Good morning. Please open your Bibles to Mark 13. And the first thing I need you to do is take your listening guide, and next to the title, write “Part 1.” I realized after we printed the bulletin for this week that there’s too much to cover here for one sermon.
In 1988, a former NASA engineer and Bible student named Edgar Whisenant published a pamphlet called, 88 Reasons Why the Rapture will be in 1988. He predicted Jesus would return between the sunset of September 11 1988 and sunset of September 13 1988.
By September of that year, Whisenant had sold 4.5 million copies of the pamphlet, and sent it for free to 300,000 pastors. There were reports of people selling their posessions, putting their pets to sleep, and camping out on hilltops to witness the second coming.
One travel agency began booking tours to Israel to witness the Second Coming of Jesus to Israel. The travel agency brochure stated:
“We stay at the Intercontinental Hotel right on the Mount of Olives where if this is the year of the Lord’s return, as we anticipate, you may even ascend to Glory from within a few feet of His ascension.”
The cost for the trip was $1975 from Los Angeles or $1805 from New York.
But just to be on the safe side, in case this whole Rapture thing didn’t work out, the airfare was round trip.
There’s no doubt people are fascinated about the end of the world. You see it in movie theatres, with movies like The Day After Tomorrow, Armageddon, Deep Impact, 2012, , Seeking a Friend for the End of the World, World War Z, Contagion, The Emoji Movie (ok—that one technically isn’t about the end of the world, but when they start making movies based on Emojis, that has to be a sign of the Apocalypse.
And when there is so much chaos in the world, its natural for people to go to Scripture and ask themselves, is this it? Are we nearing the time when God is going to say “Game Over,” and Jesus is going to return? And if so, does that truth fill you with fear or hope?
In Mark 13, we realize that the questions we are asking today are questions Jesus’ followers have been asking literally since the time of Jesus. A few weeks ago we looked at the first two verses of Mark 13. Jesus and his disciples were walking out of the temple, and the disciples were oohing and ahhing over how awesonme the Temple was, when Jesus dropped this truth bomb on them:
2 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.”
Now, this was understandably a little unnerving to the disciples, so Peter, James, John, and Andrew pull him over to the side to say, (verse 4):
4 “Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign when all these things are about to be accomplished?”
Introduction: The Million Dollar Question: WHEN? (v. 4)
Two things to realize about this. First, remember that the disciples were asking specifically about the destruction of the Temple, because that's what they had just been talking about, and that's what they are currently looking at. Now, we’re gonna see pretty quickly that Jesus is talking about much more than the Temple. But Biblical prophecy isn’t just about future events. God often used past history and current events to warn His people about the future.
But second, I want you to notice that Jesus doesn’t give them an actual answer. Stop and think about this for a minute: If Jesus didn't tell His inner circle of disciples when all this would take place, why do you think He would Edgar Whisenant?
Or this guy… (pic of other Rapture Guy 1)
Or this guy (Rapture Guy 2)
When we get to verse 32, we’re going to see that God the Father hasn’t even revealed the timeline to Jesus the Son. So whenever we start putting together our timelines and charts and graphs, we have to do so with a lot—A LOT!!—of humility.
Let’s look at our first set of verses. Read verse 5-8 with me:
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.
Did you notice that instead of giving His disciples “the sign” that they ask for, he tells them what things are not signs? Instead, he gives them four realities, and then what their response should be to that reality. When the disciples ask Jesus when all these things are going to happen, Jesus tells them about four things that are coming, and how we should respond to each of them. We can call these Coming attractions
1. Deception is Coming, so don’t get duped (v. 1-8). Jesus says “See that no one leads you astray.” Other translations use the phrase “Watch out.” The Greek word there is blepo, which means “discernment concerning realities which lie beyond the observations of your physical senses.” It’s going to take Holy Spirit discernment not to freak out over everything we are observing in the world. He tells the disciples that there will be
• False Christs creating false hopes (v. 5, 22). Throughout history, there will be people who come on the scene making claims to be God. This is nothing new. David Garland, in his commentary on Mark, says, “Since there will be a ceaseless parade of imposters, pretenders, and glory hounds from the time of Jesus until today, this can’t be a sign of the end. Our job is to stay focused on the one we know to be the Savior, and not get distracted by those who claim to be a savior.
