06.05.22 Morning - Mark 13:5-8

Open your Bibles to Mark 13:5-8.  We are continuing our study of Mark’s Gospel. This morning we find ourselves again in the Olivet Discourse. (We’ll probably be in this chapter for another five or six weeks.) Last week I set before you all the interpretive grid that I will be using as we walk through the OD.  If you weren’t here or haven’t listened to the recording, I strongly recommend you do so in order to get a better grasp of how I’ll be dealing with this text.  That first sermon is pretty foundational to how I will be teaching this difficult chapter.  But in last week’s sermon, I told you all that I am a Partial-Preterist with regard to the OD.  And that simply means that I believe that all of our Lord’s words in vv5-30 were fulfilled in the First Century in the time leading up to and the completion of the destruction of the Temple in AD70.  I also believe that v32 signals a subject change where our Lord then moves to speak about His Second Coming when He will return to judge both the living and the dead.  That is how I think the Discourse is divided. And so, that is how I will be teaching it.  This morning, we will be considering our Lord’s opening words in the Discourse.  And here we read some very famous and well known verses.  Here Jesus speaks of wars, rumors of wars, earthquakes, and famines.  And many people believe that these things are to serve as signs that Jesus’ Second Coming is imminent.  Many people interpret this section of the Discourse as having to do with the immediate future preceding the Second Coming of Christ. That there will be wars, rumors of wars, earthquakes, and famines that serve as harbingers of the End of Time. But I aim to show you that that is NOT the case. Rather, as our Lord says in v30, these things were to happen within that generation and serve as signs that the Temple will be destroyed within that generation.  But, even though I believe that is how we should understand these words, that DOES NOT mean that these verses have nothing to say to us today.  Hear me: All of Scripture is relevant to us. It was all written for our instruction and benefit, as Paul says in         1 Corinthians 10.  Just because a prophecy has already been fulfilled, does not mean that there is nothing for us to learn from it.  Consider the OT prophecies that have already come to pass. Though we are not looking for their fulfillment, nevertheless they teach us many things. Fulfilled prophecies still teach us about God, His attributes, His character, His plan of redemption through faith in Christ, His love for His People, His hatred of sin, and many other things.  More than that, fulfilled prophecies continue to teach us about the moral and ethical principles that the People of God are to live by in order to please the God who has saved us through Christ.  There are many things that fulfilled prophecies speak to us today. And so, they are still relevant to us.  And the Olivet Discourse is no different in that regard. So then, even as I show you how these prophecies of our Lord Jesus have already come to pass, I will still aim to show you what application they make to us today.  The Bible is not merely a history book. It is God’s Word to us. And it speaks to us in our daily lives. And fulfilled prophecies are no different.  I aim to PREACH the Olivet Discourse, not merely give a history lesson on fulfilled prophecies.  One final word of introduction before we dive in: This sermon and probably many others I preach from this chapter will follow a general outline.  And this outline can be divided into two major headings: 1. The prophecy and it’s First Century fulfillment.  2. Ethics, principles, reminders, and doctrine that we are to apply from the prophecy, as well as foreshadowings of things to come and the place of these prophecies in the History of Redemption.  That’s basically how I plan to deal with these sermons.  The text before us speaks of things that have already come to pass.  But today it will teach us to be loyal to our Lord Jesus, to rest in God’s sovereignty, and to rejoice in the fact that God has declared that those who trust in Christ are His true Temple and People. May God bless us as we consider the words of our Lord.  If you would and are able, please stand with me now for the reading of the inspired, inerrant, and infallible Word of God.  Mark 13:5-8 [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. (PRAY) Holy God,  We come before you this morning eager to hear from you in your Word.  But, in our own strength, we will profit nothing from our reading or hearing of the Word.  As you have said, “Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the LORD of hosts.” It is only by your Holy Spirit that we will benefit from your Word. It is not within our power to change our own hearts or make us grow.  And so, we ask now that you would bless us with a fresh outpouring of your Holy Spirit this morning. Please, teach us and change us. Grant us faith to believe what we hear and mold our wills to obey what you have said.  Grant us a sight of our Lord Jesus Christ in His glory today. And glorify yourself in us.  We ask these things in Jesus’ Name and for His sake.  