From Bad, To Worse, To Apocalyptic, But Stay Awake-Help Is On The Way-Mark 13

As we begin this morning, go ahead and turn in your copies of God’s Word to the Gospel of Mark. This morning we will be looking at the first part of chapter 13.

We will only get through a small portion of chapter 13 because there is a lot to unpack in this chapter, and it is important we don’t miss some of the key truths we see here. But I will be reading the entire chapter this morning, I know it is longer than what I would normally read, but as I read, I think you will understand why I am reading the whole chapter. As we approach this chapter, let me set the stage for what is taking place here. As we have talked about over the past few weeks as we have been going from chapter 11:20 through chapter 12, it is likely that all of this took place on Tuesday of Holy Week. Tuesday was a long an arduous day. It began with the lesson of the withered fig tree as they approached Jerusalem. Then, upon entering the Temple, Jesus spent the entire day roaming about in the Temple, teaching a large crowd as He went. At different times while He was teaching, various religious leaders that were a part of the Sanhedrin, the Jewish ruling council, interrupted Him with questions designed to bring about an answer from Him, that would put Him at odds with the Jewish people, or the Roman Empire, and consequently bring about His death. None of the questions worked, in fact Jesus made them look foolish every time, not because He didn’t want to die. He knew all along He was going to die, but His death had to take place at the time of His choosing, at the very moment of the Passover sacrifice, as He was the ultimate Passover Lamb. After teaching and answering all of the questions, Jesus then questioned them, making them look more foolish than ever.

Now, here we are, the sun is quickly setting, as Jesus and the disciples leave the Temple, and leave Jerusalem. At some point in time as they were headed back to Bethany, to the home of Mary, Martha and Lazarus, they descended into the Kidron Valley and then climbed towards the top of the Mount of Olives. Just as they were cresting the Mount of Olives, I imagine that Jesus must have looked back over his shoulder at the Temple. The 12 joined Him as He gazed at the beauty of the Temple. It was a sight to see, gleaming in the setting sun. It was one of the great wonders of the ancient world. It covered over 35 acres and much of what was visible to the eye was either almost pure white marble, or it was marble overlaid in gold. If you were approaching Jerusalem as the sun was rising in the morning, and the rising sun was behind you, it was said that between the pure white marble stones, and those overlaid in gold, you had to cover your eyes it was so brilliantly bright. And leaving in the evening only slightly diminished the beauty. Some of the stones were as large as 41 feet long, 15 feet wide, 11 1/2 feet high and weighed over 1 million pounds. Keep that in mind when we read what Jesus says in verse 2!

With that as an introduction, would you please stand in honor of the reading of God’s Word.

Mark 13; “And as He came out of the temple, one of His disciples said to Him, “Look, Teacher, what wonderful stones and what wonderful buildings!” 2 And Jesus said to him, “Do you see these great buildings? There will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.”

3 And as He sat on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter and James and John and Andrew asked Him privately, 4 “Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign when all these things are about to be accomplished?” 5 And Jesus began to say to them, “See that no one leads you astray. 6 Many will come in My Name, saying, ‘I am He!’ and they will lead many astray. 7 And when you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed. This must take place, but the end is not yet. 8 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places; there will be famines. These are but the beginning of the birth pains.

9 “But be on your guard. For they will deliver you over to councils, and you will be beaten in synagogues, and you will stand before governors and kings for My sake, to bear witness before them. 10 And the gospel must first be proclaimed to all nations. 11 And when they bring you to trial and deliver you over, do not be anxious beforehand what you are to say, but say whatever is given you in that hour, for it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit.12 And brother will deliver brother over to death, and the father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death. 13 And you will be hated by all for My Name's sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.

