The End is Not Yet Mark 13:1-13
Notes
Transcript
And as he came out of the temple, one of his disciples said to him, “Look, Teacher, what wonderful stones and what wonderful buildings!” 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.”
And as he sat on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter and James and John and Andrew asked him privately, “Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign when all these things are about to be accomplished?” And Jesus began to say to them, “See that no one leads you astray. 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.
“But be on your guard. For they will deliver you over to councils, and you will be beaten in synagogues, and you will stand before governors and kings for my sake, to bear witness before them. And the gospel must first be proclaimed to all nations. And when they bring you to trial and deliver you over, do not be anxious beforehand what you are to say, but say whatever is given you in that hour, for it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit. And brother will deliver brother over to death, and the father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death. And you will be hated by all for my name’s sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.
The Many Non-Signs
The Many Non-Signs
Have you ever been in a situation where you were showing something off and it turns out there was information you didn’t know that made whatever was that you were proud of suddenly seem a lot less exciting?
I remember when I picked up my first Greek lexicon and was showing it to a classmate of mine, for whom I had a lot of respect. What I didn’t know is that the Lexicon, being a Thayer’s Lexicon, was written by Unitarian, a man who denied biblical inerrancy, total depravity, the divinity of Christ, and the concept of the Trinity. Some of that bias is reflected in his work. Additionally, Thayer wasn’t working with hundreds of manuscripts that were discovered since his time, so even if his theology had no influence over his work, it is a resource that has been eclipsed by more discovery. So you can imagine my dismay when I was excidedly showing off this lexicon, and then I learned....oh. I have a glorified paperweight on my hands. Might be useful as a door stop or fire starter, but can’t really be used with credibility on an academic or profession level.
But you know that feeling right? It’s very deflating. You have something that you got, or you accomplished, and you’re all excited about it and you want to share that with others and then someone else comes along and yanks the rug out from underneath you, bursts your bubble, and it just kinda ruins your day.
I imagine that this is part of what the disciples felt when they were so proud of their buildings.
As they left the temple complex, the disciples point out how awesome their stones were. You need to understand that the temple was made with absolutely massive stones, some of which are estimated to weigh several tons. The stones were overlaid with gold, and some have described the temple as a blinding light when the sun would catch it.
It was certainly a point of pride for the Jewish people. Though it was nothing compared to Solomon’s temple, it was still considered on the wonders of the ancient world. It was a symbol of national and religious pride.
there is some irony in this text with the pride of the disciples over the temple. Jesus has just come through this intense period of interaction with the religious leaders and has thoroughly denounced them, and has even indicated that the things that the religious leaders love so dear will be taken away from them, which may have been a foreshadowing of the prophecy that is about to given, and now the disciples are seeking to warm their hearts by highlighting to Jesus the enduring beauty of the temple.
And Jesus is going to shock them.
the disciples said look Jesus! Be impressed!
Jesus is going to say “do you see these buildings?”
The word that Jesus used for see is a word that he will use several times in this discourse. It is not just a word that refers to simple physical gaze. It is not just about a surface level sight. This word in Mark carries the meaning of seeing with perception. Seeing with understanding.
so it’s more like Jesus challenges them. You want me to look at these buildings? Look again and understand this.
and so Jesus predicts the destruction of the temple, which would be part of the fulfillment of Jesus denunciation of the religious elite and his words at the end of the parable of the vineyard in chapter 12.
What will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy the tenants and give the vineyard to others.
The Many Non-Signs
The Many Non-Signs
Not one stone will be left on top of each other. We do know that this was fulfilled literally in 70AD when the Romans attacked Jerusalem and destroyed the temple. But in that moment before any of that took place, can you imagine the shock and how this would have impacted the disciples.