Amen.  1.) Before we jump into the exposition of our text, let me remind you of the context: In vv1-2, our Lord, provoked by a disciple who spoke of the beauty of the Temple, prophesied and said, “There will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.” Our Lord Jesus has prophesied that the Temple would be destroyed.  And it would be destroyed because Israel had rejected their Messiah. Because the religious leaders, as well as the people, had refused to submit to Jesus in faith.  And because of their rejection of Christ, the judgment of God was going to come upon them.  Judgment was coming upon Israel.  The Temple is the centerpiece of life in Israel. It is located in Jerusalem, the capital city/representative city of the whole nation.  And so, judgment on the Temple means judgment on the nation.  God is finished with the Old Covenant. He is finished with the ethnic people of Israel as an INTRINSIC covenant people.  Judgment is coming. Jesus says so.  NOTE: As I said last week and will continue to say, this judgment is a picture.  It is a picture of the fate of all who would reject the Lord Jesus Christ: Utter ruin and damnation by God.  There are no other options. Either you receive Christ by faith, or you will be eternally punished for your sins by a just and holy God.  There is only One Savior. And you reject Him at your own peril.  Know this: Justice will be served. Either it was suffered by Christ in your place at the Cross, or you will suffer it yourself in an eternal Hell. But, either way, God will do justice.  You must trust in Christ alone to save you from your sins! There is no other hope.  But in v4, the disciples ask Jesus about the destruction that He had just mentioned in v2.  They ask, “Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign when all these things are about to be accomplished?” This is what kicks off the whole OD.  Jesus prophesied that the Temple would be destroyed. And then the disciples ask a two-part question: When? And what will be the sign? Their questions clearly have to do with the Temple being destroyed. That is the only thing in the context. That is the only possible referent if you read the text honestly.  There is nothing else mentioned that they ask. And Jesus has a history of answering their questions. We read of Him doing that all over the Gospels.  And so, our Lord is doing that here in the OD. He is answering the questions, “When? And what will be the sign?” And let’s not forget v30. A very important verse. The “time text” of the OD.  “Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place.” Jesus says, quite clearly, that the present generation, the generation of people then living when He spoke, would not pass away until ALL THESE THINGS take place.  What are “all these things?” They are the same things that the disciples asked about in v4. They have to do with the destruction of the Temple.  So, our Lord says that within the generation He was speaking to, all of vv5-30 would take place. Everything He has said up to that point. “All these things.” Jesus sets our interpretive grid for us with His own prophetic statement in v30.  Jesus says that this prophecy would be fulfilled in the First Century and it was.  And when we understand the OT prophetic language He used, the established symbolism He used, the NT historical record, and some historical records from the First Century, we can see that Jesus’ words indeed came to pass, just as He had promised.  And that’s what we’re looking to see first this morning.  2.) So now we come to the first major heading of the sermon:  The Initial Signs of the Temple’s Destruction and Their First Century Fulfillment. Heads up: I wont be going exactly verse by verse through this passage. I will be going through it somewhat topically. But I will cover all or nearly all of the phrases in vv5-8. 1. First, we read v6. Jesus says, Many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am he!’ and they will lead many astray.  There is a parallel to this in Matthew 24:5: “For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and they will lead many astray.” Jesus here speaks of false christs. False messiahs.  He says that people will “come in my name.” That doesn’t mean that they will literally claim to be Jesus. Rather, they will come claiming His authority. They will come claiming His TITLE of Messiah.    They will come and take to themselves His prerogatives.  Many will come and try to take His place as Messiah.  Such people, to use the Apostle John’s language are antichrists.  Anti=replacement/opposed to. They are opposed to the true Christ (Jesus) and they are attempting to set themselves up as the Messiah in His place.  These people are literally antichrists and false messiahs.  They are liars, fakes, and deceivers.  They will come and promise deliverance and salvation, especially from Rome, and declare that the time for Israel to take over the world has come. And they will promise that they can lead them to it.  And, Jesus says, they will deceive many. They will lead many astray from the true Christ and His salvation.  And, believe it or not, this was actually somewhat common in that day.  There was much messianic fervor among the people of Israel. They were expecting the Messiah to come. But, sadly, when He came they rejected Him and continued to look for another.  We actually read of false messiahs who had arisen in the First Century in the book of Acts.  