From the Mouth of the Master

Series: “The Gospel Truth”

Text: Mark 13: 1-23

Introduction: (What?)

Last week we mentioned that if a preacher wanted to draw a crowd, he should preach on either sex or the end times. last month I preached on sex. This week I look at the end times as taught by Jesus in answer to questions raised by His disciples. While many love to look at the prophesies in Ezekiel, Daniel, and Revelation, I would rather pay attention to what Jesus said in the synoptic Gospels (Matthew 24: Mark 13: and Luke 21). Mark’s account of Peter’s recollection is to the point without a lot of frills. This is the longest speech by Jesus in the Gospel of Mark and is called the “Olivet Discourse”.

Explanation: (Why?)

1. Don’t be deceived (vv 1-8)

“As He was going out of the temple, one of his disciples said to Him, ‘Teacher, look! What massive stones! What impressive buildings!’ Jesus said to him, ‘Do you see these great buildings? Not one stone will be left upon another---all will be thrown down.’”

In these first two verses of chapter 13 Jesus sets the stage for talking about events that will happen in the lifetime of the disciples and events that will come to pass in the distant future. The destruction of the temple took place in AD 70 at the hands of Roman emperor Titus. The disciple who asked the question could not comprehend the destruction of such massive buildings built with massive stones. The Jewish historian Josephus said that some of the stones were 60 feet in length. Archeologists have found stones from the site that are 40 ft. long, 11 ft. high and 14 ft. deep, weighing over a million pounds. When the Romans ravaged Jerusalem and killed a million Jews, they also demolished the temple, leaving only what were foundation stones intact on what is today called “the Wailing Wall”. This is the western portion of a retaining wall, not of the actual temple.

After Jesus and the disciples walked down through the Kidron Valley and up to the Mount of Olives, the discussion continued.

“While He was sitting on the Mount of Olives across from the temple, Peter, James, John and Andrew asked Him privately, ‘Tell us, when will these things happen? And what will be the sign when all these things are about to be accomplished?” (vv 3-5)

In answering the questions of the four disciples Jesus dealt with both the devastation that was coming to Jerusalem and future events that would radically impact those who were disciples then and who would be disciples later.

“Jesus told them, ‘Watch out that no one deceives you. Many will come in My name saying, ‘I am He,’ and they will deceive many. When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, don’t be alarmed. These things must take place, but it is not yet the end. For nations will rise against nations, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places, and famines. These are the beginning of birth pains.’”

Since that day we have seen increases in all these areas. More wars, earthquakes, famines and one ethnic group rising up against another than ever in history. Also many have tried to predict the date for the “Day of the LORD”, yet they have always been wrong. Jesus’s message to the disciples is also His message to us. “Don’t be fooled!”

2. Don’t be anxious (vv 9-13)

“But you, be on your guard! They will hand you over to local courts, and you will be flogged in the synagogues. You will stand before governors and kings because of Me as a witness to them. And it is necessary that the gospel be preached to all nations. So when they arrest you and hand you over, don’t worry beforehand what you will say, but say whatever is given to you at that time, for it isn’t you speaking, but the Holy Spirit. (Acts 1:8) Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child. Children will rise up against parents and have them put to death. You will be hated by everyone because of My name, but the one who endures to the end will be saved.”

Many will read this and tremble in fear, but Jesus’s message to His followers was and is, “Don’t be anxious. Hang in there!” Those who have truly surrendered to Jesus will be saved. Those who only have religion rather than a relationship will collapse when the going gets tough. There is a saying, “forewarned is forearmed.” The fact that Jesus told the four disciples and through them told us what to expect gives us opportunity to be forearmed against such attacks. We learn to “put on the “full armor of God”. We learn to wield the “sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God.” We learn to “pray at all times, in the Spirit”.

In the book of Acts we see the fulfillment of much of this prophecy. In the book of Revelation, we see the rest being fulfilled.

3. Be on guard, it gets worse! (vv 14-23)

In his second letter to his protege Timothy Paul wrote, “But know this: Hard times will come in the last days. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, proud, demeaning, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, irreconcilable, slanderers, without self control, brutal, without love for what is good, traitors, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, holding to a form of godliness but denying its power. Avoid these people.” (3:1-5) Already we can see these things happening increasingly. I’m sure that Paul had in mind what Jesus said in Mark 13:14-23. “When you see the abomination of desolation standing where it should not be (let the reader understand) then those in Judea must flee to the mountains. A man on the housetop must not come down or go in to get anything out of his house, and a man in the field must not go back to get his coat. Woe to pregnant women and nursing mothers in those days!” (because they cannot move quickly). The reference to the “abomination of desolation” meant pagan worship in God’s Holy temple. When Antiochus Epiphanes desecrated the temple in 167 BC, he did it by, as one of my professors in college said, “barbecuing a sow and sprinkling pig gravy in the Most Holy Place.” In 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4 Paul wrote, “Don’t let anyone deceive you in any way. For that day will not come unless the apostasy comes first and the man of lawlessness is revealed, (the antichrist) the man doomed to destruction. He opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship so that he sits in God’s temple, proclaiming that he himself is God.”

We see that the “abomination of desolation” has appeared and yet will appear before the end. Then Jesus adds, “Pray that it won’t happen in winter. (when the rivers overflow and the wadis are filled with water) For those will be days of tribulation, (7 years divided into 2 halves) the kind that hasn’t been from the beginning of creation until now and never will be again. If the LORD had not cut those days short, no one could be saved. But He cut those days short for the sake of the elect, whom He chose.”

Many Christians differ regarding the timing of the Rapture (no such word used in scripture, but the concept is there in 1 Thessalonians 4). I’m not going there today because there is Biblical basis for all views (Pre-tribulation, Mid-tribulation and Post-tribulation). The point that Jesus made was/is “live in readiness” as if His coming is today.

During the tribulation there will be events about which Jesus gave a final warning in vv 21-23. “Then if anyone tells you, ‘See, here is the Messiah! See, there!’ do not believe it. For false messiahs and false prophets will arise and will perform signs and wonders to lead astray, if possible, the elect. And you must watch! I have told you everything in advance.”

Again the phrase “forewarned is forearmed” comes to mind. Jesus said that He had told us all that we need to know in order to escape the Great Tribulation and its aftermath. If one should fall prey to the false gospel of these false prophets, then he or she was never saved.

Application: (How does this teaching impact my life today?)

What If It Were Today?

There is a hymn in our hymnal by this title. Let me read the 3 stanzas.

Are you sure that you have surrendered your life to Christ?

Are you ready to face extreme persecution because you are a Christ-follower?

Are there some things that you have been putting off that you want to rectify before Jesus comes?

If Jesus were to come today are you certain that you would either come with Him or meet Him in the air?

I beg you not to delay another day. Do today what you know you should do.