Episode Transcript
[00:00:04] Speaker A: Welcome to Hope for Today, a weekly Bible teaching program that will bring you hope for every day.
It is good to be with you today. Thanks for joining us in our study through the Book of Mark. Today we begin chapter 13, an amazing chapter where Jesus tells the disciples and us what is going to happen.
The title is the Coming Judgment. This doesn't just apply to the disciples way back then. We must think about these teachings of Jesus and what it means for us. As J. Mark reads these verses, notice the disciples first statement. Is this how we are in our culture?
Did hearing Jesus cause the disciples to change anything?
If you can, please follow along as we take a closer look at Mark chapter 13.
[00:00:59] Speaker B: In the closing verses of Mark chapter 12, uh, Jesus and his disciples were watching people in the temple as they gave their offerings.
I mentioned that during this time the temple treasury contained the equivalent of nearly half a million dollars.
It was one of the great wonders of the ancient world.
But its beauty and its magnificence masked a religious system that was corrupt on the inside.
Mark Chapter 13 brings us to Jesus prediction of future events as he responds to both observations and questions from his disciples.
I've titled this teaching the Coming Judgment.
Today we'll focus on the first 13 verses of Mark chapter 13.
So listen carefully as I read.
Then, as he went out of the temple, one of his disciples said to him, teacher, see what manner of stones and what buildings are here.
And Jesus answered and said to him, do you see these great buildings? Not one stone shall be left upon another that shall not be thrown down.
Now, as he sat on the Mount of Olives opposite the Temple, Peter, James, John and Andrew asked him privately, tell us, when will these things be and what will be the sign when all these things will be fulfilled?
And Jesus answering them, began to say, take heed that no one deceives you, for many will come in my name saying, I am he and will deceive many.
But when you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be troubled, for such things must happen. But the end is not yet.
For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be earthquakes in various places, and there will be famines and troubles.
These are the beginning of sorrows.
But watch out for yourselves, for they will deliver you up to councils and you will be beaten in the synagogues. You will be brought before rulers and kings for my sake, for a testimony to them. And the Gospel must be first preached to all the nations.
But when they arrest you and deliver you up, do not worry beforehand or premeditate what you will speak but whatever is given you in that hour, speak that.
For it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit.
Now brother will betray brother to death, and the father, his child and children will rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death.
And you will be hated by all for my name's sake. But he who endures to the end shall be saved.
Jesus provides several clear indicators in this text that will precede the coming judgment.
The first indicator that we notice is physical destruction.
Our text begins with one of Jesus disciples exclaiming about the great size of the foundation stones and the beauty of the temple.
Solomon's Temple, as you may recall, was destroyed in 586 BC by the Babylonians.
And then Zerubbabel built the second temple and dedicated it in 515 BC.
That temple stood for approximately 545 years, and it was enlarged and beautified by Herod the Great and by others.
Some of the stones in the walls ranged from 20 to 40ft in length, and they weighed up to 300 tons. Just one stone.
Most of the gates in the temple complex were overlaid with gold, and there was lavish gilding throughout the structure.
History tells us that after the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70, there was so much gold that saturated the Syrian market that the value of it fell by half.
However, as I said in the introduction, the outward beauty of the building masked a tragic reality. It was a spiritually bankrupt religion that focused on outward appearance instead of on genuine worship and godly living.
It was deception on a massive scale.
And 2 Timothy 3:13 warns us that this spiritual deception will only get worse as we move toward the end of the age.
So in response to the exclamations about the grandeur of the temple, Jesus made what was to them a shocking statement.
He said, do you see these great buildings?
Not one stone shall be left upon another that shall not be thrown down.
In just a few short decades, the temple complex was leveled. Only a few retaining walls were left standing.
What would your response be if someone gave you information about some startling and destructive event in the future?
Well, I believe that much like the disciples, you would say, when will this happen and what signs will precede it?
And so their question leads us to the next indicator.
And that indicator is spiritual deception.
So we have physical destruction now we have spiritual deception.
Jesus response is instructive. Pay attention and don't allow anyone to deceive you.
Now, like many prophecies, Jesus words refer to the near and distant future. And he doesn't spell out the Difference. We must discover that by what is prophesied and by looking at other scripture portions.
But let's focus on Jesus warning about this indicator of coming judgment. He told them not to be deceived. Why? Because many will come claiming my authorization, even claiming to be the Christ, and proclaiming the fullness of the kingdom.
They would come proclaiming the end is near.
And Jesus said, do not follow them.
Jesus also warns that many will fall for this deception.
If you know anything about Jewish history, there were many false messiahs in the first century.