• False Signs creating false fears. Jesus says not to be alarmed when you hear about wars and rumors of wars. Or earthquakes. Or famines. Why? Because these have gone on and will go on throughout history. Did you know that in the entire history of civilization, there has never been a time without war? Jesus says there will be earthquakes in various places. Did you know that major earthquakes—magnitude seven or higher, happen about once per month? And catastrophic earthquakes—magnitude 8 or higher, happen about once a year? So the warning is to keep things in perspective. Jesus says all these things are just the beginnings of the birth pangs.
And while we’re on the subject of keeping things in perspective, let me remind you to have a bigger perspective than just what’s happening in the United States. Here’s what I mean— earthquake in Armenia…
While we’re on the subject of keeping things in perspective, its probably helpful to keep in mind that there’s a bigger world out there. Here’s what I mean—most of the time when we think about end-times prophecy, we are watching for things to happen in America. So, for example, we might hear about an earthquake in Armenia, which happened in Devember of 1988 and killed 25,000 people, and none of us wondered if this was a sign of the end times. But if an earthquake killed 25,000 people in Los Angeles, there would be a lot of conversation about how we are seeing Revelation fulfilled before our eyes. Same with famine. Currently, 30 million people in Nigeria, South Sudan, Somalia and Yemen are facing severe famine, and we don’t think about preparing for the Rapture. But man, let there an ice storm here in Prattville, and suddenly there’s no more bread or milk at Publix, and we’re like-- SNOWMAGEDDON
Now, I want to pause to chase a rabbit that everyone wants to know about: What about the Antichrist? In verse 5 Jesus says that false Christs will appear throughout history, but that doesn’t mean it’s the end times. But doesn’t the Bible teach that there is going to be an Antichrist that will appear before the end of the world?
Let’s look at what the Bible says. There are only four times the word “antichrist” is actually used, and they are all in 1 or 2 John. None of them are in Revelation, which surprises a lot of people. Look at what God’s Word says in 1 John 2:18:
18 Children, it is the last hour, and as you have heard that antichrist is coming, so now many antichrists have come (1 John 2:18)
We don’t get any clarification from the Greek—the Greek word for antichrist is antichrist. It is a Greek word. But we do learn something from the absence of a definite article. John doesn’t say THE antichrist. He says antichrist. With a small a. Which suggests to me that this is an attitude more than it is a person.
A few verses later, he actually does use the definite article, in verse 22,
22 Who is the liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, he who denies the Father and the Son.
So, yeah, there is someone described as “The Antichrist,” but according to verse 22, its anyone who denies Jesus is the Christ. So that means every single person that rejects Jesus is the Antichrist. So if you’re having an evangelistic conversation with someone, and they tell you that they don’t believe Jesus is the only way to be saved, don’t think you’ve found The Antichrist. You’ve found “an” antichrist. And other than one more verse in 1 John, and another verse in 2 John, that’s all the Bible has to say about antichrist.
Now the apostle Paul does talk about The Man of Lawlessness. In 2 Thessalonians 2, Paul seems to be describing a person, whom he calls the man of lawllessness or the son of destruction. Verse 4 says that he
4 who opposes and exalts himself against every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God.
So I do believe that there will be a person in the last days before Jesus returns whom God will allow to deceive great multitudes of people. He will proclaim himself to be God. The Greek literally calls him a man of sin, (anthropos hamartia) which seems to indicate someone whose sins are obvious, but no one cares because he has so much power and does so many wonderful things (verse 9). And the only way we are going to know that he is the Man of Lawlessness or the Man of Sin is because God himself tells us. Verse 3 says that he will be revealed.
