Mark 13
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· 5 viewsJesus’ departure from the temple leads to His prediction of its destruction. This prompts questions from the disciples about when these events would happen (vv. 3–36). Jesus responds by discussing portents (or signs) of the arrival of God’s kingdom and His own climactic return. His teachings have practical significance for His followers: They must remain alert and loyal while waiting for Him (vv. 32–37)
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Faithlife Study Bible (Mark 13:1–36)
Jesus’ departure from the temple leads to His prediction of its destruction. This prompts questions from the disciples about when these events would happen (vv. 3–36). Jesus responds by discussing portents (or signs) of the arrival of God’s kingdom and His own climactic return. His teachings have practical significance for His followers: They must remain alert and loyal while waiting for Him (vv. 32–37).
If you remember from where Coach left off in chapter 12, Jesus had just entered Jerusalem and was walking in the temple area. He was confronted by the teachers there. The Olivet Discourse is the longest section of Jesus' teaching that Mark recorded (cf. 4:1-34; 7:1-23). Mark used this discourse as a bridge between Jesus' controversies with Israel's leaders (11:27—12:44) and the account of His passion (chs. 14—15). It provides assurance that the leaders who had plotted against Jesus would suffer God's judgment.
As Jesus was leaving the Temple that day, one of his disciples said, “Teacher, look at these magnificent buildings! Look at the impressive stones in the walls.”
To help us understand what Jesus’ disciple was saying you would need to see the temple. The temple was the central place in Jerusalem and was visible from most places. The temple was without a doubt the greatest single building ever constructed. With brass gates one hundred thirty feet high, stones forty feet long and twenty feet thick cut so perfectly that not even a knife blade could fit between them, the temple was nothing less than magnificent indeed.
Let’s look at a couple buildings that are standing today.
Number 3: Marina Bay Sands (5.5 billion)
Resorts World Sentosa (Singapore) 5 billion
Adding together the cost of The 20 most expensive building’s in the world totals 200 billion dollars.
The Temple # 1
The Temple # 2
What would you say the value of the Temple would have been?
One Trillion Dollars!
Mark 13:2 (Courson's Commentary): The size of the temple is beyond our imagining. Even the Wailing Wall, which was simply the foundation stones of the temple, dwarfs all who stand near it. Yet Jesus said it would come crashing down. And indeed it did. Within forty years of this statement, Roman troops, led by General Titus, would not only destroy Jerusalem, but, against Titus’ orders, would throw a torch inside the temple, causing a fire so intense that the gold melted within. Thus, it was to get to the gold that trickled down its walls that the Romans razed the temple, leaving not one stone standing on another
Jesus replied, “Yes, look at these great buildings. But they will be completely demolished. Not one stone will be left on top of another!”
Later, Jesus sat on the Mount of Olives across the valley from the Temple. Peter, James, John, and Andrew came to him privately and asked him,
“Tell us, when will all this happen? What sign will show us that these things are about to be fulfilled?”
Mark Mark 13:3–4
Jesus’ prediction brings up two questions in the minds of His disciples (3–4)
They are wondering:
Tell us, when will these things be?
What will be the sign when all these things will be fulfilled?
The Olivet Discourse deals with the Tribulation—the seven-year period following the Rapture of the church when God will pour out His wrath upon a Christ-rejecting sinful world. Verses 5–13 deal with the beginning of the Tribulation, 14–18 with the middle, and 19–27 with the end.
Jesus replied, “Don’t let anyone mislead you,
for many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah.’ They will deceive many.
History shows that in the first one hundred years after Jesus spoke these words, no less than sixty-four men came on the scene claiming to be Messiah. And we see a continuance of this today by those who propagate the age-old New Age lie that we all have a “God-consciousness” within us and are all, therefore, deity.
How many people do you think in the United States alone think that. 1: Jesus is who He claimed to be
and, 2: Jesus is enough.
10% of Americans believe that Jesus is the only way to Heaven.
One study showed that while about 65 percent of American adults describe themselves as Christians, only about half (54 percent) believe they will experience heaven after they die. Only one-third of adults (33 percent) believe they will go to heaven solely because of confessing their sins and embracing Jesus as their savior. Another one-in-five expecting to experience heaven are counting on earning their way in or because they embrace universalism (i.e., that God will let all people into heaven).
God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God.
Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.
