Ordinary Days: Grounded in Truth
In Mark 13 we read a conversation that Jesus had with His disciples. He ends up describing what the last days on this earth will be like. I am not trying to make predictions or even to say that we are living in those days. The felt need of the disciples was to know. They wanted to know when and where and what they could look for that would give them a heads up regarding the end of all things or the return of Christ. They really just wanted to know about the destruction of Jerusalem. Of course much of Jerusalem and the Temple that Jesus was referring to were destroyed years ago except for one wall now known as the Wailing Wall.
Jesus answered their question by giving some insight into what the end would look like but after all of that He instructed them to remember that NO ONE except the Father knows when and what will happen. He is quick to leave them with the parting thought that they should be faithful to His work yet serious about watching for His return.
Watching is not about reading scary “last days” books or watching apocalyptic movies. Watching is about “taking care” and being people of the word of God. We are to be a people who live out the Word in a culture that is anti-Christ. God still is looking for us to keep His covenant with us so that we might know Him in community.
For the last several weeks we have watched rumblings in the Middle East. For those of us raised in church even watching the evening news can be reminiscent of a 1960’s or 70’s revival sermon on the end of the world. For me personally, I remember well the feelings I had hearing sermon after sermon and song after song written during those decades. Most of us were convinced we would never live long enough to graduate from high school.
Jesus was coming back. . .soon! We sang along to songs like Larry Norman’s, “I Wish We’d All Been Ready,” and watched movies like, “A Thief in the Night.” All of this led to a dread and fear of missing the return of Jesus to this earth. How many times I found the Lord in the grocery or department store as a child when I got separated from my mother, only God knows. I was convinced during those moments that the “rapture” had taken place I in all my young sinfulness had been left behind. This was not a great time to be a kid. I think I still suffer from anxiety brought on by the fear tactics utilized to motivate us to be Christ followers.
With the exception of the fictitious writing of the Left Behind series of books, there is really very little being said in these days from the pulpits of most American churches Credible biblical teaching is for the most part not taking place on this subject. Personally, I believe that most of us don’t want to make the same mistakes that so many have made ever since Christ warned that He would return some day.
Throughout history, individuals and whole groups of people have insisted on setting dates and spending long hours trying to interpret the mystery of the end of the world as we know it. Apocalyptic scenarios have been a part of the modern movie industry for years. Even Al Gore has added his entry to the many voices from today’s culture that sound ominous warnings about the future.
My question has been how are we to respond? What did Jesus have to say about troublesome times and even the so called “end of the world?”
What I want to do here is take a sane and sensible look at the teaching of Jesus on this matter. We will study the entire chapter of Mark 13 with particular emphasis on Mark 13:32 – 37.
1. Questions posed by the Disciples
1As Jesus was leaving the Temple that day, one of his disciples said, "Teacher, look at these tremendous buildings! Look at the massive stones in the walls!" 2Jesus replied, "These magnificent buildings will be so completely demolished that not one stone will be left on top of another." 3Later, Jesus sat on the slopes of the Mount of Olives across the valley from the Temple. Peter, James, John, and Andrew came to him privately and asked him, 4"When will all this take place? And will there be any sign ahead of time to show us when all this will be fulfilled?"
The questions asked by the disciples are a very natural response to the statements Jesus had just made. Hearing that the temple would be destroyed would be hearing the prediction, prior to September 11, that the World Trade Centers were going to be destroyed from top to bottom. It would seem like an impossibility.
When Jesus finished His statement they began to ask the one question that has driven people over the edge ever since. The question can be summed up in one word. When.
Since Jesus made the predictions people have spent a great deal of energy, time and resources trying to figure out the answer to that question. Sometimes it has been amusing and some times it has been really sad to watch people go off on a “last days” tangent trying to provide an answer to a question that Jesus said we would never know.
No one has personified a living example of this sad mistake that people make more than Edgar Whisenant. He had been an unknown Bible student until 1988, when he wrote and distributed two books, titled 88 Reasons Why the Rapture Could Be in 1988 and On Borrowed Time. Their message was that the Rapture of the Church was to occur on the Jewish New Year, Rosh Hoshana, in 1988, sometime between Sept. 11 and Sept. 13. The 88 "proofs" of this were based on a collection of dates and calculations from Biblical and historical factors.
