Mark 13:1-8 "The Olivet Discourse: The Beginnings of Sorrows"
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· 4 viewsThe Olivet Discourse: Jesus' teaching on the end times.
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Good Morning Calvary Chapel Lake City!
Men and women… I hope you are both filled coming off our Men’s Breakfast and Women’s Retreat.
It is a blessing to connect with other believers outside of Sunday… and the next opportunity is this Saturday during the Prophecy Conference. I hope you can make it.
Which is perfect timing… because we enter into a teaching on prophecy today.
Please open your Bibles to Mark 13. Mark 13:1-8 today.
We left off where Jesus had demonstrated His divine wisdom by navigating a series of questions by the Jewish Elite… questions designed to ensnare Jesus and discredit Him.
Instead, Jesus thwarted all of their attempts… and was left with His adversaries silenced and a large crowd before Him astonished at His teachings.
And, now with a large crowd gathered… Jesus questioned the Pharisees about the Son of David in relation to Ps 110… and then condemned the Scribes for pride and hypocrisy.
Jesus then entered the Temple Court of the Women and observed the prideful giving of the rich…
And, in contrast, was struck by one poor widow who monetarily gave little, but all she had.
Her two mites were proportionally more than all the rest who gave… and her heart demonstrated an absolute reliance on God… she understood true Lordship.
Today… we observe… Jesus exits the Temple… traverses across the Kidron Valley and up to the Mount of Olives… about a 30 minute walk.
His disciples ask Him a couple questions which sets up a teaching on End Times.
Known as “The Olivet Discourse” or “The Discourse on End Times.”
This is the last of Jesus’ Five Major Discourses. And, Jesus’ second longest discourse… next to the Sermon on the Mount.
Jesus wraps up a long day of teachings on Tuesday, and then appears to deliver the Olivet Discourse late Tuesday evening… which by Jewish reckoning is the beginning of Wednesday… two days prior to when Jesus would be crucified… as Matt 26:1 records Jesus saying.
In some ways, it almost feels like we are entering into a new book study… because we are beginning a teaching on Bible Prophecy.
And, when we start a new book… I also like to take some time to do an introduction to that book before beginning.
With that… we are going to have a longer introduction about Prophecy today… then we will pray and read our passage.
I just want to preface that, so you don’t think I forgot about entering into our passage… we’ll get there.
Prophecy, in Hebrew or Greek, means “to speak by inspiration; predictively of future events.”
And, if you find yourself asking what does prophecy matter to me in my life today?
Well… Prophecy testifies of the truth of God’s word in the past… and therefore gives us confidence in God’s word for our future.
Prophecy informs us of God’s plan… how it will unravel…
And, it should inspire us in how we live today knowing He could return at anytime.
It should inspire us to have urgency to share the Gospel because time is short.
And, prophecy should comfort and bless you… as we enter into this study of End Times.
Comforted because studying end times helps you to prepare for the things coming… to comfort you of God’s plan.
1 Thes 4:18 states, “Therefore comfort one another with these words.”
And blessed because reading about the End… specifically reading the Book of Revelation holds a direct promise of blessing for the reader, hearers, and for keeping/ obedience to the words in that book.
Rev 1:3 promises “Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written in it; for the time is near.”
In some Christian circles, Prophecy is a very hot topic today…
And it should be… Jesus thought it was important… and didn’t avoid prophecy in His ministry.
Paul… even in His short time with the Thessalonians… felt teaching on end times was important.
According to The Encyclopedia of Biblical Prophecy, about 27% of the Bible is predictive… that’s over one fourth of the Bible… or one in four verses…
One scholar documented lists 1,817 prophecies in the Bible.
Jesus alone conservatively fulfilled 300 prophecies in His earthly ministry… and many scholars would almost double that number.
So, we don’t want to hide our heads in the sand ignoring a fourth of the Bible…
And, we don’t want to obsess over one-fourth and ignore the other three-fourths of the Bible.
We want to immerse ourselves in the whole counsel of God… the entirety of Scripture.
About 50% of biblical prophecies have already been literally fulfilled, so we can trust the other 50% will be fulfilled literally as well.
