Introduction
A. One day there was an airplane that was having engine trouble, so the pilot instructed the cabin crew to have the passengers take their seats and get prepared for an emergency landing.
1. A few minutes later, the pilot asked the flight attendants if everyone was buckled in and ready.
2. The flight attendant replied, “All set back here, Captain, except the lawyers, they are still going around passing out business cards.”
3. A good lawyer is always preparing for the future by drumming up new clients. Right?
B. But let me ask you this question: How do you prepare for the future when you don’t know what the future holds?
1. Where will you be 5 years from today – October 22, 2028?
2. Where will you be living? Or better yet, will you be living?
3. If you are living, will you be healthy or sick? Will you be rich or poor?
4. Those questions reveal how little we know about the future and even our personal futures.
C. In our text for today from Mark 13, we will find Jesus talking to His disciples about the future.
1. We will see Him preparing them for two specific events that will take place in the future.
a. Most of the chapter is focuses on Jesus’ prediction of the fall of the great city of Jerusalem.
b. At the end of the chapter, Jesus gave a brief prophesy concerning His second coming.
2. Through the things Jesus shared with them, He was trying to prepare them for the future.
3. Even though we don’t know many specifics about our future, we can still prepare ourselves.
4. And I know this for sure, if we are not preparing for the future, then we will certainly not be ready when it arrives.
I. The Setting (Mark 13:1-2)
A. In our recent sermons from the Gospel of Mark, we have seen Jesus come into Jerusalem and cleanse the temple.
1. Then we have seen Him return to the temple each day and answer the questions of both His opponents and those with sincere hearts and honest questions.
2. Both Matthew and Luke conclude their record of these temple incidents with Jesus uttering these words: “See! Your house is left to you desolate.” (Mt. 23:38; Lk. 13:35)
3. Jesus’ disciples must have felt the weight and despair of those words as they exited the temple and began ascending the Mount of Olives.
B. Mark wrote: 1 As he was going out of the temple, one of his disciples said to him, “Teacher, look! What massive stones! What impressive buildings!” 2 Jesus said to him, “Do you see these great buildings? Not one stone will be left upon another—all will be thrown down.” (Mk. 13:1-2)
1. The Jews saw their temple as having eternal significance.
2. Ancient historians tells us that the southwestern view of the temple was amazing as it rose 200 feet over Jerusalem and cast a brilliant image from the white marble and gold accents.
3. The temple was the very summit of art and achievement and was vast and solid.
4. King Herod had kept his builders working on the temple for over 40 years having begun construction about 20 B.C. and hoping it would bring favor with the Jewish people.
5. Part of the greatness of the temple was the size of the stones, particularly those that made up the outer wall and the foundation of the temple mount.
a. Some of the stones weighed 100 tons and were 40 ft. long, 18 ft high, and 12 ft. wide.
b. It was the massiveness of those stones that prompted the disciples to say, “Teacher, look! What massive stones!”
6. But then Jesus made the astonishing statement: A day is coming when not one stone of the temple would be left in its’ proper place.
a. The temple construction was not finished until A.D. 64 and six years later, in 70 A.D. it was destroyed by the Romans.
b. That destruction would take place about 40 years after Jesus made this prediction.
7. We can only imagine how shocked Jesus’ disciples must have been by that prediction, after all, the temple was God’s temple, and Jerusalem was God’s city, and yet God had allowed both to be destroyed in the past because of the unfaithfulness of God’s people.
8. And we can imagine that Jesus’ prediction would prompt many questions in the minds of His disciples, some of which Scripture records.
9. Jesus and His apostles left Jerusalem and made their way to the Mount of Olives.
II. The Signs of the Fall of Jerusalem (Mark 13:3-31)
A. Mark wrote: 3 While he was sitting on the Mount of Olives across from the temple, Peter, James, John, and Andrew asked him privately, 4 “Tell us, when will these things happen? And what will be the sign when all these things are about to be accomplished?” (Mk. 13:3-4)
1. I can understand why the question: “when will these things happen?” was their first question and “will there be any warning signs that is about to happen?” was their second question.
2. In Matthew’s account, the apostles asked a different question: “What will be the sign of your coming and the end of the world?” (Mt. 24:3)
3. It appears that the apostles were connecting the end of the temple with the end of the world.
4. Jesus’ answer to their questions in the parallel passages in Matthew, Mark and Luke has brought confusion to many over the years because Jesus gave predictions about both things: the destruction of Jerusalem and His second coming.
a. Those two events are separate events and yet the destruction of Jerusalem does symbolize and foreshadow His second coming and the end of the world as we know it.