Whisenant had no doubts about his date, stating: "Only if the Bible is in error am I wrong; and I say that to every preacher in town." During one interview he made a declaration that dramatically demonstrated his level of confidence: "[I]f there were a king in this country and I could gamble with my life, I would stake my life on Rosh Hashana 88." (ETV p. 93)
Although many religious leaders in the US discounted Whisenant’s predictions, quite a few got on his bandwagon, including Paul and Jan Crouch, and their Trinity Broadcast Network (TBN) ministry.
They went so far as to alter regular programming on September 11-13. Instead of airing their nightly Praise the Lord television talk show, they ran videotapes of prerecorded shows dealing with the rapture. For non-Christians who might be watching, the revised programming included specific instructions on what to do in case Christian family members or friends disappeared and the world was thrust into the tribulation. (ETV p. 93)
Eventually, 300,000 copies of 88 Reasons were mailed free of charge to ministers across America, and 4.5 million copies were sold in bookstores and elsewhere.
When nothing happened by the end of September 13, Whisenant revised his prediction, suggesting the rapture would come at 10:55 AM on September 15. When that failed, he revised it to October 3.
Even when that date passed, Whisenant remained undaunted: "The evidence is all over the place that it is going to be in a few weeks anyway," he told Christianity Today.
After his "few weeks" had transpired, Whisenant finally saw his error. He claimed that he had made a slight miscalculation of one year because of a fluke in the Gregorian calendar. Jesus was actually going to return during Rosh Hashanah of 1989! Whisenant published his discovery in The Final Shout--Rapture Report 1989. "The time is short," he said. "Everything points to it." This publication was subsequently retitled The Final Shout--Rapture Report 1990 and has since been re-titled yearly as The Final Shout--Rapture Report 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994 and so on. He continues to revise his date annually. (ETV p. 94) It would appear that Whisenant finally gave up. No Whisenant website exists, and he and his 88 Reasons have now entered the lore of false prophecies of the 20th century.
Hal Lindsey and others have spent years writing books, making predictions and trying to lead people to focus on the when instead of the what. The questions we should be asking should revolve around what does this all mean for me. What should I be doing with my life? What are the priorities that should take first place in my decisions?
2. Predictions from Jesus
Jesus answered the disciples question with a series of hints as to the times and what they would look like. It was a warning to be vigilant and focused on God’s will. Let’s take a few minutes and read some of these verses.
5Jesus replied, "Don’t let anyone mislead you, 6because many will come in my name, claiming to be the Messiah.[a] They will lead many astray.
This is a clear warning for us to know God personally. Not just as some cosmic vapor that you pray to occasionally when life is disintegrating around you. We have learned all summer that God desires to be in covenant and community with us. He longs for us to know Him better. He longs for a developing relationship with you and me. When you know Him like genuine Christ followers should then the chances of being deceived by false teachers will greatly diminish.
7And wars will break out near and far, but don’t panic. Yes, these things must come, but the end won’t follow immediately. 8Nations and kingdoms will proclaim war against each other, and there will be earthquakes in many parts of the world, and famines. But all this will be only the beginning of the horrors to come. 9But when these things begin to happen, watch out! You will be handed over to the courts and beaten in the synagogues. You will be accused before governors and kings of being my followers. This will be your opportunity to tell them about me.[b] 10And the Good News must first be preached to every nation. 11But when you are arrested and stand trial, don’t worry about what to say in your defense. Just say what God tells you to. Then it is not you who will be speaking, but the Holy Spirit.
12"Brother will betray brother to death, fathers will betray their own children, and children will rise against their parents and cause them to be killed. 13And everyone will hate you because of your allegiance to me. But those who endure to the end will be saved.
