to be working everything out for His Glory and our Good.

Romans 8:28. It is all as it should be.

Jesus will come again to gather His people.

“He will send out the angels” (v. 27) who will harvest the work done by suffering saints who have “proclaimed [the good news] to all nations” (v. 10). These will be gathered from every corner of the globe as well as heaven. Revelation 7:9-10

Revelation 7:9–10 ESV

9 After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, 10 and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!”

Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!

We are reminded in 1 Peter 3:15 that we are always to be prepared to make a defense or reason (apologia) for the great hope we have inside of us.

2. Our Hope is a Certain Hope.

Certainty: A sure knowledge or conviction that what is believed is true and trustworthy. Christian certainty does not arise from the credulity of the believer, but is based on the faithfulness and trustworthiness of God.

Why is it so important that we understand the certainty or our hope of God?

We live in a world today of complete uncertain reality of truth to the point that our hope is in this world or ourselves and even that kind of hope is uncertain.

Our Labor of Love for the Lord is not in Vain.

Mark 13:28–31 ESV

28 “From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts out its leaves, you know that summer is near. 29 So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that he is near, at the very gates. 30 Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. 31 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.

“When you see these things take place you know that He is near.”

Famous Atheist Unable to Completely Rule Out God

Biologist Richard Dawkins, a vocal atheist and critic of organized religion, inadvertently revealed the lack of certainty that must accompany all denials of God's existence in his 2006 book The God Delusion.

On a scale of 1 to 7, where 1 is certitude that God exists and 7 is certitude that God does not exist, Dawkins rates himself a 6: "I cannot know for certain, but I think God is very improbable, and I live my life on the assumption that he is not there."

In Palestine most trees are evergreen, but the fig tree is an exception. In the fall it loses its leaves; and when in the spring the sap rises in its branches and the tree begins to leaf out, summer cannot be far off.

The parable is essentially an antidote to despair. In contrast to the sufferings and persecutions promised in the previous verses, here the prospect of the coming of the Son of Man is offered.

“These Things”

These things in verse 29 refers to the entire discourse from verses 5-23, with special reference to verses 14-23” (NICNT, e-Sword).

“‘These things’ probably refers not to the events of 13:24-27 (for they are the end) but the events of vv. 5-23” (BibleWorks). So, although the in the ESV translation understands the clause as properly being translated He is near, the notes in the ESV Study Bible apparently disagree and understand the clause as better rendered it is near.

Note: In answer to the disciples question ‘when’ the word generation is used referring to the current generation will not pass away meaning the current generation.

They will not die out before the abomination of the desecration of the temple in Jerusalem takes place. The destruction of the temple and Jerusalem took place within a life time.

TAKE AWAY’S FROM THE FOLLOWING PARABLE

First: We can trust that the future is firmly in the hands of a sovereign God.

Second: Since the Lord knows the future, and nothing takes him by surprise, he is able to warn us about things to come.

Third: We can rely on the sovereign word of God as the sure foundation of our lives and our future hope.

Reminds me of the wise and the foolish builder

Matthew 7:24–27 ESV

24 “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. 26 And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. 27 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.”

This leaves us with 2 options we will either trust the Lord and take him at his word, or we will live our lives on shifting unsteady sand never truly finding hope.

Mark 13:32–37 ESV

32 “But concerning that day or that hour, no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 33 Be on guard, keep awake. For you do not know when the time will come. 34 It is like a man going on a journey, when he leaves home and puts his servants in charge, each with his work, and commands the doorkeeper to stay awake. 35 Therefore stay awake—for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or in the morning— 36 lest he come suddenly and find you asleep. 37 And what I say to you I say to all: Stay awake.”

3. Our Hope is a Watchful Hope.

Ready Every Day

Robby Robins was an Air Force pilot during the first Iraq war. After his 300th mission, he was surprised to be given permission to immediately pull his crew together and fly his plane home. They flew across the ocean to Massachusetts and then had a long drive to western Pennsylvania.

They drove all night, and when his buddies dropped him off at his driveway just after sun-up, there was a big banner across the garage—"Welcome Home Dad!"

How did they know? No one had called, and the crew themselves hadn't expected to leave so quickly. Robins relates, "When I walked into the house, the kids, about half dressed for school, screamed, 'Daddy!' Susan came running down the hall—she looked terrific—hair fixed, make-up on, and a crisp yellow dress. 'How did you know?' I asked.

'I didn't,' she answered through tears of joy. 'Once we knew the war was over, we knew you'd be home one of these days. We knew you'd try to surprise us, so we were ready every day.'"

Jesus, in taking on human form and coming down to earth in the incarnation, he did not surrender his deity. But he did lay aside his glory.