Jesus continues his description of this period of time
And you will hear of wars and threats of wars, but don’t panic. Yes, these things must take place, but the end won’t follow immediately.
Nation will go to war against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in many parts of the world, as well as famines. But this is only the first of the birth pains, with more to come.
Increase in Earthquakes
Modern days earthquake monitoring has been in place since the early 1900’s. What does this graph tell us?
“When these things begin to happen, watch out! You will be handed over to the local councils and beaten in the synagogues. You will stand trial before governors and kings because you are my followers. But this will be your opportunity to tell them about me.
For the Good News must first be preached to all nations.
But when you are arrested and stand trial, don’t worry in advance about what to say. Just say what God tells you at that time, for it is not you who will be speaking, but the Holy Spirit.
Jesus was telling his disciples that they will be persecuted. Think about how we would handle this situation? If someone held a gun to your head and told you to deny Jesus, would you? What if it was a loved one the was in danger? This is a tough question! But this is what was happening at the time of the early church. And it continues to happen today all around the world.
“A brother will betray his brother to death, a father will betray his own child, and children will rebel against their parents and cause them to be killed.
And everyone will hate you because you are my followers. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.
It is easy for us to underestimate how difficult a time of persecution can be. While few Christians in the Western world face persecution, Christians in other parts of the world often face these trials. Unfortunately, this statement is no longer true, especially in the last several years.
• If I came from an orthodox Jewish family, they might consider me a blasphemer and account me as dead for choosing Jesus.
• If I came from a strict Muslim family, I might be rejected by my family and be literally killed for choosing Jesus.
• If I came from a Hindu family in India, I could be rejected and martyred for choosing Jesus.
• In China, I would be allowed to practice Christianity only in the state-sponsored church—or be persecuted. My church might be one of the 1,500 destroyed or shut down since November of 2000.
• In Sudan, I might be killed or literally enslaved by a Muslim army.
• In Indonesia, I might be given a choice by Muslims: convert to Islam or die, or I might have my church bombed during a worship service.
• In Pakistan, I might be jailed by Muslim government officials.
ii. According to David B. Barrett in his book Today’s Martyrs, some 165,000 Christians died for their faith in the year 2000. Researchers estimate that since the Day of Pentecost, more than 43 million Christians have been killed for their faith. A persecution index provided by Open Doors with Brother Andrew listed 28 countries with strong or massive persecution. In another 23 countries, Christians suffer discrimination and in some regions severe harassment.
Where can we expect to have persecution?
What does persecution look like to you? Can anyone give me an example of this?
The reality is that we will face persecution if we chose to follow Jesus.
Overcoming Our Fears
The devil attacks us with many other fears. We cannot let these fears hold us back. As those who God has called to be his witnesses and to continue his mission, we must overcome our fears and live courageously for God. We must overcome our fears to experience the life of Jesus and the joy of his kingdom.
Has anyone ever seen the movie called The Hobbit? In The Desolation of Smaug, Bilbo Baggins must face his greatest fear: facing the dragon Smaug. As Bilbo enters the Great Hall, he sees from a distance the dragon asleep. Bilbo is paralyzed with fears and considers retreating to safety. However, knowing that his friends are relying on him, Bilbo makes the decision to overcome his fear. Smaug awakens and Bilbo must courageously retrieve the Arkenstone (a jewel needed to defeat the dragon) from Smaug.
It can be hard to be brave, but the is where Jesus has promised to help up. He promised he would be with us for ever, should we chose to put our trust in Him.
Does anyone remember what Jesus said that the world will think of people that chose to follow Him?
And all nations will hate you because you are my followers. But everyone who endures to the end will be saved.
Jesus continues:
“The day is coming when you will see the sacrilegious object that causes desecration standing where he should not be.” (Reader, pay attention!) “Then those in Judea must flee to the hills.
A person out on the deck of a roof must not go down into the house to pack.
A person out in the field must not return even to get a coat.
How terrible it will be for pregnant women and for nursing mothers in those days.
And pray that your flight will not be in winter.
For there will be greater anguish in those days than at any time since God created the world. And it will never be so great again.
In fact, unless the Lord shortens that time of calamity, not a single person will survive. But for the sake of his chosen ones he has shortened those days.
In this section dealing with the middle of the seven-year Tribulation period, referring to the point when Antichrist will set up his image in the rebuilt temple.