14"The time will come when you will see the sacrilegious object that causes desecration[c] standing where it should not be"--reader, pay attention! "Then those in Judea must flee to the hills. 15A person outside the house[d] must not go back into the house to pack. 16A person in the field must not return even to get a coat. 17How terrible it will be for pregnant women and for mothers nursing their babies in those days. 18And pray that your flight will not be in winter. 19For those will be days of greater horror than at any time since God created the world. And it will never happen again. 20In fact, unless the Lord shortens that time of calamity, the entire human race will be destroyed. But for the sake of his chosen ones he has shortened those days.
21"And then if anyone tells you, `Look, here is the Messiah,’ or, `There he is,’ don’t pay any attention. 22For false messiahs and false prophets will rise up and perform miraculous signs and wonders so as to deceive, if possible, even God’s chosen ones. 23Watch out! I have warned you!
24"At that time, after those horrible days end, the sun will be darkened, the moon will not give light, 25 the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of heaven will be shaken.[e]
26Then everyone will see the Son of Man arrive on the clouds with great power and glory.[f] 27And he will send forth his angels to gather together his chosen ones from all over the world--from the farthest ends of the earth and heaven.
28"Now, learn a lesson from the fig tree. When its buds become tender and its leaves begin to sprout, you know without being told that summer is near. 29Just so, when you see the events I’ve described beginning to happen, you can be sure that his return is very near, right at the door. 30I assure you, this generation[g] will not pass from the scene until all these events have taken place. 31Heaven and earth will disappear, but my words will remain forever.
These words have the potential to cause fear and alarm. They must have been stunning to hear on that day when Jesus uttered them. But what do they mean for us. Over 2000 years have now elapsed since He made these comments. There have been parts of our world that have suffered great turmoil, religious persecution, wars and even rumors of wars. Hitler and other evil men that have entered the world stage have often been speculated to be the anti-Christ. There certainly is clear teaching in the Word of God that there will be an evil personage who will have great powers to bring peace, heal miraculously and cause a lot of problems for people who are trying to follow the God of the Bible.
Again the question we should be asking is simply, “What should I do or what should I be doing with my life?” Thankfully Jesus did not leave us hanging out there with a bunch of dire predictions and nothing to hang on to.
3. An Illustration for Us
32"However, no one knows the day or hour when these things will happen, not even the angels in heaven or the Son himself. Only the Father knows. 33And since you don’t know when they will happen, stay alert and keep watch.[h]
34"The coming of the Son of Man can be compared with that of a man who left home to go on a trip. He gave each of his employees instructions about the work they were to do, and he told the gatekeeper to watch for his return. 35So keep a sharp lookout! For you do not know when the homeowner will return--at evening, midnight, early dawn, or late daybreak. 36Don’t let him find you sleeping when he arrives without warning. 37What I say to you I say to everyone: Watch for his return!"
Application:
What are we to do with all of this?
Wait Patiently
Psalm 27:14, “Wait patiently for the Lord. Be brave and courageous. Yes, wait patiently for the Lord.” Jesus clearly teaches that no man or even angel knows when Christ will return. We are to wait. We are to wait here on earth and not forget that our time on this earth is nothing more than a vapor. Anyone that has lived into adulthood will say they can’t believe how quickly time flies by.
The New Testament writers were very clear in pointing out that this earth was not our final destination. Heaven is our hope. If we accept Christ and follow His word there is an inheritance to collect. Peter wrote about it in 1 Peter 1.
“3All honor to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, for it is by his boundless mercy that God has given us the privilege of being born again. Now we live with a wonderful expectation because Jesus Christ rose again from the dead. 4For God has reserved a priceless inheritance for his children. It is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay. 5And God, in his mighty power, will protect you until you receive this salvation, because you are trusting him. It will be revealed on the last day for all to see. 6So be truly glad![a] There is wonderful joy ahead, even though it is necessary for you to endure many trials for a while.
7These trials are only to test your faith, to show that it is strong and pure. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold--and your faith is far more precious to God than mere gold. So if your faith remains strong after being tried by fiery trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world.
8You love him even though you have never seen him. Though you do not see him, you trust him; and even now you are happy with a glorious, inexpressible joy. 9Your reward for trusting him will be the salvation of your souls.” 1 Peter 1:3-9 How are you doing at waiting?