Some of the significant prophecies thus far fulfilled in history… • The first coming of Christ • Jesus’ birth, death, and ministry as Savior • Prophecies regarding Israel (the exiles, the destruction of the temple in 70 A.D.) • Daniel’s prophecies about the rise and fall of many kingdoms • Israel being re-born as a nation (1948)
And…Prophecies YET to Be Fulfilled include: • The second coming of Christ • The rapture • The tribulation • The resurrection of the saved and unsaved • The millennial reign of Christ • The new heaven and new earth.
Some prophecies are singular in their fulfillment and some have a duel fulfillment…
Meaning some have a ‘near or immediate fulfillment’ which occured hundreds or thousands of years prior… a word relevant for that day, but also a shadow or type of something to happen again in the future… called a ‘far or future fulfillment.’
And, it’s these future and dual-fulfillment prophecies that cause the greatest debate amongst dedicated Christian Scholars, who love Jesus.
Even scholars who hold to the same pre-trib, pre-mill position sometimes disagree on details within the position.
And, as I teach on Mark 13, you may disagree with me.
And, that’s ok… as Pastor Joe Focht says, “You’re entitled to your distorted opinion and I’m entitled to my distorted opinion… but I’m right.”
WE ARE encouraged in Acts… to be Bereans.
Study… and form an opinion, but don’t let your opinion cause division. Paul repeatedly encouraged the church against division.
And, don’t make the mistake of NOT having an opinion.
On the Tribulation, Calvary Chapel holds to pre-trib… other scholars are mid-trib, pre-wrath, or post-trib…
And, while I don’t agree with those other positions, I respect that those Christians have a position…
Don’t make the mistake of being “Pan-Trib.”
That’s the position where people say, “I’m just going to see how it ‘pans out’ in the end.”
And, then they laugh like Goofy. Because that position is goofy.
That’s the worst position of all because it's simply a rationalization to casually dismiss serious study of the word of God.
Don’t do that.
One last topic to our introduction, and then let’s dive in… since we are talking about positions… what is Calvary Chapel’s position?
When interpreting eschatological or end times… Calvary Chapel, and I, hold to the following positions…
Biblical Literalism… We hold to the method of interpreting Scripture literally… except in places where the text is obviously allegorical, poetic, or figurative.
For ex., when Revelation says the Millennial Reign of Christ is a “thousand years.” We take that as a literal thousand years… not as a figurative way of saying “a long period of time.”
We hold to a futurist viewpoint… meaning the majority of the prophecies in Revelation, for ex., still await a future, literal fulfillment.
About 50% of biblical prophecies have already been literally fulfilled, and since God is ‘batting 1000’… we can trust the other 50% will be fulfilled literally as well.
We hold to dispensationalism… the theological system that emphasizes the literal interpretation of Bible prophecy, recognizes a distinction between Israel and the Church, and organizes the Bible into different dispensations or administrations.
And, as we will discuss today, The Olivet Discourse is a teaching specific to Israel and NOT the church.
This is a teaching about the time of Jacob’s Trouble… Jacob being Israel.
And, we will discuss this more thoroughly in our teaching ahead.
Straight off the Calvary Chapel Association website, I quote:
“We believe in the Pre-Tribulation Rapture of the Church where all believers will meet the Lord in the air and be taken out of this world prior to the Tribulation that will come upon the earth.”
I’ve heard people scoff saying, “So, does that mean there are three comings of Christ?”
NO… Jesus doesn’t touch down on earth during the rapture…
1 Thess 4:17 “Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord.
“Caught Up” in Gk. is “harpazō”… in Latin is “rapturo”… in English is “rapture.”
The pre-trip view holds the church will meet the Lord in the air prior to the Tribulation… which is a time for Israel… Daniel’s 70th Week.
But for the Church, “God did not appoint us to wrath...” 1 Thes 5:9
The Church is the Bride, and Jesus is not going to beat up His bride before the Marriage of the Lamb.
We’re not going to see any mention or inclination of a rapture in The Olivet Discourse… because the rapture is not relevant to Israel…
The rapture is specific to the Church… and The Olivet Discourse is specific to Israel.
Don’t blur the lines… it makes eschatology very confusing.
One scholar wrote, “Pretribulationism is the only theory which clearly maintains the distinction between Israel and the church and God’s separate plans for each.”
Calvary Chapel also holds to the Pre-Millennial Second Coming of Christ position… which means we believe Jesus will literally return to earth… at the end of the seven-year tribulation… and then establish His literal kingdom on earth for one-thousand years.
