Another Message about the Apocalypse
Mark 13:33-37
Rev. Dr. Michael H. Koplitz
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, ‘aBe on the alert!’”
Several passages in chapter thirteen of Mark’s Gospel demonstrate the need to be ready for the apocalypse. Christian scholars like to say that the LORD had not yet selected a time for the end of time. They say this because if Jesus is considered a part of God, the Trinity Doctrine, he certainly would have known when the end was to come. Clearly, Jesus did not know when the end of time was supposed to be.
What does that leave us with? We are directed to stay alert. What should we be doing? Every one of us should be ready to meet the LORD. That means that we have to be prepared for the day of judgment. What happens to a soul who did not ask for forgiveness for their iniquities? That is a problem. To compound this problem, I have to add the words “but Jesus died to save us from sin.” The church people believe that no matter what sins they commit in their lifetime, they will be forgiven because they believe in Jesus.
Some of you are thinking, “what does this have to do with the apocalypse?” It is the main feature because judgment comes on that day. It is also possible that our individual judgment will occur upon death. The problem is the idea of a person not having to do anything to be forgiven for sin is not biblical. Following the ways of Christ is the way to avoid sin and to ask for forgiveness.
Sometimes I feel like a broken record. The idea of end times and the forgiveness of sin on judgment day is a recurring theme. There are many pages in the four Gospels that deal with it. Therefore, it has got to be necessary. So, the bottom line here is that if you have any sins that you have not prayed for forgiveness or made restitution, you may want to do it quickly. Remember that I am not being repetitious; rather, the Bible is is. Therefore, it must be imperative.
Let us go in another direction. I have said in the past, for a civilization that is about to be wiped out, the people were experiencing their apocalyptic moment. What happens if we examine this last apocalyptic passage in its time period? What that means is Jesus was talking about the end of the Jewish age of animal sacrifices to cover sin. The destruction of the Temple at Jerusalem in 70 CE was the end of an era. How would sins be forgiven without the animal sacrifice system? A whole new system had to be built. In 90 CE, there was a rabbinical conference where the rabbis decided what would happen. There are Jews who eagerly await the rebuilding of the Temple at Jerusalem. They want the old ways back. It is also a prediction that Israel’s nation will prosper again when the Temple at Jerusalem is rebuilt.
The Christian Jews had a problem to deal with. Historians tell us that Christian Jews did go to the Temple in Jerusalem to offer their animal sacrifices. The concept of Jesus dying for all sin was not in place at the time. These sacrifices would not have continued with the Jewish Christian encampments if it was. It is alright that the early followers of Jesus did not fully understand everything He said. Let us be practical and say that we do not know everything either. The church accepts many rituals and doctrines that are not entirely biblically-based. Therefore, we today still have a lot of learning to do.
Apocalyptic moments in history do not necessarily mean an end of all things. The Temple destruction in 70 CE is just one example of the end of one culture and its rebirth. The world’s civilizations and cultures have undergone and will continue to undergo transformations. The end of one thing and the beginning of a new. In the 1900s, people stopped riding on horses and started to ride in automobiles. If your business was breeding horses, your business model’s apocalypse had come to be. The demand for horses dried up. There was still a need for horses but not as many to keep the entire business model working. Therefore, some horse traders found other work.
Many local churches had reached their apocalyptic moment over the past 70 years. Here is a graph to examine the great decline.
(Find the graph at: https://religionnews.com/2014/01/27/great-decline-religion-united-states-one-graph/)
This chart is ten years old. The trend has continued downward. The apocalypse of the church is near. When the last church closes, the world will forget Jesus and God’s grace. We can see it happening in the culture of the United States and Europe. As the decline continues, the relevance of the church drops. Most people think about the apocalypse as a single moment in history. I say that it is a process. It is a process that we, the faithful to Jesus, can allow to continue or do something about it.
Ok, you are thinking, “what can I do I am only one person?” In 24 years of ministry, I have heard that excuse from many good Christians. Of course, there is plenty that you can do. Evangelism has no limits. It has no strict rules or regulations. It is simply a matter of telling people you know and love about how your faith in Jesus has augmented your life. You must also show the people you talk to what it means to have Jesus in your heart.
There is plenty of disagreement about showing that Jesus is in your heart. Let me leave you with the two Great Commandments. If you follow these two commandments, your family, friends, neighbors, and even strangers will know you belong to Jesus. Ready? Here they are: love God and love your neighbor as yourself.
These two commandments are not difficult to do. I urge you to help stop the decline in the church before it is too late. The has church waited too long to start a rebuilding process. So, do not wait for the denomination to tell you what to do. You know your family and neighbors. Talk to them and demonstrate Jesus in everything you say and do.