In Acts 5:35-37 we read,  “For before these days Theudas rose up, claiming to be somebody and a number of men, about four hundred joined him. He was killed, and all who followed him were dispersed and came to nothing. After him Judas the Galilean rose up in the days of the census and drew away some of the people after him. He too perished, and all who followed him were scattered.” So, Gamaliel in Acts 5 mentions two false messiahs who had come before Christ’s public ministry.  They rose up, claimed to be somebody (somebody theologically significant), drew people to themselves (no doubt with false promises of deliverance), and then got themselves killed.  We read of another possible false messiah in Acts 8:9-11: “But there was a man named Simon, who had previously practiced magic in the city and amazed the people of Samaria, saying that he himself was somebody great. They all paid attention to him, from the least to the greatest, saying, ‘This man is the power of God that is called Great.’  Simon the Magician (Magus) arose after the time of Christ. And, apparently, for a while before professing faith in Christ (probably falsely), claimed to be someone important and accepted the title “the Great power of God.” He, very possibly, was a false messiah.  We read of another in Acts 21:38. There Paul is being questioned about his identity. And we read: “Are you not the Egyptian, then, who recently stirred up a revolt and led the four thousand men of the Assassins out into the wilderness?” The first century historian Josephus tells us that there was an Egyptian who stirred up trouble against Rome by leading a band of Jewish zealots out into the wilderness.  No doubt, this is who is being spoken of in Acts 21. And he was a false messiah who promised deliverance from Rome.  So here we read of two false messiahs who came before Christ, and two who came after.  And they are recorded in the Scriptures themselves.  But that’s not even to consider the secular historical record.  Josephus, along with others like the Church historian Eusebius, records that there were a number of frauds who rose up and deceived many in the First Century.  And they did so by promising them freedom from the Romans and by false prophecy.  They promised to usher in a time of earthly peace and freedom from Rome for Israel. (Just like the Jews believed that the Messiah would do.) Josephus records about 16 different people in that century who did this. Just like Jesus said would happen.  There were many false messiahs who led many astray prior to the destruction of the Temple.  But the disciples were to “See that no one leads you astray.” (V5) They know who the Messiah is. They know Him. They have seen Him. They have seen His works. They know He has already come.  So, they are to be on guard and refuse to listen to any other.  There is only One Messiah, One Savior, One Son of God, and His name is Jesus. There is salvation in no one else.  2. The second thing our Lord mentions is in vv7-8.  “And when you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed…For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.” This is one of the most famous lines in the OD. People quote it all the time when there is a war that breaks out and people think the end of history is upon us.  The word here for war doesn’t necessarily refer to massive world wars.  It can be applied to personal fighting, small battles, and huge wars. (It’s a big word.) Jesus is saying that there will be many wars and fights and battles break out, along with rumors of coming wars and destruction before the Temple is destroyed.  And what is interesting is that when Jesus says this, there is relative peace in the Roman Empire. It was a time called the Pax Romana (Peace of Rome). Rome pretty much had things under control. There wasn’t much fighting. But Jesus says that wars and rumors of wars were to come.  The Roman historian Tactitus who lived from AD56-117 writes the following in his history: “I am entering on the history of a period rich in disasters, frightful in its wars, torn by civil strife, and even in peace full of horrors…there were three civil wars; there were more with foreign armies; there were often wars that had both characters at once.” The time after Jesus spoke was full of war.  There are records of outbreaks of fighting between the Jews and others in: Mesopotamia, Jerusalem, Caesarea, Scytholpolis, Alexandria, and Damascus.  And at each place, thousands of Jews were killed.  There were lots of Jewish uprisings in the First Century. And it didn’t go well for the Jews.  I’ll paraphrase now from RT France’s commentary:  Now, the years between Caesar Tiberius and Caesar Nero were fairly peaceful.  But someone living in Israel at the time may have heard of the wars in Parthia (AD36), or the war between Antipas and Aretas in which Rome became involved (AD36-37), not to mention a series of local uprisings which were ruthlessly put down by the Romans in the years before the Jewish War in AD66.  The ancient historian Tacitus again spoke of all kinds of military events. He spoke of: “Disturbances in Germany…commotions in Africa…commotions in Thrace…insurrections in Gaul…intrigues among the Parthians…the war in Britain…and the war in Armenia.” It seems that there were many wars going on in that time period. And this was all during a declared time of peace in Rome.  