There's More To Come: It's Okay

Welcome

Good morning and welcome again to IBH’s Service this morning. Today we are starting our new series named, There’s more to come. My wife and I had gone to Disneyland for the first time in ages and not only that, we decided to take our two year old cause she goes in free and we wanted to see how she would do and react to so much input. We mark our overall experience as Okay; not good, not bad, just okay. She wasn’t afraid of things, which was great, but she did not like being taken off of rides. She would kick and scream, which was awful and exhausting. I remember that I was under the impression that I was preaching that week and it was going to be palm Sunday. So, we’re getting off of It’s A Small World, thank God, and she begins to cry and yell cause she want’s to stay on. And I tell her hey, “there’s more to come.” and like a ton of bricks The idea comes to me that the disciples were so caught up with their present at Jesus triumphal entry, they couldn’t see past that. They couldn’t see Jesus was telling them that there’s more to come. Long story short, I find out that Marcos is preaching that weekend, I bring this Idea and we built a new series Looking into some of the end times prophecy we have to guide us.

When?

Mark 13:32–36 ESV

“But concerning that day or that hour, no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Be on guard, keep awake. For you do not know when the time will come. 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. 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— lest he come suddenly and find you asleep.

Throughout history there have been many who have tried to predict the end of the world.

Harold Camping a christian radio host and writer

Harold Camping has publicly predicted the end of the world as many as 12 times based his interpretations of biblical numerology. In 1992, he published a book, ominously titled 1994?, which predicted the end of the world sometime around that year. Perhaps his most high-profile predication was for May 21, 2011, a date that he calculated to be exactly 7,000 years after the Biblical flood. When that date passed without incident, he declared his math to be off and pushed back the end of the world to October 21, 2011.

William Miller, an american Baptist preacher:

Religious leader William Miller began preaching in 1831 that the end of the world as we know it would occur with the second coming of Jesus Christ in 1843. He attracted as many as 100,000 followers who believed that they would be carried off to heaven when the date arrived. When the 1843 prediction failed to materialize, Miller recalculated and determined that the world would actually end in 1844. Follower Henry Emmons wrote, “I waited all Tuesday, and dear Jesus did not come … I lay prostrate for 2 days without any pain—sick with disappointment.”

Let’s not forget Y2K and Dec 21, 2012 that marked the end of the MAyan long calnedar and the end of the world.

These are only a few examples from the vast pool of christian and non-christian attempts of figuring out the end of the World.

On the Christian side of this topic we have people basing their math on Daniel ch. 10, 11 and 12; Jesus words in the synoptic Gospels(Matt Mark Luke), 1/2 Corinthians; 1/2 thessalonians; and obviously, the book of revelation. There are events in these writings that need to happen in order for the time to be fulfilled. At least 20 events need to occur. We will not be going through all of them in this sermon series, just some of the most popularly known. This kind of lines up with the current wednesday night series in the sense that even though this topic may seem cut and dry, there is still a decent amount of gray area in the interpretation of it. Lets take a look at our text today again:

Destruction of the Temple

At the begining of ch 13, Jesus and his disciples leave the temple and ascend to the Mount of Olives and on His way out the disciples point out the great beauty that is the 2nd Temple. and Jesus tells them:

Mark 13:2 ESV

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.”

when they arrive to the Mount of Olives he’s asked about the signs and when this will happen. Something we need to understand in Jesus statement that we’re not getting from text directly is that in order to break through the walls of the temple is alone going to be something difficult. Let me explain.

King Herod was known for his great architectural projects, one of which, was to rebuild the Temple in Jerusalem.

In the eighteenth year of his reign (20–19 BC), Herod rebuilt the Second Temple in Jerusalem on "a more magnificent scale".[4] The new Temple was finished in a year and a half, although work on out-buildings and courts continued another eighty years. To comply with religious law, Herod employed a thousand priests as masons and carpenters for the rebuilding. The finished temple, which was destroyed by the Romans in 70 AD, is often referred to as Herod's Temple. The Wailing Wall (Western Wall) in Jerusalem was for many years the only section visible of the four retaining walls whose construction was begun by Herod to create a flat platform (the Temple Mount) upon which his Temple was constructed. Recent findings suggest that the Temple Mount walls and Robinson's Arch may not have been completed until at least 20 years after his death during the reign of Herod Agrippa II.[5]

This is where is gets cool for some of us geeky people, or as jason says, Nerds.