Again, from the CC Association website, “We believe in the Second Coming of Jesus Christ, which is His personal, visible return to Earth and the establishment of His millennial kingdom…”
Ok… so… that was a long introduction… and to be honest with you… I’m just scratching the surface…
When you go ‘down the rabbit hole’… you’ll find it is deep.
Go to the prophecy conference on Saturday, and you’ll see…
With all that established… let’s now enter into Mark 13:1-8… our sermon today is titled “The Olivet Discourse: The Beginning of Sorrows.”
Let’s Pray!
In reverence for God’s word, please stand as I read our passage today.
Mark 13:1-8 “Then as He went out of the temple, one of His disciples said to Him, “Teacher, see what manner of stones and what buildings are here!” 2 And Jesus answered and said to him, “Do you see these great buildings? Not one stone shall be left upon another, that shall not be thrown down.”
3 Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter, James, John, and Andrew asked Him privately, 4 “Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign when all these things will be fulfilled?”
5 And Jesus, answering them, began to say: “Take heed that no one deceives you. 6 For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am He,’ and will deceive many. 7 But when you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be troubled; for such things must happen, but the end is not yet. 8 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be earthquakes in various places, and there will be famines and troubles. These are the beginnings of sorrows.”
Praise God for His word. Please be seated.
Backing up to V1… coming out of the Temple, Jesus’ disciples approach Him to highlight the magnificence of Herod’s Temple.
“Teacher, see what manner of stones and what buildings are here!”
And, it’s not that this was the first time they saw the the temple and the 36 acre Temple Mount, but still it was impressive.
Mark highlights the sturdiness and grandeur of the Temple… and the very stones used in it’s construction.
Luke 21:5 highlights the decorations of the Temple, “Then some spoke of the temple, how it was adorned with beautiful stones and donations [gifts dedicated to God]… ”
Herod’s Temple was a restoration and expansion of the Zerubbabel’s Temple built when some of the Jews returned to Israel from Babylon. Now… some 500 years later, the Temple was in need of major repairs.
Herod started his repairs around 20-19 B.C. … with finishing touches being complete around about 63 A.D.
That’s about 83 years from start to finish.
Jewish historian, Josephus wrote Herod’s intent was to make a temple that was “...the most glorious of all his actions... sufficient for an everlasting memorial of him.”
For Herod, this Temple was as much a monument to himself as it was a political move to appease the Jews.
Josephus also recorded the new foundation stones for the Temple were “… in length a hundred cubits (150’), and in height twenty additional cubits (30’)… 150’ long x 30’ high of various massive stones weighing tons.”
The largest recorded stone, which you can see today within the Western Wall Tunnel… is called the Western Stone.
This is a foundation stone of the Western Wall and it’s exposed face 44.5 ft long by 11 ft high… it’s width is hidden, but scholars using ground-penetrating radar (GPR)… estimate a depth range of 5.9 to 8.2 ft)… and calculate this stone to weigh 250–300 tons.
… well beyond the capabilities of a typical tower crane… you’d have to have a supersized crane to move a stone that big… NOT that they had that in the first century…
The engineering to move these stones from the site where they were carved still baffles experts to this day.
And, so when we read that the disciples talking about the stones… truly it was… and still is an impressive site.
Now… despite how magnificent the Temple was… the disciples had misplaced focus on the Temple… and misplaced expectations upon Jesus.
They… like much of Israel longed for Messiah to set up His kingdom immediately…
“So… hey Jesus… what do you think about the Temple? Kind of nice… right?! What say you set up the kingdom NOW Jesus?”
The disciples had a misplaced focus… they were getting ahead of God’s sovereign plan.
None of us can relate to that right? We could just as easily misplace our focus on end times and His return… TO SET UP HIS KINGDOM… and neglect the Great Commission.
I counsel you… don’t neglect any of it… understand Prophecy… await His coming… and be busy about His work.
To His disciples… Jesus re-focused them… “don’t focus on the temple guys”… in V2, “Do you see these great buildings? Not one stone shall be left upon another, that shall not be thrown down.”
In Matthew’s account, just prior to the Olivet Discourse… after Jesus lamented over Jerusalem… He wanted to gather them, but they were not willing… then He said, “See! Your house is left to you desolate...”
And, their house… the Temple… about 40 years later was desolate.