So then, these outbreaks of battles and wars were not expected and thus serve as signs.  But there was actually a rumor of a coming war that ended up being just a rumor, too.  In AD40, the Emperor Caligula tried to set up a statue of himself in the Temple. And the Jews weren’t having it.  There were violent protests in Jerusalem. And from those protests came a rumor that the Romans were going to come and use military force to stop it and carry out the Emperor’s desires.  But it didn’t happen. And no actual war broke out between Israel and Rome until AD66.  Brothers and sisters, clearly there were many wars and rumors of wars that broke out before the destruction of the Temple.  History bears this out. The words of our Lord came to pass exactly as He said they would.  3. The third thing that Jesus mentions is in v8: “There will be earthquakes in various places.” Prior to the destruction of the Temple, there were to be earthquakes. And we have records of this in the Bible itself.  At Jesus’ death, there was an earthquake. (Matthew 27:51-54) At Jesus’ resurrection there was another earthquake. (Matthew 28:2) We read of another earthquake in Philippi when Paul and Silas were freed from their prison. (Acts 16:26) So there are three earthquakes within a short period of time after our Lord prophesied this.  But that’s not all. There were other earthquakes.  There were some major ones in Asia Minor (AD61), another in Pompeii (AD63), and another in Jerusalem itself (AD67). And, believe it or not, there were even more than these. Historical accounts tell that there were earthquakes in Crete, Smyrna, Miletus, Chios, Samos, Laodicea, Hierapolis, Colossae, Campania, Rome, and Judea during the years leading up to AD70.  I won’t labor the point. There isn’t much else to say, is there? Jesus said that there would be earthquakes in various places. And within that generation there were all kinds of earthquakes in many different places.  Jesus is a true prophet. He is trustworthy.  4. The last thing that Jesus mentioned in our text is in v8 as well: “There will be famines.” In the time leading up to the destruction of the Temple there would be major food shortages and famines.  In AD46 there was an awful famine.  Some historians record that there were several serious times of famine between the years of 41 and 51AD.  And, once again, we have biblical record of this.  In Acts 11:27-29 we read a prophecy of it: Now in these days prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch. And one of them named Agabus stood up and foretold by the Spirit that there would be a great famine over all the world (this took place in the days of Claudius). So the disciples determined, every one according to his ability, to send relief to the brothers living in Judea. “All the world” here means “all the known world.” That is, the entire Roman Empire.  And, indeed, this happened. We have record of it.  More than that, we read in the Apostle Paul’s letters about how he was taking up collections for the relief of the hungry saints in Judea.  You can read of this in 1 Corinthians 16:1-4 and also in Romans 15:25-28.  And the reason he was taking up collections for them is because they were hungry. And that was because the words of Jesus came to pass and there were famines.  The historian Tacitus once again records something interesting for us.  He says that even in the great capital city of Rome, in AD51, there was only about 15 days worth of food stocked up in the city.  And you know that if things were that bad in the capital where the politicians and Emperor lived, then things were awful elsewhere.  Once again, everything happened. And it was just as Jesus said it would be.  3.) Let’s turn our attention now to a commonly misunderstood phrase in v7.  Jesus said that these things would happen, “but the end is not yet.”  Many people think that the phrase “the end” is a reference to the end of history at the Return of Christ.  But I don’t think that’s the case. I don’t think it means the End of the World.  Remember, v30 is our controlling text. Jesus says that everything up to v30 must happen in that generation. And the End of Time certainly wasn’t going to happen in that generation, as history shows us.  But not only that, let’s look at the word Mark uses for “end” here.  The word is “telos.” And it means: End, completion of a process, finish, fulfillment, outcome.  It does not NECESSARILY mean “the end of the world.” It is not a technical word that like. To modern Christian ears that have been conditioned by the Left Behind books it might. But it’s not.  The context in which the word is used will determine how we are to understand it.  Here are some examples of “telos” being used in the NT: 1. Mark 3:26: “And if Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand, but is coming to an end.” Jesus says that the Devil was coming to an end. He was being destroyed and was coming to an end, a completion, of his unbridled power.  This is not a reference to the end of time.  2. Matthew 26:58: “And Peter was following Him at a distance, as far as the courtyard of the high priest, and going inside he sat with the guards to see the end.” Peter wanted to see “the end.” He wanted to see the outcome and completion of Jesus’ trial. This is not a reference to the end of time.  3. Luke 1:33: “and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.” There will be no finish, no “done-ness” to Christ’s Kingdom. It is eternal. It will continue forever.  