And great deception will also characterize the days just before Christ's return.
As Christ followers, you and I need discernment like we've never needed it before.
We must be people of the Book.
We must know the Word of God, and we must test every philosophy, every teaching and every practice by the authority of God's Word. It's our only hope of avoiding deception and eternal ruin.
We must be alert and pay attention to the times in which we live.
We must stay firmly anchored in the truth of God's Word revealed by the Holy Spirit. That is the only way we can escape the coming deception.
So we have physical destruction as an indicator and then spiritual deception. And now another indicator is political aggression.
Jesus says in verse seven that they will hear about wars and civil wars, but they shouldn't be frightened.
Jesus said this political aggression must come to pass first.
And then even after these things happen, the end does not follow immediately.
Final judgment would not occur at the same time as these commotions that Jesus described.
And you know, these kind of events have occurred almost since the beginning of time.
But the Scriptures tell us they will increase in intensity as we near the end.
The people of the world will rise in opposition to one another.
Religious, ethnic and sectarian wars are active in many parts of the world. Even today.
Nation states are in open conflict with one another and people groups war one against another.
These are all signs pointing toward the end.
What does this mean for us who are alive today? Well, first of all, we know that the predictions Jesus made about the fall of Jerusalem were totally accurate. And the circumstances he predicted leading up to that event were correct too.
Because of that, we can have confidence that the things predicted in this case wars and tumult among the world's people will also be fulfilled.
However, as you and I see these things happening around us, we are not to be terrified or dismayed. Because God has a plan for humanity and he is fulfilling it according to his schedule.
We can rest assured that he can control what he has created.
And then there's one final religious persecution. So we have physical destruction, spiritual deception, political aggression, and now religious persecution. These are signs of the coming judgment.
In verse 9, Jesus clearly states that before the wars and commotion, before the earthquakes, famine, disease, and before the destruction of Jerusalem, the followers of Jesus would experience significant persecution.
And we know what happened from the book of Acts and from early Church history.
After Pentecost, the apostles were called before the religious leaders many times, and they were commanded not to speak in the name of Jesus.
Both the spiritual and civil authorities imprisoned them for the sake of the Gospel, and some of them even gave their lives.
The authorities of that day did all they could to stamp out what they called this new sect of believers.
Jesus gave them specific encouragement and instructions. He said their suffering would be a witness to those who looked on.
And you know, that's been true down through the centuries. So much so that in some areas, the authorities began to execute followers of Christ privately.
Because when they were executed publicly, their testimony brought many more people to faith in Christ.
And then Jesus also instructed them not to prepare their defense beforehand or to write out or memorize what they were going to say. That's verse 11.
Because Jesus promised them, whatever is given to you in that hour that speak, for it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit.
Jesus warned his disciples that they would be betrayed by their most intimate acquaintances, that is, their family members.
You know, the pain of betrayal is awful, but, uh, when it comes from someone who professes to love you, it's doubly painful.
These betrayals would lead to imprisonment and death.
All people would hate them for the sake of Christ.
And you know it will always be so.
Then notice Jesus promise in verse 13, and this is precious. He told them that those who endure to the end will be saved.
The soul is the eternal part of us that cannot be destroyed. The body will die. It will decay. That's inescapable. If it's not today or tomorrow, at some point, all of us will experience physical death.
Jesus promised his disciples spiritual deliverance and spiritual victory.
By their steadfast faith in him, they would gain eternal life. And you know that very same thing is true for you and for me.
The judgment Jesus predicted eventually came in AD 70 when Jerusalem was destroyed. And yet many of the signs of judgment Jesus predicted are still present today in even greater measure than back then.
A, uh, greater judgment is yet to come.
And the next portion of this chapter will give us insight into that judgment.
Are you ready for the day of Judgment when it comes?
[00:13:09] Speaker A: Thanks. JMarc for breaking this passage down in this way. At the beginning, the disciples seemed impressed with the buildings many times. We also are easily impressed with some aspect in our culture.
Then Jesus gives them an accurate description of what is coming and it wasn't pretty.
After hearing this, do you think the disciples adjusted course?
What would it take for you and I to change our course?
If you'd like to share your response with us, we'd love to hear from you. Here is how you can reach us. Our email address is hopeheraldsofhopeuh.org or you can contact us via the website. Go to heraldsofhope.org there you will find Contact Us under the Partner tab on the top right. Click on that to message us directly. We'd love to hear from you. Thanks so much for being with us for this study. From Mark 13 the coming judgment is not a fun, happy topic to discuss, but it is something we must take to heart and if it's in our hearts, we will share it. If you can join us next time as we continue our way through this important chapter, Sam.