In 66 A.D., through much provocation and over-taxation by Rome, the Jews revolted and had significant early victories, but were ultimately crushed in 70 A.D. by four legions of Roman soldiers (about 24k men)… led by Titus… the son of Emperor Vespasian.
Jews used the Temple as a stronghold… and the Romans were frustrated by a long siege and attempts to batter down doors that were too strong.
Josephus recorded, Titus “… resolved to storm the temple the next day, early in the morning, with his whole army, and to encamp round about the holy house; but, as for that house, God had for certain long ago doomed it to the fire; and now that fatal day was come… one of the soldiers, without staying for any orders… snatched… materials that were on fire, and being lifted up by another soldier, he set fire to a golden window, through which there was a passage to the rooms that were round about the holy house...” [and the fire spread uncontrollably].
Titus made numerous attempts to stop the fire, but with thousands of soldiers present… great commotion, fighting, and fires… things got out of hand. The soldiers did not hear him… more soldiers started additional fires… thousands of Jews were slaughtered…
Josephus wrote, “They also burnt down the treasury chambers, in which was an immense quantity of money. … And now all the soldiers had such vast quantities of the spoils which they had gotten by plunder, that in Syria a pound weight of gold was sold for half its former value.”
And, whether speculation, folklore, or unsubstantiated history… You will hear Pastor’s and scholars attest fires melted gold that ran between the stones, thus the Romans cast down each stone to get the gold… but who knows?
What we do know is there are stones that have been cast down near the temple mount to this day (cue slide).
Jesus’ prophecy “… not one stone shall be left here upon another, that shall not be thrown down”… literally fulfilled…
And, take note of this literal fulfillment… because this sets the tone for the rest of the chapter.
The Olivet Discourse is not a allegory… it’s a prophecy to be interpreted literally.
Then in V3… now seated at the Mount of Olives… which again is the reason this teaching is called “The Olivet Discourse”… Peter, James, John and Andrew, now ask Jesus two questions piggybacking on Jesus’ prophecy of the destruction of the Temple…
The first question is “… when will these things be?”
Which Jesus doesn’t specifically answer… except to tell the Parable of the Fig Tree in vv 28-31… and then in v 32 states, “But of that day and hour no one knows...”
Similar to His response in Acts 1:6-7 when the disciples ask, “Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” 7 And He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority.”
So… be careful of people who set dates… they are wrong. In fact if they set a date… just scratch that date out… it’s wrong.
No one knows the day and hour.
But there will be a day… there will be a literal Kingdom and Jesus will visibly rule as King…
He doesn’t give a date, BUT He also doesn’t dismiss the idea that the kingdom would come.
Scripture speaks about a literal thousand year reign on earth where Jesus reigns.
The second question… “… what will be the sign when all these things will be fulfilled?”
Matthew 24:3 records the disciples question as, “Tell us, when will these things be? And, what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?”
And so from Matthew, we clearly see that the disciples do not simple have the destruction of the Temple in mind… (which the Preterist position erroneously holds)…
Rather, the Disciples ask Jesus about the sign of His coming and the end of the entire age.
They want to know when He is going to end the current age and begin the Kingdom age…
Which sets up the Olivet Discourse… Jesus’ great teaching on the end of the age.
I’ve been impressed by how scholar Dr. J.B. Hixson with Not By Works Ministries… explains End Times… including the Olivet Discourse.
JB has authored several books… speaks at a number of conferences and churches… and he has a YouTube Channel called “Not By Works.”
One point JB emphasizes is the progression of understanding one obtains through study of end times.
Just like with all things… as we press more into a topic, we see different facets and gain deeper understanding.
And, so on top of our study… and the prophecy conference… I also encourage you to check out his 8-part teaching on the Olivet Discourse.
JB views The Olivet Discourse as the most comprehensive teaching on end times… even more then the Book of Revelation…
I could see a counter-argument for The Book of Revelation as most comprehensive… as it incorporates the church in end times,
… the throne room of heaven prior to the tribulation with the raptured church there represented by the 24-Elders…
… and Revelation pictures the Millennial Reign of Christ and the Eternal New Heavens and New Earth… which are NOT covered in the Olivet Discourse.
One reason The Olivet Discourse does NOT focus on some of these specific topics particular to the church… is because The Olivet Discourse is NOT written ABOUT the Church…
The Church is NOT pictured IN the Olivet Discourse.
