Birth Pangs

 John's & Mary's daughter came after a long, difficult labor. She was beautiful, perfect in every way. Later, in Mary's room, John looked at her tenderly, with tears in his eyes. He glanced up at Mary. She expected John to say something truly poetic. He asked, "What'd we decide to call her again?" Long birth pangs, & a miracle. John missed the significance. We're in long birth pangs, too. Let's don't miss what they signify. Jesus' temple ministry is over. He pronounces 7 woes on the Scribes & Pharisees. In Mt 23:37-39, Lk 13:34-35, Jesus laments over Jerusalem. He concludes, Look, your house is left to you desolate. Judgement. The Temple looms over the valley as they walk. Let's turn to Mark 13:1-8. 1aOne last time, Jesus leaves the temple with the Twelve. They exit the city through a gate in the N wall & head E across the Kidron Valley. As they walk, the temple looms behind them. Looking back, 1bOne disciple said, "Look, Teacher! [lit.] 1cWhat stones! The white marble stones were massive, ≤ 37' x 18' x 12' & 100 tons. 1dWhat buildings!" <left> It was glorious, one of the great wonders of the Roman world! The top was gold plated, the rest gleaming white. In the fiery sun, it dazzled. And after 46 yr of construction, it was nearly finished! Jews thought the temple & its religion were so permanent, they'd last forever. 2"Do you see all these great buildings?" replied Jesus. "Not one stone here will be left on another. Every one will be thrown down." The temple will be as dead as Jewish religion. In AD70, it happened. Rome razed both city & temple. Josephus said over 1M died by crucifixion, sword, & famine. To survive, the starving people became murderers & cannibals. The temple? Destroyed stone-by-stone, ground into rubble. Just as Jesus said. Only in the Wailing Wall do a few pieces of the stones remain. No other trace, except the foundation. Scholars still argue where things were. It was massive. It seemed so permanent. Yet Jesus says it'll be completely destroyed. To Jesus' disciples, its destruction meant one thing: end times. Judgment on the world. The KoG fully here. Jesus, the king. And they'll reign with Him. They trekked across the Kidron Valley & back up the Mount of Olives. Afterwards, 3aJesus was sitting, facing the temple. His disciples are still troubled. 3bPeter, James, John & Andrew, the inner circle (+ Andrew) went to Him privately. 2 questions weigh heavily. 4a"Tell us. When will these things happen? If these things are so sure, when? Also, 4bWhat will be the sign that they're about to be fulfilled?" When You begin to establish Your KoG on earth, how will we know? We want to know, too! People in every age have wondered. When? What are the signs? 5aJesus starts to answer them. And us. In Mk 13:32, He'll soon say, 32 "No one knows that day or hour. Not even the angels in heaven. Nor the Son. Only the Father." If anyone says they know, they're wrong.5b"Watch out that no one deceives you. How will they try? Timetables. Many have claimed to know God's timetable. Has anyone yet had it right? Not so far. Jesus now shares what the signs won't be. To start? 6Many will come in my name, claiming, (lit.) 'I Am.' They'll deceive many. If someone claims to be the great 'I Am,' don't believe it. Not unless you see THE sign. False messiahs have appeared in every age. Even ours. Jim Jones (1978, Guyana). David Koresh (1993, TX). Marshall Applewhite (1997, LA). And Wayne Bent (2012, NM). All claimed to be the solution for life's problems. But they're about as reliable as Preacher Billy's warning. To impress his flock, he memorized a sermon on Revelation. He started, "Behold, I come." His mind went blank. He repeated, "Behold, I come." No words. He gripped the pulpit, leaned forward, & shouted, "Behold! I come!" But the old pulpit gave way. He landed in a very dignified elderly lady's lap. She exclaimed, "I should've expected you. You warned us 3 times you were coming!" False prophets will come. Don't believe them. Not unless you see THE sign. Wars aren't the sign. 7aWhen you hear of wars & rumors of wars, don't be alarmed. In the last 3,400 years, less than 300 have been without war.1 Try for peace. But don't let war surprise us. 7bSuch things must happen. One author counted 300 wars in Europe alone in the last 300 years. They're endless, but not the sign. 7cThe end is still to come. 8aNation will rise against nation. Kingdom against kingdom. It's part of living in a fallen world. 8bThere'll be earthquakes in various places, & famines. In the 19th C. alone, an author counted >700 quakes. In the 105 years from 1898 to 2003, a researcher counted 203,186 quakes ≥ 4 on the Richter scale. And famines? There's always famine somewhere. Always has been. Wars, earthquakes, & famines? Not the sign. 8cThey're the beginning of birth pains." Like birth pains, they'll get worse through the ages until the KoG is fully born. In Mk 13:19 Jesus will soon say there'll be distress unequaled from the beginning, when God created the world-never to be equaled again. We aren't there. Not yet. Birth pangs will keep growing. Until then? Jesus told them-and us-in v. 5. 5Watch out! Watch. Wait. We haven't seen the sign! Don't be deceived by false messiahs, prophets with timetables, wars, famines, or earthquakes, or anything else! Till He comes, let's be about His mission. When He comes, I want to be found doing His work. Lastly, if war, quakes, & famine aren't the sign, what is? Jesus tells us in Mk 13:26. 26 "At that time men will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. No one can miss it. There'll be no doubt. When the disciples forgot, in Acts 1:11, an angel reminded them (and us). They were gawking as Jesus ascended into the heavens on the shekinah glory cloud. 11"Why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who's been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you've seen him go into heaven." On the shekinah glory cloud. He'll be the glorious Son of Man in Dan 7:13-14. Until then? Birth pangs. Wars, earthquakes, famines, disease-all getting worse & worse as the KoG gets nearer. Therefore, don't be like a young lady getting ready for a blind date. They were going to a fine restaurant. Live music. Dancing. He'll pick her up at 6pm. All day, she worked on her hair, nails, face, & dress. Finally, she's ready. 6pm came. And went. At 7pm, she undid her hair, put on PJs, & sat down to watch TV. And at 8pm, her date knocked at the door. She answered in PJs. And he was surprised! "Why aren't you ready? I gave you an extra 2 hours." Through the centuries, we've watched & prepared for Jesus' return. We've waited for the wedding feast to begin. So far, Jesus hasn't knocked on our door. We may feel just as stood-up as that young woman. But like her young man, Jesus is giving us extra time to get ready. Let's be prepared! Watch! Jesus could return, any minute! Let's wait, but let's be ready. Watch! Watch for the signs of Jesus' coming. But don't be like His 1st disciples, either. As they looked at the sign of their times, they missed the greatest sign of all. He was sitting right in front of them, teaching them. Jesus Himself is the sign of the Kingdom. He showed us how to wait until He returns. Love God. And love others. Does looking at our fallen world tempt us to ask, "What's the use?" If so, look back at Jesus. He didn't help everyone He met. But He helped each one who'd let Him. He was that man on the beach at low tide, throwing horseshoe crabs back into the ocean. Someone asked, "There are so many-millions! How can throwing one back matter?" The man looked at the horseshoe crab in his hand. As he threw it back into the ocean, he replied, "It matters to this one." That's how Jesus lived. Even if the birth pangs are getting worse, shouldn't we do likewise? The good news is this: He's given us His Spirit to help us do exactly that. 1 Preaching the Word, Mark, Mark 13:1-37 --------------- ------------------------------------------------------------ --------------- ------------------------------------------------------------ Birth Pangs - Mark 13:1-8 Page 1 of 1