Again, “end” is not a reference to the end of time.  I hope you can see that the word “telos” does not have to refer to the end of the world.  And it doesn’t here in Mark 13:7. The context dictates the meaning. And Jesus is speaking of the destruction of the Temple (vv2-4). So then, Jesus is speaking, not of the end of history, but of the end of the Temple. The completion or fulfillment of the judgment of God that would come upon Israel in AD70.  More than that, these things, while they are signs that the Temple will come down, they are NOT signs that declare it will happen IMMEDIATELY.  These things will happen, but the end is NOT YET.  Jesus does not want His disciples to prematurely expect the end of the Temple.  So it’s actually ironic that people point to these verses to say that the End of the World is immediately upon us.  They’re wrong on both accounts: The context and the meaning of the signs.  Not only that, but as the end of v8 says, all the things Jesus has mentioned here are “but the beginning of the birth pains.” These are the initial signs of the coming destruction.  When these things start happening in that generation, you can know that the Temple destruction is bound to happen as well.  Wars, rumors of wars, earthquakes, and famines are like previews to the major signs that we will see Jesus speak of in v14 and following.  The imagery of “birth pains” is found in the OT.  And it’s often used in prophecies to describe the suffering of nations and cities under judgment.  Isaiah 13:8, Jeremiah 6:24, and Jeremiah 22:23 are all examples of this.  And these are all judgment texts. Texts where God is promising His wrath on those who have sinned against Him grievously.  I’ll read on example from Isaiah 13:8. Speaking of the judgment of God against Babylon, Isaiah writes: They will be dismayed: pangs and agony will seize them; they will be in anguish like a woman in labor. They will look aghast at one another; their faces will be aflame. This is an OT image of judgment and the suffering that comes from being judged by God.  But judgment isn’t the only context in which this language is used.  Interestingly enough, the image of birth pains is also used in the NT to describe suffering. But it’s suffering that has a positive outcome.  Galatians 4:19 mentions Paul’s anguish like a woman in labor until Christ is formed in the Galatians.  Romans 8:22 speaks of the creation groaning in the pains of childbirth in anticipation of the End of all things.  So in these contexts, the pain of childbirth gives way to glory. There is pain, but better things are to come later.  There is pain now, but a baby of sorts is coming. And that’s a good thing.  Here in Mark 13:8, there may be a mix of both the positive and the negative.  But the context seems to lean heavily on the pain of God’s judgment. But maybe there is a ray of hope for us to see. (More on that later.) But I hope you see that Jesus gives preliminary signs in our text.  Things that will serve as a warning of what is coming.  But who knows how long the birth pains will last? Nobody knows exactly how long. But it will be completed in that generation.  And Jesus does not want His disciples to be led into panic when they hear of wars, rumors of wars, false christs, famines, and earthquakes.  They are signs of what is to come. But the end is not yet.  4.) Brothers and sisters, these things happened in that generation, just like Jesus said they would.  I want you to all be convinced that He is a true Prophet. He is our Prophet, Priest, and King.  Some people who think these verses are about the end of history would claim that I’m trying to undo a scary portion of Scripture.  But that’s not the case. The interpretation I’m setting before you is not an attempt to take away a scary warning of the end of the world.  Rather, it is a vindication of the words of our Lord in v30. He was telling the truth. And I want you to know that.  Everything He said in vv5-30 happened just as He had predicted.  Hear me: You can believe the Scriptures.  You can trust in Christ.  He is no liar. He is no misguided loon. He is no false Messiah. He is the true Prophet and Son of God who came into the world to save sinners.  You can believe everything that He said. And the OD is a shining example and proof of that.  5.) Before we get into some application for today, let me say one more thing.  So many people hear of things happening in our day that sound like the things in our text and then they begin to try to predict the end of the world.  OR, at least, they begin to say, “The end is nigh. The end is clearly upon us. Jesus will come back within our lifetime.” We’ve all grown up with this. Our parents and grandparents grew up with this. Constant fear. Constantly reading a newspaper in one hand and the Bible in the other looking for signs of the End. Constant false predictions and foolish hysteria.  We’re almost used to it, aren’t we? I’ve personally lived through four end of the world prediction cycles in my 30 short years.  1. Y2K 2. 9/11 3. 2012 Mayan Calendar 4. Covid-19 And now I’m living in my fifth one with the Ukraine-Russia war.  