And, that’s important to understand… and it’s so blurry in commentaries… among teachings by some Pastors… and it’s one of the reasons I really like JB’s teaching, because he comes out right away and emphasizes this point.
Let’s pull up our next slide… which comes from Not By Works / JB Hixson…
And, you can see how JB overlays the Olivet Discourse teachings… the verses in Red…
On top of the entire End Times picture… and he puts a circle with a line through it over top of the Church Age.
The importance of this is if you read the church into the Olivet Discourse… you also start to wonder if Jesus is teaching about the first century OR today OR you read the church into this teaching, but that’s NOT what Jesus is teaching.
Know that God has a plan for Israel… and God has a plan for the church. And, the church has NOT replaced Israel… and it confuses Christians when they read the church into this teaching of the Olivet Discourse.
Consider the context of this teaching… this is Passover… a Jewish Feast. Jesus is a Jew… His disciples… Jews… they left the Jewish Temple… and the conversation is about the destruction of the temple… and the coming Jewish Messiah… and end of Age.
And, then in coming verses… He speaks about many Jewish concepts…
The ‘abomination of desolation,’ spoken of by Daniel the prophet...”
Fleeing Judea… which is Nationally Jewish and populated today by 74% Jews… and only 2% Christians.
The Sabbath… V20… when travel is restricted for Jews… not a Christian idea at all.
Matthew… who wrote to the Jews… devotes two whole chapters to the Olivet Discourse… more than Mark and Luke…
Matthew wrote to the Jews, Mark wrote to the Romans, Luke wrote to the Greeks, but John who wrote to the church… doesn’t include The Olivet Discourse.
On Matt 24-25… and specifically the questions from the disciples…The scholars at Dallas Theological Seminary wrote, “They have nothing to do with the church, which Jesus said He would build [c.f. Matt 16:18 “… on this rock I will build My church.”]. The church is not present in any sense in chapters 24 and 25. The disciples’ questions related to Jerusalem, Israel, and the Lord’s second coming in glory to establish His kingdom.” -BKC
And so, with that… let’s enter into Jesus response… starting in V5.
If you’re outlining… vv 5-13 are a general overview of the entirety of the Seven Year Tribulation period…
So, from vv 5-13… Jesus will discuss general signs leading up to His coming… which is again the context of what the disciples were asking. “… what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?”
And Jesus begins saying, “Take heed that no one deceives you.”
Watch out for deception… first words of Jesus in this discourse.
In the seven years preceding Jesus’ second coming, deception will be at an all time high.
Now… where does deception come from? Satan.
The first time we encounter Satan in the Bible… what is he doing? Deceiving Eve… Gen 3.
The last mention of Satan in the Bible… Rev 20:10 “The devil, who deceived them [Deception], was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone...”
Satan stand as deceptive bookends to the history of mankind on earth.
In John 8:44 Jesus said the Devil is “a liar and the father of it.”
In the present church age… 1 Jn 2:18 tells us “Antichrist is coming, [which is the event that starts the Tribulation, and] even now [the Church age] many antichrists have come, by which we know that it is the last hour.”
Paul warned Timothy, “… evil men and impostors will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived.” 2 Tim 3:13
We see plenty of deception today… deception of cults… false religions… sinful idolatrous agendas… the attack on biblical values…
Deception regarding marriage and family and gender… the heightened focus on SELF and NOT of loving God and others… calling evil good and good evil… and just general complacency toward God.
There’s plenty of deception today.
Deceive means “to cause to wander; to err; to seduce; to go astray.”
It’s a power and effective tool of Satan.
How did the Jews miss Messiah’s first coming? You would think the virgin birth in Bethlehem… His forerunner… cleansing the lepers… giving sight to the blind… so many signs and wonders…
How did they miss that Jesus was their Messiah.
Deception. Deception caused Israel to be blinded and miss their Messiah…
Deception is so powerful… that even after Jesus establishes His kingdom… a Theocracy… the perfect government during the Millennium… with Satan bound the entire time…
At the end of those thousand years, Rev 20:7 states, “Satan will be released from his prison 8 and will go out to deceive the nations...”
Satan’s first order of business is to deceive… and he incites a worldwide rebellion against Christ…
These people will be the descendants of tribulation saints who survived the Tribulation… re-populated the earth… lived in perfection… and yet they still would be deceived and reject Jesus as King.