So here is what seems to be true to me, based on my reading of Scripture: there are millions of antichrists. But there will be one ultimate antichrist who comes on the scene just before Jesus returns. And he is going to be someone who is widely accepted by religious people. If he is a religious leader, he probably is going to have a huge magachurch and a massive TV and internet ministry. He will write lots and lots of books.
If he is a politician, he is probably going to be someone that a lot of religious people vote for.
How do I know this? Because Mark 13:22 says that “false christs and false prophets will arise and perform signs and wonders, to lead astray, if possible, the elect.” The “elect” are believers. So this tells me that whoever this is will have the broad support of religious people.
We have to be very, very careful about which politicians we put up on pedestals. Because someday, one of them is going to be the Man of Sin. And the more we look the other way regarding his character because we approve of his policies, the more we pave the way for the eventual Antichrist.
Deception is coming, so don’t be deceived.
2. Persecution is Coming, and we don’t get a pass (v. 9-13) Jesus goes from global events— earthquakes, famines, world wars— to personal events. He doesn’t say, “In the coming days, my followers who are alive at that time will be delivered to councils, and beaten in synagogues. What does he say? Let’s look:
In the next set of verses, Jesus gets personal with the disciples. Look at verses 9-13:
9 “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. 10 And the gospel must first be proclaimed to all nations. 11 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. 12 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. 13 And you will be hated by all for my name's sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.
Jesus doesn’t present the persecution of believers as some far off possibility that we need to start worrying about once the Antichrist sets up his one-world government. Persecution has been a reality for followers of Jesus from the first century, and it will continue until Jesus comes back.
Which brings us to the second rabbit we’re gonna chase for a bit: What about the Rapture? Doesn’t Revelation say that Christians aren’t going to have to endure persecution, because we’re all gonna get taken up to heaven before it starts?
Well, again it might surprise you to know that the word “rapture” isn’t in the book of Revelation. In fact, its not anywhere in the Bible. The clearest teaching on the rapture is from 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17, where Paul writes,
For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord.
So, we have the clear teaching from Scripture that Christians who are alive on the earth at the time of Christ’s return will be caught up with him in the clouds. The word actually comes from the Vulgate—the Latin translation of the Bible. The word “cught up” in verse 17 is “rapturo.” There’s a reason a bird of prey is called a raptor—its for how they can snatch up their prey.
What isn’t clear from Scripture is when this event happens relative to all the events described in Revelation. And again, because Revelation doesn’t talk about the rapture, different Christians have put these two events together in different ways. Some argue for a Pre-Tribulation rapture, that we wlll leave the scene before any of the persecution starts. They point to Revelation 3:10, where Jesus says to the church in Philadelphia,
Because you have kept my word about patient endurance, I will keep you from the hour of trial that is coming on the whole world, to try those who dwell on the earth.
That’s not the only Scriptural support, and if you are interested in reading more on this position, I’ve linked to an article in the YouVersion notes that goes into a lot more detail on the Scriptural basis for this argument. But if you’ve read the Left Behind books, this is the position they take.
Others argue for a Mid-Tribulation rapture— that God will rapture his church at the halfway point of the Great Triubulation. Again, there is a lot of Scripture support for this position, and I’ve linked to another article on YouVersion if you want to dig deeper but one of the verses that is used actually comes from Mark 13:20, where Jesus says, “If the Lord had not cut short the days, no human being would be saved.”
Finally, there is a third point of view, and you can probably figure out what it is. We’ve talked about Pre-Trib and Mid-Trib, so what’s left? That’s right. Post-Tribulation. That Christians will not be spared widespread persecution or any of the judgment on the earth that Revelation talks about, and that the Second Coming of Christ will come at the end of that time.
Now, here’s where I ask for charity, because there are godly Christians who hold to the authority of Scripture in both these camps. And I can’t say definitively from Scripture which interpretation is right. But my opinion is that we don’t get a pass. And I know we are running short on time, so let’s just look at what Mark 13 says:
• We just read verses 9-12, which clearly show that believers are not going to be spared from persecution.