This is a time that we DO NOT want to be alive. Things are so bad that the Bible describes it as unique and unlike nothing we have ever experienced. Fortunately, we have a blessed hope! Look at 1 Thessalonians 4-5. We, the church, will not be here.
“Then if anyone tells you, ‘Look, here is the Messiah,’ or ‘There he is,’ don’t believe it.
For false messiahs and false prophets will rise up and perform signs and wonders so as to deceive, if possible, even God’s chosen ones.
Watch out! I have warned you about this ahead of time!
Think about how many religions claim Jesus in some fashion. As a matter of fact, look at just the “Christian” church today. Does anyone know what the term “progressive Christianity” means? Progressive Christianity is a recent movement in Protestantism that focuses strongly on social justice and environmentalism and often includes a non-traditional views of the Scriptures. Since the movement entails a number of different beliefs and views on various topics, it is difficult to label the whole movement together but in general this movement includes:
Splintering views on God’s creation (multi gender, gender fluidity)
Redefinition of marriage
Redefinition of morality
What is our response to false jesus?
This is the unique thing about Christianity. What did the early Roman Catholic church and so many other religions do with the Bible? They wanted to be the only ones that could read and understand it. The claimed to have a special revelation. Something that needed to be added to the Bible.
Galatians 1:8-9 reminds us
Let God’s curse fall on anyone, including us or even an angel from heaven, who preaches a different kind of Good News than the one we preached to you.
I say again what we have said before: If anyone preaches any other Good News than the one you welcomed, let that person be cursed.
Never take anything, anyone says as Gospel, only the Gospel itself. That is what makes what we are doing so effective. When we get to the uncomfortable parts of scripture we press on, studying the whole council of God. I can not save you, your parents can not save you. You have to make a choice on your own about who you think Jesus is.
“At that time, after the anguish of those days,
the sun will be darkened,
the moon will give no light,
the stars will fall from the sky,
and the powers in the heavens will be shaken.
Then everyone will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds with great power and glory.
And he will send out his angels to gather his chosen ones from all over the world—from the farthest ends of the earth and heaven.
Question: Will people accept Jesus after the church is taken out of this world?
When Jesus returns to this earth after that tribulation, He will come with the saints in heaven and to gather those who have come to Jesus during the tribulation and have survived.
“Now learn a lesson from the fig tree. When its branches bud and its leaves begin to sprout, you know that summer is near.
In the same way, when you see all these things taking place, you can know that his return is very near, right at the door.
I tell you the truth, this generation will not pass from the scene before all these things take place.
Heaven and earth will disappear, but my words will never disappear.
The fig tree has a regular pattern—the leaves appear and then summer follows. When you see the leaves you know summer is near. In the same way, when these signs—particularly the abomination of desolation—appear, the world can know that the triumphant return of Jesus is near; at the doors
The audience Jesus was speaking to would have understood this perfectly. This was a common understanding with the seasons. They could predict the patterns of the seasons by what the trees did. What is being spoken of here, however, Christians will not be here to see. 1 Thessalonians 4-5.
What is Jesus saying here? What is He claiming?
“However, no one knows the day or hour when these things will happen, not even the angels in heaven or the Son himself. Only the Father knows.
And since you don’t know when that time will come, be on guard! Stay alert!
No one knows the day nor the hour. Why does Jesus say that not even he knows?
Did not He, as God, know all things? Jesus did not know this, but it was not because He gave up His omniscience—He is the unchanging God. It was because He voluntarily, in submission to God the Father, restricted His knowledge of this event. This is part of what made Jesus choice to step out of heaven so significant. Think of what He humbled Himself to!
“The coming of the Son of Man can be illustrated by the story of a man going on a long trip. When he left home, he gave each of his slaves instructions about the work they were to do, and he told the gatekeeper to watch for his return.
You, too, must keep watch! For you don’t know when the master of the household will return—in the evening, at midnight, before dawn, or at daybreak.
Don’t let him find you sleeping when he arrives without warning.
I say to you what I say to everyone: Watch for him!”
Who are we watching for? Are we watching for the Antichrist? The one who stands in the temple to defy it? Or are we waiting for Jesus? What does waiting for Jesus look like?
If you don't know Jesus today, please accept His free gift of Salvation. There is no special prayer, nothing to do but to simply trust that Jesus died for you and for your sins. Accept His free gift, stop living in sin, and ask God for forgiveness. I would love to talk to you after service if you would like. Let’s pray.