And, people will miss the Second Coming because of deception. So, during the Tribulation… leading up to His return… Jesus warns them, “Take heed that no one deceives you.”
When we read “you” in the verses ahead… Jesus is speaking to His disciples… a group of Jews.
“You” in these verses represents Israel Nationally…
The disciples personally do not experience V14… “when you see the ‘abomination of desolation,’ spoken of by Daniel the prophet...”
They will not be there at the mid-point of the tribulation… but Israel will behold this event.
The church will have been raptured… “You” refers to national Israel…
In vv 6-13, Jesus begins to describe the signs of His coming and the end of the Age…
And, the tribulation is the last event to happen before Jesus return… truly the end of the age.
Not the Church Age… but the final time for Israel.
Daniel’s 70th week… which Jesus references in v14… and we’ll talk more about this next week, but quickly… let’s pull up the slide on Daniel’s 490 Year Plan…
This is another slide from JB Hixson… and everything you see in blue relates to Israel… Daniel’s 69 weeks… the prophetic near fulfillment of Dan 9:25…
Then in green is the Church Age… the time in which we live… which essential is a parenthesis in God’s plan for Israel.
Once we’re out of here, God will fulfill the final week of Daniel’s prophecy in Dan 9:27… the final week of years… the Tribulation.
And, Jesus’ statement in V14 “These are the beginnings of sorrows” helps us to put a pin on the map that this is the time of the tribulation… along with the illustration of the Days of Noah in Matthew (which we will discuss in weeks ahead)… and His general exhortations to watch…
But, this phrase “the beginnings of sorrows”…
Beginnings of sorrows... Lit. means “birth pangs or labor pains”… one def. said the “throes of childbirth.”
Mounce defines sorrows as “the spasms or pains, of a woman in travail.”
Metaphorically “the preliminary troubles to the development of a catastrophe.”
In the OT, there are numerous verses that speak about the pains of labor as linked to the birth of a nation (Isa 66:8, Jer 22:23; Hos 13:13; Micah 4:9-10)…
And, the Messianic Kingdom will emerge… will be birthed from the pains of the Tribulation.
From the opening of the first seal in Rev 6… God’s wrath continues to pour out with greater frequency and greater intensity… like a woman experiencing labor pains…
As labor continues painful contractions increase in frequency and intensity…
There are 7 seal judgments in the first 3.5 years of the Tribulation…
Then it seems, in the second half of the tribulation… called the Great Tribulation the Trumpet judgments and the bowl judgments are poured out… all with growing intensity and frequency… until Jesus returns.
“The Beginnings of Sorrows” is a phrase that helps us to know the time in which Jesus is speaking about… the end of the age… the time right before His coming… the Tribulation…
Starting in Rev 6, Jesus takes a scroll, and begins to loosen it’s seven seals…
The first six seals line up with the first 3.5 years of the 7-year Tribulation…
And, with the loosening of the first seal…
A white horse… and the rider is wearing a crown holding a bow with no arrows.
This is anti-christ… He appears like the King, but he’s wearing the wrong kind of crown (a stephanos or “victor’s wreath”… not a diadem… a “king’s crown”, because he’s an imposter…
And, he hold a bow with no arrows because the one world government he sets up is established without warfare.
He doesn’t need the arrows… because he begins his rule in peace… which only lasts 3.5 years until the mid-point of the tribulation… and the abomination of desolation… which Jesus mentions in V14.
Mark 13:6 reads “… many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am He,’ and will deceive many… ”
While Anti-Christ is the ultimate counterfeit to Christ… where people will hail him as Messiah…
There will be others… throughout the tribulation who also claim to be the Christ… Jesus said “many will come in My name...”
There will be many false christs.
With all the uncertainty… and the turmoil… and God’s wrath pouring out during the tribulation… many false christs will put forth a claim that they are messiah… and many will be deceived.
A second sign in Mark 13:7… “wars and rumors of wars”… but Jesus said, “do not be troubled; for such things must happen, but the end is not yet.”
And, do not be deceived… don’t get caught up in the current wars… and interpret scripture by the news.
They may foreshadow the end, but war has always been part of mankind’s history.
War is a scary time that deceives many into thinking the end is near, but how many horrible wars has the earth seen in the last two thousand years?
For us now… and for those in the Tribulation… don’t be deceived by war… and looking at current events to interpret the word of God.