Can you imagine how you would feel if you were admiring all the monuments in Washington DC and a respected leader said “you think these are neat, the day is coming not one stone will be left standing” or think of the vault at Fort Knox, and the Gold Reserves held therein “a day is coming when the gold will be carried off and not one wall will remain standing of the vault.
or perhaps think of some religious building that is highly valued or an institution that has stood for decades or centuries. “The days are coming when the IFCA will be completed disbanded.”
we take pride in these thing, we delight in them, but for some of the people in Israel, the temple was not just the place for worship but it had become the center of the national and religious pride for the people. so when Jesus, the Rabbi that they held to be not just a prophet but the messiah, says all this is going away, it cut deep.
furthermore there where many Jews that believed that if the temple was destroyed that would undoubtedly signal the end of the world.
no doubt they talked extensively about this. Can you believe what he just said? how could god let that happen? Does this mean that this is the end?
and so they ask Jesus about these things, questions that each of us would also like to know.
when will these things be?
what is the sign that they are about to happen?
what follows in vs 5-13 and really the whole has been a source of confusion and disagreement for many, as we noted last week. Is Jesus answering their questions? Is he intentionally ignoring their question? is he partially answering the question?
it does initially seem as though Jesus is answering the question directly, but then there are details that make it seem as though he is speaking of the end of the age and the tribulation period.
If you notice, He begins with a series of things that will occur that are *not* signs. People will think they are signs but they are not.
Truly, the only real sign is the actual return if the Christ Himself riding on the clouds with glory. then only sign of the end is the end itself.
so the question becomes, what will we do between now and then?
there is also the reality that mark is nor a specific as Matthew and Luke were about the chronology of things here, so if things feel a little vague, if they feel a little ambiguous, what I want to encourage us to do is embrace the ambiguity. if mark wanted to be more specific he could have been more specific. He didn’t on purpose.
why?
as we have seen throughout this book, one of marks emphasis is on discipleship. what does it look like to follow Christ? what does it look like to live a life of faithfulness to the lord?
there Is a sense in which this chapter is the answer to the question, what does it look like to follow Christ while we wait for the end?
And the principles and teachings Here apply to the first century believers in anticipation of the fall of the Jerusalem and temple. They apply to believers in this age as we wait for the rapture of the church, as we have seen in 1 and 2 Thessalonians on Wednesday nights. And they apply to tribulation believers who are waiting for the Second coming of Christ.
As I look at this text, I do tend to think that this passage occur chronologically with the tribulation period on earth. But if we take that position and conclude that there is nothing here for us, we make a big mistake because in at least two points in this, Jesus is going to apply these words directly to both him immediate audience and then to all believers in every age, even though the fulfillment of these specific event takes place in the future, and from our perspective, not even during the church age.
The reason why these principles become so universally applicable is because history tends to rhyme. Next week we will talk about the abomination of desolation. There was the event of Antochus Ephines desecrating the temple in 137 BC. There was the fall of jerusalem. There is the coming antichrist and his actions at the midway point of the tribulation. Only the final even is the full fulfillment, but history tends to rhryme. There are always antichrist, though there will be one final antichrist. There are always abominations, though there is one final abomination of desolation.
So getting back to the text. Jesus begins sense that the disciples have this understanding that the destruction of the temple means the end of the world, and he instructs them about the end and things that will happen in between then and the end that do NOT indicate that the end has arrived. They asked for a sign. He gives them non-signs. Let’s take a look at them
A. False Christs do not signal the end!
A. False Christs do not signal the end!
There have been many false Christ to roam the earth over the years. For some reason, people keep following them. One famous example in the US was Jim Jones, who claimed to be the reincarnation of Jesus, Buddha,
B. Conflicts do not signal the end!
B. Conflicts do not signal the end!
C. Catastrophes do no signal the end!
C. Catastrophes do no signal the end!
D. Persecutions do not signal the end!
D. Persecutions do not signal the end!
If all those things don’t signal the end, but we are still here on planet earth while they are all happening, what do we do while we wait?
While you wait...
While you wait...
A. Watch out! so as to avoid deception
A. Watch out! so as to avoid deception
B. Keep Calm and Carry On
B. Keep Calm and Carry On
C. In Persecution, Trust the Spirit’s Leading
C. In Persecution, Trust the Spirit’s Leading