5. Jesus prepared them for the destruction of Jerusalem by giving them three helpful suggestions.
B. First, Jesus told them “Don’t Panic.”
1. Mark wrote: 5 Jesus told them, “Watch out that no one deceives you. 6 Many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am he,’ and they will deceive many. 7 When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, don’t be alarmed; these things must take place, but it is not yet the end. 8 For nation will rise up against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places, and famines. These are the beginning of birth pains. (Mk. 13:5-8)
2. Jesus explained that the time preceding the destruction of Jerusalem would be a turbulent time.
3. Jesus said there would be “false messiahs”, but they shouldn’t be misled by them.
a. There isn’t much historical information about those false messiahs.
b. Josephus, the historian, told of certain men who persuaded some Jews to follow them prior to the fall of Jerusalem.
c. In Acts 5, Gamaliel names a certain Theudas and a Judas who claimed to be messiahs, but their campaigns didn’t last.
4. Jesus said that there would be national strife.
a. The Jews of the first century would be threatened by at least three wars led by emperors.
b. In addition, there were three known Gentile uprisings that were devastating to the Jewish population resulting in the deaths of Jews (50,000 in one uprising, and 20,000 in another).
c. Political instability reached a pinnacle in A.D. 69 as 4 different emperors rose to power in quick succession.
5. Jesus also said there would be earthquakes and famines.
a. No century seems to have had more earthquakes than the first century A.D.
b. Serious earthquakes hit the following places: Crete in A.D. 46-47, Rome in A.D. 51, Laodicea in A.D. 61, and Pompeii in A.D. 62 or 63.
c. Regarding famines Suetonius and Tacitus wrote about a serious famine in Rome, which was probably the one predicted by Agabus in Acts 11:28, which occurred during the reign of Claudius in the A.D. 50s.
6. But Jesus made clear that all these signs did not mark the end, but were the beginning of birth pains and so they shouldn’t panic.
7. His advice to them is good advice for us also – nothing that happens around us or to us should cause us to panic.
a. We must anchor ourselves deeply into God’s truth, love and power.
b. There is going to be political upheaval, natural disasters, and spiritual counterfeits, but we must not panic or let it cause us to lose our faith in God.
C. Second, Jesus told them to “Endure Persecution.”
1. Mark wrote: 9 “But you, be on your guard! They will hand you over to local courts, and you will be flogged in the synagogues. You will stand before governors and kings because of me, as a witness to them. 10 And it is necessary that the gospel be preached to all nations. 11 So when they arrest you and hand you over, don’t worry beforehand what you will say, but say whatever is given to you at that time, for it isn’t you speaking, but the Holy Spirit. 12 Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child. Children will rise up against parents and have them put to death. 13 You will be hated by everyone because of my name, but the one who endures to the end will be saved.” (Mk. 13:9-13)
2. This paragraph was especially addressed to Jesus’ apostles and Scripture and history record how they were brought before synagogues, councils, kings and governors.
a. All that would happen to them because of their relationship to Jesus and people’s hatred of Jesus.
3. A sad but true reality of some of the persecution was that it resulted from family members turning other family members over to the authorities – brothers turning on brothers, parents turning on their children, and visa versa.
a. The Roman Empire and the Jewish officials had their informants who betrayed their own family members.
b. Jesus taught us that His faithful disciples must put their love and loyalty to Jesus above their relationships to father or mother, sister or brother, or child. (Mt. 10:37)
4. Jesus admonished them to endure and be faithful to the end.
a. That end in mind wasn’t the end of Jerusalem, but their end of their lives.
b. Remaining faithful to the end, for many, meant dying for the faith.
c. Jesus promised that those who endure to the end will be saved.
d. Jesus gave a similar promise in Revelation 2:10: “Be faithful to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life.”
5. When we experience persecution, we can trust that God will help us to know how to respond to it in word and action.
a. And if we rely on God’s wisdom, we can conduct ourselves in spiritual and wise ways that make sure any persecution we face is because of Christ, and not because of us.
6. As you know, persecution didn’t just happen to Jesus’ apostles, but has continued to be experienced by Christians throughout time and throughout the world.
a. Those who keep statistics note that more people died for their faith in Christ in the 20th century than in all previous centuries combined, so persecution is increasing not decreasing with time.
b. In Paul’s second letter to Timothy, he reminded him and us that “all who want to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.” (2 Tim. 3:12)
7. Let’s notice one final thing from these verses – Jesus said that it was necessary for the gospel to be preached to all nations.
a. Jesus was most likely saying that this would happen before the fall of Jerusalem.
b. About 30 years after Jesus made that statement, the apostle Paul wrote that the gospel had been preached to every creature under heaven. (Col. 1:23) – Paul’s letter to the Colossians was written less than 10 years before Jerusalem was destroyed.