14 “But when you see the abomination of desolation standing where he ought not to be (let the reader understand), then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. 15 Let the one who is on the housetop not go down, nor enter his house, to take anything out, 16 and let the one who is in the field not turn back to take his cloak. 17 And alas for women who are pregnant and for those who are nursing infants in those days! 18 Pray that it may not happen in winter. 19 For in those days there will be such tribulation as has not been from the beginning of the creation that God created until now, and never will be. 20 And if the Lord had not cut short the days, no human being would be saved. But for the sake of the elect, whom He chose, He shortened the days. 21 And then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘Look, there he is!’ do not believe it. 22 For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform signs and wonders, to lead astray, if possible, the elect. 23 But be on guard; I have told you all things beforehand.

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.

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.

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.””

May the Lord add His blessing to the reading of His Word, please be seated.

As I was preparing for the passage we are looking at this morning, a very prevalent insight quickly emerged. It was prevalent through most of the sermons I listened to on this passage, as well as the commentaries I studied. So, what was that insight? That insight was that Mark 13, as well as the corresponding chapters of Matthew 24 & 25 and Luke 21, were the most difficult chapters in all of the New Testament. In fact, some go as far as saying these chapters are some of the most difficult in all of Scripture! You can study 15 different commentaries, of listen to 15 different sermons on these corresponding chapters, and not a single one will agree completely on all that this passage teaches, especially in regards to when and what was to take place in the future, at the time Jesus was speaking. And when I talk about 15 different commentaries or 15 different sermons, I am not talking about individuals that have a liberal sort of theology or background. I am not talking about individuals who have a flawed view of the inspiration of Scripture, who pick and choose various Bible books, chapters or verses that they believe come from God, while other Books, chapters and verses come from the mind of men. I am talking about solid leaders, solid teachers, those who are highly regarded in Christian circles and in the history of the church. Teachers and commentators who are widely accepted in Christian circles. Men like William Lane, R. Kent Hughes, Warren Wiersbe, John MacArthur, RC Sproul, Alistair Begg, and many, many others.

One of the reasons for this is, we don’t have a complete picture yet. Let me give you an idea what I am talking about here. In the days, weeks, months and years leading up to the birth of Jesus, no one would have guessed Jesus would have been born in a cattle stall and that His first bed would have been a feeding trough. Most would have assumed He would be born in a palace and that his first bed would have been fitting for that of a prince. Like us now, each brought their own preconceived notions into their thinking of the coming Messiah. But now, with the benefit of 20/20 hindsight, we see more clearly in regards to Jesus birth. Well in the coming days, when we look back on this chapter, after all has been fulfilled, we will see it more clearly, and it will all make since.

Another reason is that, particularly when things aren’t completely clear, which is the case in Mark 13, we all have a tendency to allow our own preconceived notions, our own personal background or history, our own prejudices, our own belief systems, our own family dynamic....our own whatever....to shade, to impact what we believe a passage of Scripture teaches.

Let me give you an example of what I am talking about from the passage we studied together last week. In last weeks passage, Jesus quoted Psalm 110. I pointed out a couple of things about Psalm 110. One thing I pointed out, was that it was the most quoted Psalm in the New Testament. The other thing I pointed out was that at the time Jesus quoted Psalm 110, the scribes, Pharisees, Teaches of the Law, the religious leaders, all considered Psalm 110 to be a Messianic Psalm. In other words, Psalm 110 pointed to the coming Messiah. The One the Nation of Israel had been waiting for since the days of Abraham. Well sometime between 100-200 years after the death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus, the Jewish religious leaders changed their tune on Psalm 110. But not just Psalm 110, they did the same thing on Psalm 22, Isaiah 53, Micah 5 and other passages. All, at one time, were considered Messianic passages, but once Jesus came along, and in His birth, life, death and resurrection, fulfilled so much of what was written in those passages, the Jewish religious leaders changed their views on those passages being Messianic. They let their on preconceived notions and prejudices, their own belief systems, impact what they believed regarding those Messianic passages. We have a tendency to do the same thing on passages like Mark 13, that are not crystal clear. Which is the main reason there are so many differing opinions on what this passage teaches.

