Signs and Signals of Christ's Coming
Mark 13:1-37
Things to Come
1. As He was going out of the temple, one of His disciples said to Him, “Teacher, behold what wonderful stones and what wonderful buildings!”
2. And Jesus said to him, “Do you see these great buildings? Not one stone will be left upon another which will not be torn down.”
3. As He was sitting on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter and James and John and Andrew were questioning Him privately,
4. “Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign when all these things are going to be fulfilled?”
5. And Jesus began to say to them, “See to it that no one misleads you.
6. “Many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am He!’ and will mislead many.
7. “When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be frightened; those things must take place; but that is not yet the end.
8. “For nation will rise up against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; there will be earthquakes in various places; there will also be famines. These things are merely the beginning of birth pangs.
9. “But be on your guard; for they will deliver you to the courts, and you will be flogged in the synagogues, and you will stand before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them.
10. “The gospel must first be preached to all the nations.
11. “When they arrest you and hand you over, do not worry beforehand about what you are to say, but say whatever is given you in that hour; for it is not you who speak, but it is the Holy Spirit.
12. “Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents and have them put to death.
13. “You will be hated by all because of My name, but the one who endures to the end, he will be saved.
14. “But when you see the ABOMINATION OF DESOLATION standing where it should not be (let the reader understand), then those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains.
15. “The one who is on the housetop must not go down, or go in to get anything out of his house;
16. and the one who is in the field must not turn back to get his coat.
17. “But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days!
18. “But pray that it may not happen in the winter.
19. “For those days will be a time of tribulation such as has not occurred since the beginning of the creation which God created until now, and never will.
20. “Unless the Lord had shortened those days, no life would have been saved; but for the sake of the elect, whom He chose, He shortened the days.
21. “And then if anyone says to you, ‘Behold, here is 1the Christ’; or, ‘Behold, He is there’; do not believe him;
22. for false Christs and false prophets will arise, and will show signs and wonders, in order to lead astray, if possible, the elect.
23. “But take heed; behold, I have told you everything in advance.
The Return of Christ
24. “But in those days, after that tribulation, THE SUN WILL BE DARKENED AND THE MOON WILL NOT GIVE ITS LIGHT,
25. AND THE STARS WILL BE FALLING from heaven, and the powers that are in the heavens will be shaken.
26. “Then they will see THE SON OF MAN COMING IN CLOUDS with great power and glory.
27. “And then He will send forth the angels, and will gather together His elect from the four winds, from the farthest end of the earth to the farthest end of heaven.
28. “Now learn the parable from the fig tree: when its branch has already become tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near.
29. “Even so, you too, when you see these things happening, recognize that He is near, right at the door.
30. “Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place.
31. “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away.
32. “But of that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone.
33. “Take heed, keep on the alert; for you do not know when the appointed time will come.
34. “It is like a man away on a journey, who upon leaving his house and putting his slaves in charge, assigning to each one his task, also commanded the doorkeeper to stay on the alert.
35. “Therefore, be on the alert—for you do not know when the master of the house is coming, whether in the evening, at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or in the morning—
36. in case he should come suddenly and find you asleep.
37. “What I say to you I say to all, ‘Be on the alert!’ ”
There have always been prophets of doom in society. A brief survey of history shows that in every generation there have been those who thought that the world was going to end. Various religious leaders have even set the date for the coming of the Lord, some with such certainty that their followers have sold their possessions in anticipation of the event. Of course, as yet it hasn't happened.
But that does pose the question of when Christ will return. Is there any real way to tell? What do you think are the signs of His coming? Are you ready for Him to return? What if He came today?
The Bible does speak to this issue. An examination of this passage will help clarify some of the common misconceptions about the return of Jesus Christ.
We must understand the times and be ready for Christ's return. The Bible is clear that He will come back to be the Judge of all the earth. None of us want to be caught unprepared when that day arrives. The second coming of Christ will have an impact on our lives one day. It should therefore have an impact on our lives every day.
There are several important considerations which challenge us to be ready for the return of Christ. We will look today at three questions which will focus our attention on the important issues of this passage of Scripture as they relate to our lives. Those questions are: "What is the sign of His coming?" "What is the time of His coming?" and "What can we do to prepare for His coming?" The answers to those questions make a difference in how we live today.
What is the Sign of His Coming?
