July 23, 2023 | Mark 13:1-37 | Pastor Chris Baker
Good morning FBC Family and guests! Turn with me to Mark 13. If you don’t have a Bible of your own, you can find today’s text on page 901 of the black bibles in the pew rack in front of you. If you don't have a bible at all, there are some new ones in the foyer just outside those doors behind you. Please, take one of those with you as our gift. We want everyone to have a copy of God’s Word that you can read and understand.
We hope not only to understand God’s Word, but to apply it for our good and His glory. Today’s text could be a difficult one in both of those regards, but I don’t think it has to be. We’re coming to the end of the final week of Jesus’s earthly life. He’s not concerned with that at the moment, though. His focus shifts all the way to the end of time. We’re going to study the whole chapter, but we’re going to start off with the bookends. We’ll read verses 1-2 and then verses 32-37 as our initial reading.
Let’s read, then we’ll take a moment to pray before we start unpacking everything Jesus teaches in the 37 verses.
Read Mark 13:1-2, 32-37
Pray
———
“He was the world’s most successful, most grandiose failure imaginable.”
(https://globalnews.ca/news/8023345/ark-two-bunker-bruce-beach-dead-canada/)
Those words were spoken by a friend in memory of an eccentric Canadian named Bruce Beach. Bruce thought the world was going to end—soon. And he wanted to be around to start a new one.
So, in the early 1980’s Bruce set in motion a plan to build a bunker. Bruce Beach dreamed big. He didn’t just build any bunker. He built what is believed to be the world’s largest private fallout shelter—Ark Two. He buried and networked together 42 school buses and continuously worked to improve the shelter—along with the help of friends and family—for more than three decades. If any of you, like me, watched the show Doomsday Preppers that was popular for five minutes back in the 2010’s you might remember him.
That same friend said Beach did not plan for his death because he thought he’d outlive an imminent catastrophe. At age 87, he discovered what all of us will discover one day. There will come an end for all of us. And no amount of preparation is going to stop that end from coming. For Bruce Beach, it wasn’t an apocalypse. It wasn't a food shortage or a world war. It was a heart attack.
Bruce thought about the end, a lot. Eschatology, the study of the last things, is a fancy word for something we all already do.
Thinking about the end, what happens after we die, is something we all do, but we need to do it carefully if we’re going to be faithful to God’s Word.
I want you to leave this room with hope. A true hope and a settled hope about eternity and about the end of time that is rooted in God’s good purpose. To have hope about eternal life, we need to base our beliefs on God’s Word, not just vague wishes. How often do you see on social media or elsewhere, in the wake of someone’s death things like “rest easy, fly high, or he’s an angel now?” Those things are well-meaning, but ultimately pretty useless. Because they're not even remotely rooted in Scripture.
I think Mark 13 can bring you some settled hope. I know there’s a hesitancy with some to study the end of time. We think God is good, God is sovereign, God’s got it all worked out so we’ll just leave it up to Him. But if we take that approach, we have to ignore broad swaths of Scripture. Paul encouraged the Thessalonians stay awake and be self-controlled in watching for the return of Christ. In 2 Peter 3:11 we read since all these things are to be dissolved in this way, it is clear what sort of people you should be in holy conduct and godliness
The truth of the end is connected to our conduct today, so we can’t ignore it. But at the same time we shouldn’t fight about it until we’re blue in the face. Denominations and local churches have been split over different views of the end of time. That might cause you to want to avoid the topic altogether. But surely, church, God doesn’t reveal what He reveals to us to cause division.
We don’t study this to be right. We study it so it can cause us to love God more and love His people more. If the result is anything else, we’ve messed it up.
There are some things God makes clear and there are some things God leaves us to wonder about. That's okay. God doesn’t give us every answer, but He gives us everything we need.
In fact, our statement of faith—the Baptist Faith and Message—gives us a great summary of what we view the Bible to teach about the end of time.
God, in His own time and in His own way, will bring the world to its appropriate end. According to His promise, Jesus Christ will return personally and visibly in glory to the earth; the dead will be raised; and Christ will judge all men in righteousness. The unrighteous will be consigned to Hell, the place of everlasting punishment. The righteous in their resurrected and glorified bodies will receive their reward and will dwell forever in Heaven with the Lord. (BF&M Article X)
Much of the framework we see there is laid out in Mark 13. And here’s the one-sentence takeaway from this chapter.
Be alert, because Jesus Christ will return in power and glory.
There’s more here than that, but that’s the primary point of Mark 13. It’s the big picture idea that Jesus is getting at. We see it in every section. We already read verses 1-2 and were reminded that all things are temporary.