How many of you that have been here for a few years remember when Pastor Allen taught courses on Biblical Hermeneutics? Biblical Hermeneutics is just a fancy word for Biblical Interpretation. Biblical Interpretation sets to establish rules, guidelines or principals in interpreting passages of Scripture, and one of the purposes is to keep us from doing what the Jewish religious leaders did a hundred of so years after Jesus was gone, which was to change their views on what a passage teaches because it didn’t fit their own personal narrative. Well, there are several principals of Biblical Hermeneutics, but this morning I want to highlight one specific principal: Next Slide

The Main Things are the Plain Things, and the Plain Things are the Main Things.

So, what do I mean by this? What it means for us is that when we get to passages like Mark 13, where things are not as crystal clear as we would like them to be, where we see solid Godly, respected Christian leaders, like those I mentioned earlier, disagreeing with some of what we read in Mark 13 regarding things that will take place in the future, or at least what was future at the time in which this was written. We don’t need to be alarmed or disturbed. Because they’re not disagreeing on a Main Thing or a Plain Thing. They are disagreeing on that which is secondary, ultimately, to the truth that is being conveyed.

With that in mind, what are the Main and Plain Things in chapter 13? The way I see it, there are Next Slide

4 Main, Plain Truths In Mark 13:

Destruction of the Temple

Things are going to go from Bad to Worse to Apocalyptic.

Jesus is Coming Again.

No One Knows When He Will Return.

We are to hang our spiritual hats on these plain truths and not on those things that are not plain truths. As we finish this morning, we will start by looking at the first truth, and will likely get started on the second: Next Slide

The Destruction of the Temple. Vs. 1-2; Mt. 24:1-2; Lk. 21:5-6

Earlier this morning, during the introduction, we were given a glimpse of the beauty and magnitude of the Temple. Interestingly enough, this magnificent temple wasn’t even built by a Jew. It was built by Herod the Great, and Edomite, a descendant of Esau, Jacob’s brother. Herod the Great had a 3-fold purpose in the building of the temple. First, it was built to appease the Jews. He knew his reign over that region was unpopular among the Jews. He felt that if he took the temple built in the days of Ezra and Nehemiah, which was largely in disarray in those days, and improved it in every conceivable way, he would win the favor of the people, and in many ways it did. But he also wanted to show off his architectural expertise, which he also accomplished. Lastly, he wanted to display his great wealth for all the world to see. Which he accomplished with flying colors. One Roman historian wrote of the Herod’s Temple, “If you haven’t see Herod’s Temple, you haven’t seen beauty.” By the time Jesus was roaming the streets of Jerusalem, the Temple had already been under construction for over 50 years, with another 30 passing before it’s completion!

When Jesus and the 12 got the the crest of the Mount of Olives as they were leaving Jerusalem, looked back at the Temple, gleaming in the setting sun, I wonder.....did the Disciples see sadness on the face of Jesus? There is a part of me that wonders if they weren’t trying to lift His spirits as they marveled at the beauty of the Temple. Well if they were trying to lift His spirits, it didn’t work! Look at His response in verse 2: Next Slide

Mark 13:2 ESV

2 And Jesus said to him, “Do you see these great buildings? There will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.”

This would have been a jaw dropping moment for them. In fact, in their wildest imaginations, they could not picture this taking place. I mean seriously, how do you topple stones weighing more than a million pounds? The Romans Soldiers, under the direction of the great Roman general Titus figured a way. A fire was started, and the heat became so intense that some of the gold that adorned so much of the temple began to melt, almost flowing like a golden river. Not wanting to leave an ounce of gold behind, the soldiers began to team up to topple every single stone, until all the gold was theirs. Jesus unlikely prophetic words proved true, just 40 years after He spoke them.