When Jesus loosens the second seal… Rev 6:4 describes “Another horse, fiery red, went out. And it was granted to the one who sat on it to take peace from the earth, and that people should kill one another; and there was given to him a great sword.”
War will be one of the first events early in the seven year tribulation… but that’s not the end…
Wars and rumors of wars will continue throughout the entirety of the Tribulation.
Now… during the Great Tribulation… in the final 3.5 years… in the second to last of God’s judgments… the 6th Bowl Judgment…
The Euphrates River dries up… the Anti-Christ and his False Prophet come… and wicked spirits perform lying signs and wonders…
And, Jesus will warn “Behold, I am coming as a thief. Blessed is he who watches...”
In The Olivet Discourse, Matthew and Luke record Jesus using similar language…
He’s coming like a thief… which is sudden and unexpected… before His second coming…
And, then, Revelation records war… where the armies of the Anti-Christ gather “to the place called in Hebrew, Armageddon.”
The Valley of Meggido…
The come to make war against the Lord, but they will be destroyed with the Lord’s return.
That will be the final war before the end of the age, but until then… Jesus warns do not be troubled by wars and rumors of wars…
But, if a massive army is gathered at Meggido… led by the anti-christ… that would be a good sign of the end.
But, all these other wars… do not be troubled… Take this to heart… we are not living in the Tribulation, and yet many are troubled by the idea of our nation going through civil war… because our nation is so divided.
And war in America is a real possibility if our nation continues as divided as we are…
But that’s not what Jesus is preaching about… Don’t mistakenly read the United States into the Olivet Discourse… we may be a powerful nation, but compared to Israel… we are a young nation… and NOT the nation of the covenant… NOT the nation that referenced in the Olivet Discourse.
During the Tribulation… Jesus exhorts the faithful remnant of Jews not to be troubled because war must happen… and still God’s shall prevail… His sovereign plan will unfold… His Son will return… and when He does at Armageddon… scripture says when He returns…
Rev 19:14 reads “…the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses.”
That’s us… the heavens open… Jesus returns… and us with Him…
Following Him from Heaven… because the Tribulation is not for the Christian Saints.
Wrapping up in Mark 13:8 “For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. [kingdoms or monarchies still exist today… and will stretch into the Tribulation] And there will be earthquakes in various places, and there will be famines and troubles. These are the beginnings of sorrows.”
And, these verse match up with the Third, and Sixth seals of Rev 6.
The Third Seal: Rev 6:5-6 “… I looked, and behold, a black horse, and he who sat on it had a pair of scales in his hand. 6 And I heard a voice in the midst of the four living creatures saying, “A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius [inflation]; and do not harm the oil and the wine.” [the wealthy will still get their luxuries]
The third horseman is famine…
The Sixth Seal: Rev 6:12 “I looked when He opened the sixth seal, and behold, there was a great earthquake…”
And the following verses continue with numerous cosmic disturbances… the sun turned black… the moon became like blood… and stars of heaven fell to the earth…
The Olivet Discourse as told through Luke.. also describes “… fearful sights and great signs from heaven.” (Lk 21:11)
As mentioned… Mark 13:5-13 goes beyond the first 3.5 years of the tribulation… to describe general signs about the Tribulation…
And, indeed we see events like earthquakes… not just at the beginning of the Tribulation… but with the Seventh Seal, the Seventh Trumpet, and the Seventh Bowl judgment… “noises, thunderings, lightnings, and an earthquake” were all present…
Cross reference Rev 8:5, Rev 11:19, and Rev 16:18…
Worship Team please come…
And, so again… key verse… Jesus says, “These are the beginnings of sorrows.”
A warning to watch and be ready for those in the Tribulation… Daniel’s 70th Week.
Read ahead… and again… check out the YouTube Channel “Not By Works” Dr. JB Hixson… and his 8-part series on The Olivet Discourse…
Which he teaches with great clarity…
Let’s Pray!
Teaching about the End Times brings all kinds of emotions… and I hope today it brings a feeling of urgency…
A time is coming when the door will close… when our opportunity to witness to the people in our lives will comes to an end…
I pray you have open doors this week to share the Gospel… and I pray you speak the truth boldly.
If you are hear today, and you’ve never placed faith in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior… if you have questions about that… let’s talk… let’s pray… let’s get you saved.
Family… God bless you all as you enter this week ahead.