As the disciples were walking with Jesus past the Temple they commented on the impressive display of human engineering which was before them. "Teacher, behold what wonderful stones and what wonderful buildings!" (v.1) Indeed, it was a magnificent building. Josephus tells us that some of the stones in the Temple were forty feet long and eighteen feet high. Much of the Temple was plated in gold and silver and shone in the sun with such radiance that one could not even look at it. But Jesus put the temporary existence of material things in sharp focus by revealing that the Temple would be completely destroyed. "And Jesus said to him, 'Do you see these great buildings? Not one stone shall be left upon another which will not be torn down.'" (v.2) This prophecy was fulfilled in AD 70 when Titus destroyed the city of Jerusalem and the Temple.
From there Jesus and the disciples went to the Mount of Olives. What follows is known as the Olivet Discourse because it originated there. In order to study it in its entirety, you have to read the parallel passages found in Matthew 24 and 25 and in Luke 21. This is a difficult passage to understand, especially if you are trying to analyze every component part, which I will not do today. What I am trying to do is to take a broad view of the chapter in order to become more heavenly oriented in our consciousness.
This brings us to the first question: "What is the sign of Christ coming?" This, in fact, was the question several of His disciples raised. "Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign when all these things are going to be fulfilled?" (v.4) In fact, this is the same question many people are asking today. "When is it going to happen, and how are we going to know when it is time."
Jesus first gives us several signs of the times which are really not signs of His coming. Many students of end-times prophecy have concluded that these are indications of the soon coming of Christ. But in reality they are only indications of the degenerating society in which we live. Now this in itself may indicate that the Lord will return at some point before we destroy ourselves, but they do not signal His coming.
What are these non-signs? The first is the appearance of deceivers. In verse six He says "Many will come in My name, saying, 'I am He!' and will mislead many." One Jewish Christian scholar, Dr. Charles Feinberg, has noted that from the time of Christ over sixty-four different individuals have appeared claiming to be the Messiah. This to the Jews alone. When you add in all the people claiming to be God's unique spokesman, the number increases dramatically. A few years ago I remember a woman Elizabeth Claire Prophet, who is a New Age cult leader. She, like many leaders in this movement, claim to be in contact with the ascended masters, of whom Jesus is only one, along with Bhuda and Merlin the Magician. She had a following in Montana who sold their possessions and built fallout shelters in anticipation of a nuclear holocaust which she foresees. She stands in the place of Jesus for them. The power of some people to deceive is why Jesus said, "See to it that no one misleads you." (v.5b)
Jesus goes on to mention wars and rumors of wars in verse seven. In verse eight He indicates that nation will arise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; there will be earthquakes in various places; there will also be famines." But even though there will be this global turmoil, these things do not signal His coming. They are signs, but they are signs of the sick and decaying society in which we live. Jesus says that it "is not the end yet." (v.7c) He says, "These are merely the beginning of birth pangs." (v.8c) Like a woman in labor, the first pangs only signal the beginning of the process. So when we see the events described by Jesus beginning to take place with increasing frequency, we know the countdown has started. We just do not know how long it will be before the end.
Persecution of Christians as a result of preaching the Gospel will also characterize this time in the history of planet earth. Verse nine indicates that believers will be hauled into court, beaten, and brought before worldly authorities as a testimony to them. All of this will result from the effort to preach the Gospel to all nations. The persecution will even extend to the family, with brother against brother and parents against children and children against their parents. Jesus says, in verse thirteen, "And you will be hated by all on account of My name, but the one who endures to the end, he shall be saved." He is referring to enduring to the end of one's life, not just the end of the persecution. We are called on to be willing to lay our lives down for Jesus. This is the mark of one who believes.
Now we come to a real sign. The Abomination of Desolation is spoken of in verse fourteen. This is referred to in Daniel 11:31. It is an event in which the Holy Temple is desecrated. Second Thessalonians describes this as the "man of sin" who comes in the last days and takes his seat in the Temple proclaiming himself to be God. It would seem for this to take place the Temple would have to be rebuilt. We are watching with great interest the possibility of the Temple's reconstruction. Since its destruction in AD 70 there has never been a Temple in Jerusalem. What now sits on the sacred Temple mount is the Muslem "Dome of the Rock." But never before in history has there been a greater possibility that the Temple could be rebuilt. The Jews have never been in power as they are today since AD 70.