Work Faithfully
Engrained deeply into the teachings of Jesus Christ is the clear mission that He gave the church to do. He never told us to build church buildings, He never said to sing certain songs, (in fact he never said to sing any songs in church), He never said to have Sunday School, He never said to have carry in dinners or bible studies. He never said to run youth programs and children’s church. Let me tell you what He did say.
Jesus said, “Go and make disciples of all the nations. . . teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:19,20
Through the ages since Christ left us those words churches have tried to figure out exactly how to go about doing those things. Often the church will start programs that are effective for a time and then because it is easier to do what you have always done those methods will become sacred. The church throughout history has been very slow to change. The message should never change but the methods of sharing that message need to be examined and evaluated. Are we doing the mission? Are we engaged in the work? Take a look at these pictures from last evenings outdoor worship concert at Real Life. The church actually got outside the walls and engaged their community. Over two hundred people were touched in Jesus name in an effort to make disciples.
Jesus was teaching one day about being engaged in the work He left the church to do. He talked about ten future brides who let the oil run out of their lamps and missed their weddings. His words of warning are clear: "13So stay awake and be prepared, because you do not know the day or hour of my return." Matthew 25:13
He then teaches about three men who were each given money to take care of by their employer. One of them hid his money and did nothing with it but the other two invested theirs. When the employer returned he was angry with the man who did nothing. The employer represents Christ who will one day return and want to know what we have done with the truth that He left us to share. In this case His words are chilling, “29To those who use well what they are given, even more will be given, and they will have an abundance. But from those who are unfaithful,[c] even what little they have will be taken away." Matthew 25:29
We are to be about the work that Christ gave us to do. Jesus went even further out of His way to explain what He meant in this twenty fifth chapter of Matthew.
31"But when the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit upon his glorious throne. 32All the nations will be gathered in his presence, and he will separate them as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33He will place the sheep at his right hand and the goats at his left. 34Then the King will say to those on the right, `Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. 35For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home. 36I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me.’
37"Then these righteous ones will reply, `Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38Or a stranger and show you hospitality? Or naked and give you clothing? 39When did we ever see you sick or in prison, and visit you?’ 40And the King will tell them, `I assure you, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters,[d] you were doing it to me!’
41"Then the King will turn to those on the left and say, `Away with you, you cursed ones, into the eternal fire prepared for the Devil and his demons! 42For I was hungry, and you didn’t feed me. I was thirsty, and you didn’t give me anything to drink. 43I was a stranger, and you didn’t invite me into your home. I was naked, and you gave me no clothing. I was sick and in prison, and you didn’t visit me.’
44"Then they will reply, `Lord, when did we ever see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and not help you?’ 45And he will answer, `I assure you, when you refused to help the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were refusing to help me.’ 46And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous will go into eternal life." Matthew 25:31 – 46
I remember a few years ago seeing an ad in the paper for a drive in passion play. It was like a drive in movie, you could watch the story of Jesus, the passion play without ever getting out of your car. And I’ll never forget the ad. It said this: “Come and experience the life of Christ all from the comfort of your own car.”
And I pondered that and I was overwhelmed with the truth that we will not experience the life of Christ or the life that Christ desires for us from within our areas of comfort. We will not be the church that God desires from within our areas of comfort.
Watch Diligently
“6And now, just as you accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you must continue to live in obedience to him. 7Let your roots grow down into him and draw up nourishment from him, so you will grow in faith, strong and vigorous in the truth you were taught. Let your lives overflow with thanksgiving for all he has done.
8Don’t let anyone lead you astray with empty philosophy and high-sounding nonsense that come from human thinking and from the evil powers of this world,[a] and not from Christ. 9For in Christ the fullness of God lives in a human body,[b] 10and you are complete through your union with Christ. He is the Lord over every ruler and authority.” Colossians 2:6-10
We are to be engaged in the work, waiting patiently for Christ return and we are to be watching diligently. Watching doesn’t mean sitting around on a hill somewhere staring at the clouds. It simply means guard your hearts and souls. Pay attention to what you are doing with your life.
The decisions you make in your life every day are very telling regarding your beliefs about the end of the world. People who believe that Christ is going to return and that we will all give an account for our actions on this earth will be watchful in their daily lives.