Philippians 2:6–8 ESV

6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

In the mystery and beauty of the incarnation, the all-knowing sovereign Son could temporarily lay aside or suspend the free exercise of His “God attributes” so that He might live an authentic human life in submission to His Father and in dependence on the Holy Spirit. This also explains why our Lord could be hungry, experience thirst, grow tired, and be killed.

Note: We may not know when Christ is returning, but we do know what we are meant to do in the mean time. We are all to live watchful.

One of the most important words in the passage appears three times in the last

five verses: grēgoreō, “stay awake” (Strong’s Greek Lexicon

grēgoreō,

Jesus does not say that the master wants the doorkeeper to

figure out when he is coming back. He wants him to merely watch for the coming, to be ready for it.

Do not let Him return and find you asleep at the wheel

Note: Jesus talks quiet a bit about staying awake and being prepared for his return.

The Parable of the 10 Virgins.

The overall and easily seen thrust of the parable is that Christ will return at an unknown hour and that His people must be ready. Being ready means preparing for whatever contingency arises in our lives and keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus at all times while we eagerly await His coming.

As seen in the fact that all the virgins were sleeping when the call came indicates that it doesn’t matter what we are doing when Christ returns.

We may be working, eating, sleeping, or pursuing leisure activities. Whatever it is, we must be doing it in such a way that we don’t have to “make things right” (get more oil) when He comes. This would apply to either the coming of Christ for His Church or for the Tribulation saints as they await His second coming.

We may not know when Jesus is returning but, we do know what we should be doing.

5 of the virgins have extra oil, representing those who are truly born again. The other 5 without oil represent those who are not prepared for His return.

We may not know when Jesus will return. However, we do know what we should be doing until He does.

“Watch! Be alert!” Why? “For you don’t know when the time will come.”

Three times our Lord affirms what I like to call “human eschatological agnosticism” (vv. 32, 33, 35). Like a man on a journey, our Lord has left the house, but only for a while.

We, His servants, have been put in charge with a task: proclaim the gospel “to all nations” (v. 10). We each have our work (v. 34). So be faithful, be ready, and “be alert.”

What happens when we fail to watch for Christ’s return?

What are the benefits of waiting on God?

It leads to expectancy

Romans 8:23 ESV

23 And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.

It leads to Hope

Micah 7:7 ESV

7 But as for me, I will look to the Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation; my God will hear me.

It leads to trust

Isaiah 8:17 ESV

17 I will wait for the Lord, who is hiding his face from the house of Jacob, and I will hope in him.

It leads to patience

Lamentations 3:24–26 ESV

24 “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in him.” 25 The Lord is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him. 26 It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.

Look at people throughout History who waited on the Lord.

Abraham - David - Hannah - Jacob - Simeon

We do not know precisely when Christ will return, but we know that the “day of the Lord”—the final judgment (Ezek. 30:1–3; Zech. 14)—and the destruction of the wicked will come as “labor pains come upon a pregnant woman” (1 Thess. 5:3).

The sense here is the suddenness and inevitability of the parousia or coming of Jesus. A pregnant woman cannot predict exactly when labor will begin, but she must eventually go into labor and deliver the baby. Likewise, the Lord’s return must happen, but we do not know when.

Yet, 1 Thessalonians 5:3 says that impenitent sinners will be caught off guard when Jesus comes. Their lives will be going on as normal—they will think that they are enjoying peace and security. But that will prove to be an illusion when Christ returns as Judge.

I'm an impatient, restless person. Slowing down and waiting seem like a waste of time. Yet waiting seems to be an inevitable part of the human condition.

Henri Nouwen said, "Waiting is a period of learning. The longer we wait, the more we hear about him for whom we are waiting."

Eugene Peterson's paraphrase of Romans 8:22-25 resonates with Nouwen: "Waiting does not diminish us, any more than waiting diminishes a pregnant mother. We are enlarged in the waiting" (The Message).

During a time of waiting, God is vibrantly at work within us.

CLOSING

Dietrich Bonhoeffer: 'Advent Opens Our Prison Door from the Outside' While waiting in a Nazi prison cell in 1943 a few weeks before Advent, Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote a friend, "A prison cell, in which one waits, hopes, does various unessential things, and is completely dependent on the fact that the door of freedom has to be opened from the outside, is not a bad picture of Advent."

Shortly after penning those words, the Nazis executed Bonhoeffer. But he was right: the door of freedom for him and for us today is still opened from the outside by the coming and second coming of Jesus Christ

Final Thoughts and Questions

The Hope of our freedom from sin and death had to be opened from the outside.

What are you doing today in the waiting for Christ to return once and for all to make all things new?

Are you resting on what Christ did for you over 2,000 years ago on the cross or are you living it watchful anticipation of His return.

Are you like the family whose Father and husband was returning from war and as soon as they heard of his certain return they lived on ready mode.