At this point in history there will come a great tribulation. We are told that those who are in Judea in those days will be in great peril. Jesus tells them to flee to the mountains, not to turn back to their houses to get even the most essential items. In describing this time He says, "For those days will be a time of tribulation such as has not occurred since the beginning of the creation which God created, until now, and never shall." (v.19) Then there shall arise more false Messiahs in an attempt to lead people astray. This time these false Christs will produce signs and wonders to authenticate their so-called "ministry". But are miracles evidence of the validity of a ministry? No! Satan is a supernatural being capable of doing miraculous works. Jesus says, "But take heed; behold, I have told you everything in advance." (v.23) In other words, we should realize that this is what He predicted would happen, and not be duped by it.
What happens next is significant. In verses 24 and 25 Jesus describes events which will take place after the tribulation. Some kind of solar cataclysm will upset the order of things in our universe. "The sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will be falling from heaven, and the powers that are in the heavens will be shaken." It is at this point that we are to look up. Verse 26 and 27 says, "And then they will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. And then He will send forth the angels, and will gather together His elect from the four winds, from the farthest end of the earth, to the farthest end of heaven." This is the coming of the Lord to reign in glory.
What is the Time of His Coming?
Jesus now answers another question the disciples had asked Him. It is in regard to the time of His coming. You might call this "Lessons from a Fig Tree."
"Now learn the parable from the fig tree: when its branch has already become tender, and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near. Even so, you too, when you see these things happening, recognize that He is near, right at the door." (vs.28-29)
Jesus is telling us that we can know the season of His coming. Just as we can tell that the summer is near by looking at the budding of the trees, so we can discern the general time when the things Jesus told us would happen are coming to pass.
We must not be lulled into sleep by those who say that we have plenty of time or that the coming of Christ is not sure. His coming is sure. He said, "Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away." (v.31) We can be assured that the existing order of creation will be disrupted and disintegrated. In Scripture we have a picture of the heavens and earth being melted by an intense heat. But while the earth may pass away, the word of Christ is sure. What He said is true. What He said will happen, will happen. You can count on it. You must prepare for it.
But as to the exact time, as in day and hour, we are kept in the dark. In fact Jesus says that no one knows. "But of that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone." (v.32) So do not believe those who would set an exact time for Christ to return. But know that He shall return.
What Can We Do To Prepare?
In considering what we can do to prepare, Jesus gives us some very concrete instructions.
"Take heed, keep on the alert; for you do not know when the appointed time is. It is like a man, away on a journey, who upon leaving his house and putting his slaves in charge, assigning to each one his task, also commanded the doorkeeper to stay on the alert. Therefore, be on the alert--- for you do not know when the master of the house is coming, whether in the evening, at midnight, at cockcrowing, or in the morning--- lest he come suddenly and find you asleep. And what I say to you I say to all, Be on the alert!" (vs.33-37)
It is obvious from this passage that Jesus could return at any time. Like the master who went away on a journey without giving a specific time of return, so Jesus did not tell us when He would return. The key is that He could come when we do not expect Him. Therefore, there are at least three specific instructions given to us by which we can be prepared for the coming of the Lord.
The first thing we are exhorted to do is to keep on the alert. Really this simply means not to fall asleep. We are to keep awake, to keep our eyes on the task Jesus has left us to do. This is the only way we will not be surprised. That is what is in view here. We are not simply to keep alert for the coming of the Lord. We are left in charge while He is away. Therefore, we are to occupy until He returns. Like the servants left in charge of the master’s estate, we are workers in our Masters vineyard. We are to stay alert so the enemy of our soul doesn’t sneak in and lead us astray.
The second thing we need to see is that we are all to put our hand to the work of the kingdom which our Lord has assigned us. Each of us has been called, gifted, and equipped to take our place in the work of the Kingdom of God. What we need to be doing until Jesus comes is faithfully performing our assigned responsibilities. We do not want Jesus to return and find us sleeping on the job.
We are also to watch for His return. Since we do not know when it is, we must be ready today. If we are ready today, we will be ready every day. We must be alert for the enemy, but we must watch also for the Lord. We must live in anticipation that the Lord may come today. We must cultivate an awareness that His coming is sure, and could happen when we least expect it.
"Come Lord Jesus."
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