But there was probably another reason the jaws of the disciples dropped. Last Sunday morning we talked about some of the Misconceptions that existed regarding Jesus in those days. Well the disciples were still struggling with a few of their own, and it was one of those misconceptions that also dropped their jaws that morning. You see, they were now getting to the point where the were coming around to believing in Jesus death and resurrection. But in their minds, once He rose from the dead, He would immediately begin the process of establishing His earthly kingdom. That is likely what was on their minds when they said to Jesus; “Look, Teacher, what wonderful stones and what wonderful buildings!” Their mind was on the near future, the establishment of His earthly kingdom after He rose from the dead. When they would be there, right by His side in the establishment of that kingdom. They were completely unprepared for His answer. While they had, at least a partial understanding of what was taking place in the cursing of the fig tree and its fulfillment when it was withered by the next morning, understanding that Jesus was cursing the religious system of the day, evidently they didn’t realize this included the actual temple! Perhaps they saw themselves serving in that Temple, helping set up a new religious system.

Dumbfounded, Peter, Andrew, James and John, pulled Jesus off to the side, looking for additional answers. They asked Him: Next Slide

Mark 13:4 ESV

4 “Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign when all these things are about to be accomplished?”

This is where we see things move: Next Slide

From Bad to Worse to Apocalyptic. Vs. 5-23; Mt. 24:4-28; Lk. 21:8-24

As bad as the destruction of the temple was, that was just the start, things were going to get much worse.

The first thing Jesus warns them of is: Next Slide

Jesus warns them of Coming Deception.

We see this in verse 5 and 6 where we read;

“5 And Jesus began to say to them, ‘See that no one leads you astray. 6 Many will come in My Name, saying, ‘I am He!’ and they will lead many astray.’”

You know, sometimes an early warning is half the battle. You know what I mean, if you know something is going to happen, you can prepare for it. Deception can be a tough thing to prepare for it, if you don’t have any idea it’s coming.

As most of you know, I spent 19 years before coming here working in the Financial Services industry. To qualify for my job, I had to take a series of incredibly difficult exams. My first was the Series 7 Regulatory exam. Once completed I would be a licensed stock broker. It was a 6 hour long exam which consisted of 250 multiple choice question. Each question was at least one paragraph long, and each of the 4 answers was also at least one paragraph long. On top of that, the 3 incorrect answers were almost entirely true, there was usually one very minor detail that made them incorrect. The 3 incorrect answers were designed to deceive the test taker, and they were succesful a lot. I had to take it a second time before I passed it. As I prepared for the exam, I took a course and part of the courses plan was to prepare the test taker to spot the minor incorrect details, to spot the deception.

In many ways, that is what Jesus was doing here, He was giving the disciples a course on how to spot deception, so they could stop it in it’s tracks. But there job went beyond just spotting it for themselves, it was also designed to pass their learning on to people God had placed under them.

You know the course I just talked about that I took to help with exam preparation? What made them so succesful is, they constantly had employees taking the regulatory exams. And the moment they completed the exams, they immediately began to record questions and answers. So much so, that I was able to purchase a large 8 1/2 by 11, 3 ring binder, about 2 inches think with practice exams to work on.

In some ways, that is what Jesus is doing here with His disciples. from the 40 days in the wilderness, when satan, the deceiver, was trying to trip Jesus up in the wilderness, to earlier on this Tuesday during Passion week, Jesus had been faced with difficult exam after difficult exam. He had passed everyone, and in some ways had taken notes that He was now passing on to His disciples. They, in turn, did the same for us, when, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, they recorded for us what we read in this book.

I spent over 500 hours preparing for the Series 7 exam, and I not done so, I would have never passed it.

The exam we are each faced with is far more difficult than any regulatory exam I ever took, and in some cases eternity hangs in the balance. Let us commit to pouring over the pages of this Book, that we might be prepared for the deception of our enemy.

Let’s close in prayer.

Heavenly Father, We are so grateful for the powerful truths of Your Word. Those Main truths that are Plain to see, as well as the truths that are no so clear. God I thank you that one of the purposes of Your Word is to prepare us for some difficult tests that lay before us, and I pray that as we study the Truths of Your Word, as we meditate on them and as we apply Your Word to our lives, that You will strengthen us through the power of Your Holy Spirit. That we might rest in You, lean on You, trust in You and be strengthened by You, to face the tests, trials and tribulations that lay before Us. We pray these things In Jesus Name, Amen