D. Third and finally, Jesus told them to “Escape Jerusalem.”
1. Jesus said: 14 “When you see the abomination of desolation standing where it should not be” (let the reader understand), “then those in Judea must flee to the mountains. 15 A man on the housetop must not come down or go in to get anything out of his house, 16 and a man in the field must not go back to get his coat. 17 Woe to pregnant women and nursing mothers in those days!
18 “Pray it won’t happen in winter. 19 For those will be days of tribulation, the kind that hasn’t been from the beginning of creation until now and never will be again. 20 If the Lord had not cut those days short, no one would be saved. But he cut those days short for the sake of the elect, whom he chose.
21 “Then if anyone tells you, ‘See, here is the Messiah! See, there!’ do not believe it. 22 For false messiahs and false prophets will arise and will perform signs and wonders to lead astray, if possible, the elect. 23 And you must watch! I have told you everything in advance. (13:14-23)
2. The abomination of desolation is a phrase that appears in the book of Daniel and foretold of something that was to happen in 165 B.C. when Antiochus Epiphanes desecrated God’s temple by offering swine on the altar.
a. Here, Jesus used the same phrase to describe the Romans armies that would come against Jerusalem.
b. In Luke’s account, he makes it clear that the desolation had to do with the Roman armies – Luke 21:20 says, “But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that her desolation is at hand.”
3. Jesus’ instructions were: when you see the Roman armies approaching Jerusalem get out of the city as quickly as possible.
a. Houses had flat roofs with seating and sleeping areas to use during hot weather.
b. Those rooftops were accessible by outside stairs and so people didn’t have to go back into their homes in order to flee.
c. Those out in the fields were told not to go back into the city, even to get something.
d. The Christians took Jesus’ words to heart and fled the city, but unbelieving Jews did precisely the opposite and hurried into the city looking for protection.
4. History records the fall of Jerusalem in A.D. 70 to the armies of Titus.
a. The horrors of that siege form one of the grimmest pages in human history.
b. Titus starved the city into submission.
c. Josephus, the historian, tells that 97,000 Jews were taken captive, and 1.1 million Jews died by starvation or by the sword.
5. As you can imagine, such a flight from the city and from normal life would be especially hard for pregnant women and nursing mothers.
a. If it happened in winter, that would be much harder for obvious reasons.
b. Thankfully, the siege began in May with Springtime temperatures being more mild.
6. Even in the midst of the destruction, God’s grace was still present allowing some to survive.
7. But Jesus wanted them to know that He would not make a return at that time and that anyone who claimed they saw the Messiah or claimed to be the Messiah weren’t telling the truth.
a. Satan showed up and empowered false messiahs and false prophets to perform miracles and lead some people into error.
b. Paul wrote about this phenomenon in 2 Thess. 2:9-12 where he talked about Satan working miracles and signs through the lawless one and how it was a strong delusion and deception causing some people to believe the lie.
8. Jesus warned His followers about all this in advance so that they could be watchful and prepared so that could avoid those traps and that destruction.
E. Now we come to the most difficult section of this chapter to interpret.
1. The difficulty of this section is that the symbolic language of verses 24 - 27 sounds like the second coming of Jesus, but then verse 30 says that all this will happen in that generation.
2. Let’s read the section and then work towards an understanding of it.
3. Jesus said: 24 “But in those days, after that tribulation: The sun will be darkened, and the moon will not shed its light; 25 the stars will be falling from the sky, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken. 26 Then they will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. 27 He will send out the angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven.
28 “Learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its branch becomes tender and sprouts leaves, you know that summer is near. 29 In the same way, when you see these things happening, recognize that he is near—at the door. 30 “Truly I tell you, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things take place. 31 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.” (Mk. 13:24-31)
4. We could spend a lot of time dissecting this passage, but we don’t have time to do so in this sermon.
a. I want to suggest that we should view all these things as being symbolic.
b. The Old Testament often used symbolic language like this to describe the fall of cities and kingdoms – the sun, moon, and stars would fall or be extinguished.
c. When those kinds of things occurred God would often be described as showing up in the clouds indicating this is God’s judgment against a nation.
d. The word translated “angels” simply means messengers, not necessarily heavenly beings.
5. I believe this section is looking forward to the evangelization of people after the fall of Jerusalem.
a. Once Jerusalem and the temple were destroyed, people would realize that Christianity was now God’s way to bring salvation to all people.
b. Jesus used similar language in Luke 13:29 when He said, “People will come from the east and west, and north and south, and will take their places at the feast in the Kingdom of God.”