Some of you who are a little older have lived through many more than this. (88 Reasons Why the Rapture Will Be in 1988 and other embarrassing predictions.) But the truth is that such an interpretation of the OD (Dispensationalist/Rapture theology) didn’t really exist until the late 1800’s.  And since then it has gained popularity. And every single generation thinks that it is the final generation.  And that’s because things like wars, rumors of wars, famines, earthquakes, false religions, and other hardships and disasters occur all the time.  But we see the foolishness of all of that when we read the OD properly.  Jesus Himself said that these things do not signify the end of the world. They meant the end of the Temple.  Hear me: I’m not trying to downplay how bad things are right now.  I’m Postill. But I’m also pretty pessimistic about the immediate future of the world.  Unless God grants repentance on a national and international scale, we’re in for a lot of trouble, I think.  But my point is this: Don’t be fooled. Yes, the world will end.  Yes, Jesus will return some day.  But we don’t know when. And these verses don’t tell us to be looking for this stuff before He comes.  In fact, Jesus says that life will be going on normally before He comes and nobody will expect it. (Read the end of Mark 13 and Matthew 24.) So don’t buy into the hype.  After the destruction of the Temple, wars, rumors of wars, false christs, earthquakes, and famines no longer have prophetic significance.  They are just part of life for now.  6.) So, the things in our text have come and gone as far as our Lord’s prophecy is concerned.  But that does not mean that there is nothing for us to learn and apply today.  God has something for us in 2022 from this prophesied fulfilled nearly two thousand years ago.  1. Jesus told His disciples, “…do not be alarmed. This MUST take place…” (v7) Alarmed=Afraid.  Jesus told His disciples that when they saw all the things He mentioned taking place, they were to not be afraid.  Now, let’s be clear: There is a difference between being concerned and being afraid.  We should be concerned when we see wicked and threatening things happening around us. We should plan ahead if we can. We should try to avoid hardship if we can. There is no glory in suffering for suffering’s sake.  But, brothers and sisters, we must not be afraid.  We must not sit around and wring our hands and fret about what is happening or what the future may hold.  What a word to us today! You look out on the nation and international scale and everything is in disarray.  We are in the middle of some serious inflation. And nobody knows when it’s going to stop.  There is a war in Europe that we might get involved in. Even some of our loved ones have been sent out because of it.  Job security seems to be a thing of the past for many.  Christianity is growing more and more hated in our culture.  And that’s not to mention personally issues of health, and difficult family dynamics, and deteriorating relationships that some of us deal with.  There are many things happening around us that tempt us to be afraid.  And many people, even Christians, fret and worry and drive themselves mad with anxiety.  But Jesus tells us not to be afraid.  Why? Because, just like with the disciples and the things in the First Century, these things MUST take place.  The word “must” here signifies divine necessity. It is necessary that those things took place in the mind and plan of God to glorify Himself and bless His People.  And the same is true today with whatever we see happening around us in or in our own lives.  Whatever takes place, MUST TAKE PLACE. Everything is going according to plan. Maybe it’s not our plan. But in God’s plan for us and this world, everything is right on schedule.  And whatever takes place MUST take place.  Everything we see is part of God’s overarching plan for human history and the good of His People.  Brothers and sisters, do not be afraid.  Our God reigns.  Oh, things are very mysterious to us. And things are very uncertain to us. But not to the One who holds us in His hands. Not to the One who controls all things.  He has not been dethroned. He is still very much in charge. What seems as chaos to us is part of His holy will.  Hear me: Nothing is by accident. And nothing is arbitrary.  All things that come to pass, happen by divine ordination. And they are leading to the salvation of God’s People and the Consummation of all things at the Return of our Lord Jesus Christ.  Do not be alarmed, brothers and sisters.  God controls your whole life. And not one hair on your head can be harmed apart from your FATHER in Heaven.  He reigns. And He loves you. And He has proven that He loves you at the Cross of Christ, where Jesus was punished that you might go free through faith in Him.  He loves you. And He reigns.  This God who loves you is the one who controls it all. And you are in His hands.  This is a good place to be. Even when the world rages around us.  We are in the hands of the God who works all things for His glory and our good.  HOLD THAT. And fear not.  2. A final piece of application has to do with Jesus’ words, “These are but the beginning of the birth pains.”  All of the things Jesus mentioned were the beginning of something else.  