Paul wrote extensively about this but I want to bring your attention to his writing to the church at Ephesus. Hear these words from Chapters four and five:
“17With the Lord’s authority let me say this: Live no longer as the ungodly[c] do, for they are hopelessly confused. 18Their closed minds are full of darkness; they are far away from the life of God because they have shut their minds and hardened their hearts against him. 19They don’t care anymore about right and wrong, and they have given themselves over to immoral ways. Their lives are filled with all kinds of impurity and greed.
20But that isn’t what you were taught when you learned about Christ. 21Since you have heard all about him and have learned the truth that is in Jesus, 22throw off your old evil nature and your former way of life, which is rotten through and through, full of lust and deception. 23Instead, there must be a spiritual renewal of your thoughts and attitudes. 24You must display a new nature because you are a new person, created in God’s likeness--righteous, holy, and true.
25So put away all falsehood and "tell your neighbor the truth"[d] because we belong to each other. 26And "don’t sin by letting anger gain control over you."[e] Don’t let the sun go down while you are still angry, 27for anger gives a mighty foothold to the Devil.
28If you are a thief, stop stealing. Begin using your hands for honest work, and then give generously to others in need. 29Don’t use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them.
30And do not bring sorrow to God’s Holy Spirit by the way you live. Remember, he is the one who has identified you as his own, guaranteeing that you will be saved on the day of redemption.
31Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of malicious behavior. 32Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you. Ephesians 4:17-32
1Follow God’s example in everything you do, because you are his dear children. 2Live a life filled with love for others, following the example of Christ, who loved you and gave himself as a sacrifice to take away your sins. And God was pleased, because that sacrifice was like sweet perfume to him.
3Let there be no sexual immorality, impurity, or greed among you. Such sins have no place among God’s people. 4Obscene stories, foolish talk, and coarse jokes--these are not for you. Instead, let there be thankfulness to God. 5You can be sure that no immoral, impure, or greedy person will inherit the Kingdom of Christ and of God. For a greedy person is really an idolater who worships the things of this world. 6Don’t be fooled by those who try to excuse these sins, for the terrible anger of God comes upon all those who disobey him. 7Don’t participate in the things these people do. 8For though your hearts were once full of darkness, now you are full of light from the Lord, and your behavior should show it! 9For this light within you produces only what is good and right and true.
10Try to find out what is pleasing to the Lord. 11Take no part in the worthless deeds of evil and darkness; instead, rebuke and expose them. 12It is shameful even to talk about the things that ungodly people do in secret. 13But when the light shines on them, it becomes clear how evil these things are. 14And where your light shines, it will expose their evil deeds. Ephesians 5:1-14
A fencing contractor was talking with a rich property owner about his chances of going to heaven. The rich man believed that God would be pleased with his efforts. He said, “I’ve lived a good life and been hardworking and giving to worthy causes. Sure, I hide some of my income so it doesn’t get taxed as highly … but so does everyone else. And in my business you have to do a bit of lying and cheating … but how else will I get ahead. All in all I’m OK, I’m a nice person”.
The conversation ended and it was time to build the fence. Two weeks later the fence was ready and the property owner came and had a look. He was shocked by what he saw … because there were a number of gaps in the fence. Angrily he asked, “What have you done”. The fencing contractor replied.
“Well as I was building I left a few gaps on the way. But don’t worry, there are is a lot of fence still left and, in some places I even made it double thickness. The gaps only represent 2% of the fence, that means 98% is just fine”.
The rich property owner replied “98% is OK but you can be sure that the animals will still find the hole in the fence and get out. Near enough is just not good enough and I will have nothing left to show”. At that point the fencing contractor said. “You can see that truth when it comes to your fence … how come you can’t apply the same thing when it comes to your relationship with God?”
There’s an old song that used to bother me quite a bit when I was a kid. People would sing it with such conviction. It was like they really knew that everything was all right in their soul. I want us to sing it today. It simply says, Blessed Assurance, Jesus is mine.
Do you know that today? Are you His? Are you living your life like you really believe that Christ is going to return some day?