6. They were to learn the lesson from the fig tree: anyone can see that summer is coming by noticing the leaves, and in the same way, anyone can see the destruction of Jerusalem was at hand by the coming of the Roman armies.
b. All that was to happen in their “generation” during the lifetime of the people hearing Jesus’ words and it did take place in their generation.
III. The Second Coming (Mk. 13:32-37)
A. In the closing section of this chapter and of Jesus’ presentation, He spoke with them about His second coming.
1. Jesus said: 32 “Now concerning that day or hour no one knows—neither the angels in heaven nor the Son —but only the Father. 33 “Watch! Be alert! For you don’t know when the time is coming. 34 “It is like a man on a journey, who left his house, gave authority to his servants, gave each one his work, and commanded the doorkeeper to be alert. 35 Therefore be alert, since you don’t know when the master of the house is coming—whether in the evening or at midnight or at the crowing of the rooster or early in the morning. 36 Otherwise, when he comes suddenly he might find you sleeping. 37 And what I say to you, I say to everyone: Be alert!”
B. The contrast between these two sections and the two events they discuss couldn’t be more different.
1. The teachings about the destruction of Jerusalem were very specific, but those about the 2nd coming were more general.
2. Prior to the destruction of Jerusalem there were many signs, but prior to the 2nd coming there would be no signs.
3. When the coming of the destruction of Jerusalem was at hand, Jesus urged His followers to flee, but with the 2nd coming there would be no time or no way to flee.
C. I don’t understand why so many people in history have tried to predict Jesus’ 2nd coming when Jesus clearly states that no one knows the day nor hour other than the Father.
1. The angels didn’t know the day or hour, and neither did the Son – at least while on the earth.
2. Because no one knows the day or hour and because there will be no signs to warn its approach, then everyone must be ready at all times – the command is to be alert! Keep watch (3 times).
3. Jesus gave an illustration of a owner who goes on a journey and leaves his servants to carry out their duties in his absence, but because they don’t know when he was supposed to return they had to be ready for his return at any moment.
a. If he had said, “I’ll be back next Sunday, October 29th at 3 PM,” then in theory they could let things go until the day or hour he was to return.
4. We are in the same situation as those servants in the story – Our Lord, Jesus, has gone on a journey, but said He would return.
a. Jesus has left us with the task of evangelizing the world and living lives that honor Him.
b. Since none of us know when Jesus will return, we have to remain faithful at all times.
5. We must live in a way that it doesn’t matter when Jesus returns, because we are always ready.
6. Let’s be alert and watch our lives and prepare for the future.
a. Let’s watch out for sin and compromise in our lives.
b. Let’s watch for neglect in our communion with God and our abiding in Him.
c. Let’s watch lest we miss the great opportunities to serve and work in God’s kingdom.
Conclusion:
A. How awesome is it that our Lord and Savior knows the future and wants to help us prepare for the future so we can be alert and ready at all times!
1. What Jesus promises and predicts will always come true.
2. Heaven and earth will pass away, but His words will never pass away!
3. Just as Jesus’ words about the destruction of Jerusalem were fulfilled, so will His promised return be fulfilled.
B. Did you know that in the energy department of our government, there is a planetary defense unit?
1. The National Nuclear Security Administration is a Federal agency that is responsible for “planetary defense” or detecting and mitigating impact threats from potentially hazardous near-Earth objects, such as asteroids and comets.
2. A hundred or more leading scientists work at the NNSA’s three national security laboratories in Sandia, Los Alamos and Lawrence Livermore.
3. They keep a close eye on outer space watching for dangerous objects that may threaten the Earth and they come up with ways to mitigate such threats.
4. Christian writer Kurt De Haan observed, “Frankly, I’m one of those people who is not terribly worried about an asteroid hit, rather I’m much more concerned about our readiness for an event we know is going to happen: the return of Jesus Christ.”
5. People often prepare for many things that may never happen, but how many people aren’t preparing for the most important thing that we know is going to happen: Jesus’ second coming!
C. Jesus is coming at some hour and day that none of us know and for that reason we must always be ready.
1. History is going somewhere – it is headed toward that moment when the trumpet will sound and Jesus will return and those who are His will meet Him in the clouds and spend eternity with Him, but those who aren’t ready and don’t believe will face judgment and eternal condemnation.
2. Are you ready? Can you enthusiastically and assuredly say, “Lord Jesus, Come Quickly!”?
Resources:
• Truth for Today Commentary: Mark 1-8 and 9-16, Martel Pace, Resources Communications.
• The Greatest Commandment, Sermon by David Owens
• Mark, The Communicator’s Commentary, David McKenna
• Jesus the King, by Timothy Keller, Riverhead Books, 2011