Certainly, it was the beginning of the period of the Temple’s destruction. The birth pains would give way to the baby of destruction.  But I think there is a positive thing to see here. And it’s light of the rest of the chapter and the rest of the NT.  Something beautiful was to be born through this awful judgment of God: A new beginning. The Church Age.  Let me explain: When you read the book of Acts, you notice that the Church and ethnic Israel are kind of intertwined.  The Jewish Christians in Jerusalem would visit the Temple for worship.  It seems that some were observing the Jewish Sabbath and the Lord’s Day.  Even the Apostle Paul kept a Nazarite Vow and offered up the things required at the Temple for it.  Judaism and Christianity were considered basically the same thing by many. And, as we read in Acts, the Gentiles sometimes considered Christianity to be a sect or cult within Judaism.  Not only that, but you can read in 1-2 Thessalonians, Acts, and Revelation about how the Jews were a constant source of suffering to the infant Church.  Beyond that, you can read in Acts, Philippians, and Galatians how false brothers crept in and spread the Judaizing heresy by teaching that you had to keep the OT Law in order to be saved.  Taking all of that together, you can see that apostate Judaism was a major hindrance and persecutor of Christianity.  It was a hindrance to the spread of the Gospel.  It caused confusion for some concerning it’s relationship to Christianity.  And there were many unbelieving Jews who did what they could to try and stop Christianity from growing.  BUT WHEN THE TEMPLE WAS DESTROYED ALL OF THAT CAME TO AN END.  There was no more confusion about things. A line was drawn by God that divided Judaism and Christianity.  There was no more confusion in worship. Judaizing pretty much came to an end.  And why? Because God made it very clear that the Old Order was FINISHED.  God was done with it all. Ethnic Israel was not longer the People of God, the Temple was no longer His House, Israel no longer had any real authority or voice in religion.  It was all done and over with. And it was finished by the definitive action of Almighty God in the destruction of the Temple in AD70.  But, on the other hand, Christianity continued to grow and flourish.  And, though there were still hindrances and hardships, the Jews were no longer really an issue.  Christianity then began to be seen more clearly as a religion for the world and not just the Jews.  And it exploded throughout the world as we have seen down to this day.  With His judgment on Israel and the destruction of the Temple, God made a distinction and began to clearly own His true People.  God’s People are the Church. God’s People are those who believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. And no others.  Nothing could be clearer now.  Out of the birth pains, something glorious was born: The full and pure Church Age of human history that will continue until the return of our Lord Jesus Christ.  Brothers and sisters, there will never be a return to the Temple or any form of Judaism. The Christ has come.  You see, just because the physical Temple in Jerusalem was going to be destroyed DID NOT MEAN that God would have no Temple.  Rather, as Paul tells us in Ephesians 2, and Peter tells us in 1 Peter 2, the Church is now God’s Temple.  The Church is God’s House. And He dwells in each holy “stone” by His Holy Spirit.  The Church is the true Israel of God as Paul says in Galatians 6.  Christians are the true Jews who have been circumcised inwardly in the heart (born again) and have God’s Law written on our hearts.  Make no mistake, God still has a Temple and a People: And it is the Church.  God has publicly owned His People.  And He has publicly disowned the ethnic nation of Israel as an intrinsic, born Covenant People.  The Church is His Holy House.  Those who trust in Christ are His children, whether Jew or Gentile.  The Old Order is gone. The Old Covenant is finished.  And a New Covenant, inaugurated in the blood of Jesus Christ, a Covenant that saves because Christ has lived, died, and is risen, the Covenant that was promised by all the prophets, has come.  Hebrews 8:13 says, “In speaking of a new oven at, He makes the first one obsolete. And what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away.” And hear me: The Church will continue to grow and grow in history until the knowledge of God covers the earth as the waters cover the sea.  Sinners will continue to be saved and brought into the Church until the nations acknowledge Christ as Lord.  We are living in the Age of the Messiah. We are in the blessed Last Days of Gospel growth and salvation that the prophets spoke of.  And those days began after Christ died, was raised, and ascended into Heaven.  Something more glorious and better than Israel and the Old Covenant has come.  And, by destroying the Temple, God has made it clear to the world.  As the Author of Hebrews says, the old things have been shaken and removed. And the unshakable kingdom of Christ has come.  The Kingdom of which we have become citizens by God’s grace, through faith in Christ.  So then, in conclusion, let me say this: Do not be afraid.  Instead, rejoice because God has made clear who His People are. And, by His grace, you who believe have been counted in that joyful number.  Amen.