The Book Of Mark #62

You can not take Matthew 24, 25, or Mark 13 and say this is how things are going to happen chronologically. Everything that the Lord said would happen, will happen, but not in the sequence He gives them.

Notice, as the disciples were walking with Jesus past the Temple, they commented on the beauty of this temple.

Look at verse 1, we read, “And as he went out of the temple, one of his disciples saith unto him, Master, see what manner of stones and what buildings are here!”

The historian, Josephus, tells us that:

• Some of the stones in the Temple were forty feet long and eighteen feet high.

• A good portion of the Temple was plated in gold and silver

These disciples were fascinated with the beauty of this gorgeous building.

Illus: This conversation the Lord had with these disciples reminds me of those who have visited the Biltmore House, located in Asheville, North Carolina. After people leave, they talk to everyone about the beauty of this place.

We have to be careful in this life, that we do not get so caught up in the beauty of this life that we forget to seek for the beauty of heaven.

The Lord draws their attention from the EARTHLY to the SPIRITUAL, by saying, in verse 2, “And Jesus answering said unto him, Seest thou these great buildings? there shall not be left one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.”

This prophecy was fulfilled in AD 70, when Titus destroyed the city of Jerusalem and the Temple.

After they left there, the Lord and the disciples came to the Mount of Olives. This is where the Mount Olivet Discourse originated. To understand what took place there, you need to study the parallel passages found in Matthew 24 and 25.

The disciples wanted to know what the sign of Christ’s coming would be. Look at verse 4, we read, “Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign when all these things shall be fulfilled?”

This is a very difficult passage of scripture, but the Lord helps us to understand what He is saying in this passage. In verse 8, we read, "…These are the beginnings of sorrows."

He was not talking about the normal sorrows that we face each day. The time period he is talking about has to do with EXTREME SORROWS! This time period is going to be one of the most sorrowful times in the history of mankind. This is why it is referred to as GREAT TRIBULATION period.

Illus: During history, certain periods of time were known for certain things.

• The Renaissance Age

• The Industrial Age

• The Great Depression Age

• The Technology Age

But listen, the Lord is talking here about the AGE OF SUFFERING. Let’s look at-

I. THE SUFFERINGS OF THIS AGE

In verses 6-13, we read, “For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. And when ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars, be ye not troubled: for such things must needs be; but the end shall not be yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be earthquakes in divers places, and there shall be famines and troubles: these are the beginnings of sorrows. But take heed to yourselves: for they shall deliver you up to councils; and in the synagogues ye shall be beaten: and ye shall be brought before rulers and kings for my sake, for a testimony against them. And the gospel must first be published among all nations. But when they shall lead you, and deliver you up, take no thought beforehand what ye shall speak, neither do ye premeditate: but whatsoever shall be given you in that hour, that speak ye: for it is not ye that speak, but the Holy Ghost. Now the brother shall betray the brother to death, and the father the son; and children shall rise up against their parents, and shall cause them to be put to death. And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake: but he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.

Let’s look at these eight signs for this age of sorrow.

(1) Look at verse 6, we read, “For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.”

Illus: A 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.

Illus: Years ago there was a man that called himself “Father Divine”. He went around teaching that he was God in the flesh.

Father Divine was originally a man named George Baker. Baker, by most accounts, was born around 1877 in Savannah, GA, or in Monkey Run, in Rockville, MD. As the child of two ex-slaves. Although both were hard workers, his mother apparently grew to be the fattest woman in the county, according to the local newspaper.