Herod's massive building projects featured a distinctive style of stone-dressing. This stone-dressing method—usually featuring the pale local limestone—was so prominently practiced in Herod's day that it has led to such terms as “Herodian blocks”, “Herodian masonry”, “Herodian dressing”, and the like. It makes Herodian stones easily discernible from the earlier stone courses below, and later ones above, in the surviving walls at many sites. Best known is the example of the impressive retaining walls of the Temple Mount, readily visible at the Western Wall.

These stones were similar to the stones that you might find in the pyramids, except a little smaller. Using this method, Herod not only reconstructed the temple, but rebuilt it into a fortress. So when Jesus says “destroy this temple and in 3 days I will raise it up,” This is what the people of his time were looking at. And when Jesus is telling them that there will be no stone left he’s saying this in view of these massive blocks.

Look up pictures of the wailing wall, or ask either of our pastors, they’ll let you know, they’ve seen it first hand. That’s what was left after the romans came in and destroyed it all in 70 AD. It took over 4 months and the death 1.1 million Jewish people.

Jesus then lists the signs of things to come.

Mark 13:6–8 ESV

Many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am he!’ and they will lead many astray. And when you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed. This must take place, but the end is not yet. 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.

3 Over arching views

Some say that these are things to come and some that these have happened already. And this is where we get into some mirky waters. There are 3 overarching views of end times or Eschatology. The part of theology concerned with death, judgment, and the final destiny of the soul and of humankind. or the study of the last things.

Amillennialism is the view in Christian eschatology which states that Christ is presently reigning through the Church, and that the "1000 years" of Revelation 20:1-6 is a metaphorical reference to the present church age which will culminate in Christ's return.

Premillennialism teaches that the Second coming will occur before a literal thousand-year reign of Christ from Jerusalem upon the earth.

Postmillennialism teaches that the millennium is an era (not necessarily a literal thousand years) during which Christ will reign over the earth, not from a literal and earthly throne, but through the gradual increase of the Gospel and its power to change lives. After this gradual Christianization of the world, Christ will return and immediately usher the church into their eternal state after judging the wicked. This is called postmillennialism because, by its view, Christ will return after the millennium."

theopedia

Since the time of Jesus, there have been several famines, several wars and two world wars. Those had to feel like the sign of the times, but Jesus has not returned yet.

This is where one of my two main points besides trying to help you understand the historical context of Jesus’ words come in. Despite the differences in views there are a few core tenants that will unite us:

The Reformation Study Bible: English Standard Version (2015 Edition) The Nicene Creed

He shall come again, with glory, to judge both the living and the dead; Whose kingdom shall have no end.

nicene creed

Reformed Pastor and Teacher RC Sproul was asked shortly after Billy Graham passed away whether or not we would see in heaven. A little back story, Reformed and Calvinistic camps are known for being spicey and drawing lines in the sand, to say the least, but Sproul’s response shows the heart of a true christian despite theological differences. He said

“No, I don’t believe I will see Billy Graham in heaven. Billy Graham will be so close to the throne of God, and I will be so far away from the throne of God, that I will be lucky to even get a glimpse of him!”

Fervent Living

This leads me to my second point.

Hebrews 10:23–25 ESV

Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.

These different views help us interpret and understand the Last things, as they’re named, but they should never affect how we share or experience the Gospel or how we experience christ together as believers.

The confession of our hope is what? That Jesus lived, died and resurrected, that through him we are alive and free from the condemnation of sin. In this we encourage each other all the more as we see the DAY drawing near. The writer of Hebrews is calling us to live fervently in this promise. Paul like wise in his writings shows us to live with abandon and spread the Gospel, not live the Gospel since only Jesus could, but spread it and live affected by it.

Romans 1:16–17 ESV

For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.”

I know this is old but, it’s not about YOLO, you only live once, but living with the hope of the life to come, unashamed and Spirit empowered.

Revelation 7:9–10 ESV

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, and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!”

The Reformation Study Bible: English Standard Version (2015 Edition) The Nicene Creed

The Nicene Creed

We believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, of all things visible and invisible.

And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of His Father before all worlds; God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God; begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father, by whom all things were made; Who, for us men and for our salvation, came down from heaven, and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the virgin Mary, and was made man; and was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate; He suffered and was buried; and the third day He rose again, according to the Scriptures; and ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father; and He shall come again, with glory, to judge both the living and the dead; Whose kingdom shall have no end.

And we believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord and Giver of Life; who proceeds from the Father and the Son; who with the Father and the Son together is worshiped and glorified; who spoke by the prophets. And we believe in one holy catholic* and apostolic church. We acknowledge one baptism for the remission of sins; and we look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.

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