• In verses 19- 20, Jesus describes the great tribulation, and follows it up with “if the Lord had not cut short the days, no human being would be saved. But for the sake of the elect, whom he chose, he shortened the days.” The elect are believers, so this has to mean that we are going to be here for at least part of the tribulation.
• During the Great Tribulation, according to verse 22, false Christs, will deceive, “if possible, even the elect.” So that means that believers are still on earth at the time of the Antichrist.
• Finally, verses 24-27 (which we will talk about next week) show that after the Son of man comes in the clouds with great power and glory, that he will send out his angels to gather the elect from the four winds, from the ends of earth to the ends of heaven.
So for me, I don’t find as much support in Scripture for this idea that the church will be raptured before the time of Tribulation. You can disagree, and that’s fine. I’m still gonna call you a brother or sister in Christ, and I hope you will do the same with me. But just make sure you are basing your arguments on Scripture and not a series of popular books.
And if I can be honest for a moment, this would be a great time for American Christians to take our focus off ourselves. Too many times, we seem to have the perspective of, “Things aren’t bad in our country, but when we start experiencing persecution, that will be the sign that the end is near.”
What does that say to Christians in other countries, who have been facing the threat of death every single day for generations?
Nabeel Qureshi, begins his book No God But One by introducing the reader to a 26 year old Saudi Arabian woman named Sara Fatima Al-Mutauri. In 2008, Sara Fatima al-Mutairi was accused of blasphemy by her own brother after she converted to Christianity. He had found several posts to a Christian chat group from his sister, as well as her journal and a picture of the cross. He locked Fatima in her own bedroom and gave her four hours to repent, renounce Christianity, and return to Islam. On July 24, 2008, she posted a poem she had written in an online Christian forum. It read, in part:
Enough, your swords do not matter to me at all!
Your threats do not concern me, and we are not afraid.
By God, I am unto death a Christian!
O history record, and bear witness, O witnesses!
We are Christians walking on the path of the Messiah.
Take from me this knowledge and note it well!
Jesus is my Lord, and he is the best protector.
My last words I pray to the Lord of the worlds,
Jesus the Messiah, the Light of Clear Guidance:
Change their hearts and set right their discernment.
May he spread love among you, O Muslims.
Those were to be Sara Fatima’s final words. In the Saudi newspaper Al-Akhdood two weeks later, an article stated, “A Saudi citizen working for the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice killed his sister for allegedly converting to the Christian religion. According to sources close to the victim, the murderer attacked the girl by burning her and cutting out her tongue.”
Tell me the truth: can we hear stories like that from around the world and still conclude that the church is going to get raptured before the “real” persecution starts? Real persecution of Christians has never stopped. Whatever understanding we have of the end times has to look at more than just the church in America.
We are going to bring this to a close here (how ironic is it that we are making a sermon about how Jesus could return at any minute into a two-parter?). But I want to close with this: In Mark 13, Jesus did give one absolute, definitive statement about when he would return. And it is right here in verse 10:
10 And the gospel must first be proclaimed to all nations.
Matthew’s gospel makes it even more explicit:
B14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.
Beloved, more than anything that happens in politics, more than any wars or rumors of war, more than any plague or pandemic or earthquake or famine, here is why I believe Jesus is going to come soon. We are nearer to the fulfillment of this prophecy than we ever have been at any time in the history of the planet.
A 2013 survey showed that there are an average of 4.4 Bibles per househiold in the United States. Since the YouVersion app was created, it has been installed on more than 400 million unique devices,
• and has been downloaded in every country on earth.
• By the year 2033, 95% of the world’s population will have a complete Bible.
• 99.9% will have a complete New Testament, and 100% will have at least some portion of Scripture.
If you don’t think Jesus could return soon, you aren’t paying attention.
Are you ready? [Invitiation]