A reminder that all things are temporary (v.1-2)
When we open Mark 13, we’re in the middle of what had been an exhausting week already. I believe this to be nearing the end of Wednesday. This was the last day where Jesus did any sort of public teaching outside of His arrest and trial. The disciples follow Jesus out of the temple and one of them points out how magnificent the building is.
We don’t know which disciple made the statement, but we know he was accurate. The temple was amazing. It would have been the most impressive building these men ever laid eyes on.
It was the second Jewish temple in Jerusalem. The first one, built by Solomon, was destroyed by the Babylonians in 586BC.
Around 37BC Herod the Great undertook a massive renovation and expansion project to truly turn the temple into one of the wonders of the ancient world.
The outer walls of the complex were made of massive stones, some weighing over a hundred tons. It was situated on a raised platform, known as the Temple Mount, with grand staircases leading up to its entrances.
The main building was adorned with elegant carved stone work and magnificent columns.
The interior of the Temple was decorated with gold, silver, and precious jewels. This was the epicenter of Jewish pride. It was the hub of the Jewish faith.
Imagine the disciples’ shock when Jesus said, “Not one stone will be left upon another—all will be thrown down.”
He was right. In AD70, the Romans thoroughly destroyed the Jewish temple. Something that no Israelite at the time would have even been able to fathom. Jesus spoke the truth, but it’s a truth bigger than a temple and bigger than any one moment in time.
Everything on this side of eternity is temporary. That’s why we need an understanding of the end of time. From rudimentary doomsday bunkers, to ornate temples, to the most well-guarded military installation on the planet— everything is temporary.
Perhaps you’re here and thinking about the end of time, or more specifically the end of your own life, makes you uncomfortable. If you belong to Christ, discomfort should be the furthest thought from your mind. It should actually bring you peace.
God has final and decisive control over the end of our lives and over the end of all time. In a world that is temporary, God reigns as eternal. In a world that is created, God is Creator.
We’re told in Scripture not to fear death, but instead to fear God.
Listen to Jesus over in Matthew 10:
28 Don’t fear those who kill the body but are not able to kill the soul; rather, fear him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. 29 Aren’t two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them falls to the ground without your Father’s consent. 30 But even the hairs of your head have all been counted. 31 So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.
Don’t tremble over the prospect of death. You know what death brings, if you’re a Christian. Death brings you into God’s presence. That’s good. But so long as you’re here, don’t fear death. Live with a reverential awe (that’s what fear means in this passage, a reverential awe) of God. A desire to glorify God. A desire to carry out His good will in this temporary world.
Everything we need in life and death was bought by the substitute sacrifice of Jesus. So Paul says, “. . .To live is Christ and to die is gain” (Philippians 1:21).
I know this is VBS Sunday and we have more guests than usual with us today, so I do want to acknowledge that thinking about the end might not be very comfortable for you. It’s very possible that you feel that way because you don't have that same settled hope Paul had. For you to live isn’t Christ, so you're not sure that dying is gain.
When you admit to yourself this world is temporary—you already know that, but at times it helps to remind yourself—when you admit to yourself this world is temporary you have to think about what comes next. And what comes next for you if you haven’t placed your faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ alone for your salvation is eternal punishment in a place called hell.
Romans 10:9 says, "If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved." Confessing Jesus as Lord means submitting to His authority and believing that God has raised Him from the dead involves trusting in the historical fact of His resurrection.
If you haven’t done that, the way to salvation is open to everyone. Time will run out, but it hasn’t yet. You can trust Christ as your savior today—but we’re not guaranteed tomorrow. So because this world is temporary, the need for the gospel is urgent.
This world is temporary, and Jesus tells us what we can expect from it in verses 3-13 and, spoiler alert, it’s not good:
What to expect in this temporary world (vv. 3-13)
Remember, church, Jesus had already predicted His death multiple times. Now, He’s saying the temple is going to be destroyed. The disciples want to know more. Verse 4, when will these things happen? How are we going to know?
Their questions went beyond just the destruction of the temple; they were seeking a broader understanding of the future.
In response, Jesus gave what is the longest recorded answer he gave to any question during His earthly ministry. I think that means it’s important! There’s a member of our church who shall remain nameless. . . if you ask him a question—how are you, how have you been, what’s going on, etc.—he’ll answer with, “How much time do you have?” And he means it. He can give you a short answer or he can give you a Larry Bryson answer. Oops. I guess I gave it away.
Jesus gives the full answer. He had already told them He was leaving. The middle part of this chapter talks about what will happen between His ascension in the book of Acts and His return at the end of time.
I’m going to try my best to camp on what Jesus directly states here, because I know that within big tent Christianity there are a lot of different views on the end of time and we don’t need to dig through all those today. There are those who think everything down through verse 31 is wrapped up by AD70 when the Romans destroy the temple. I don’t agree, but know that I hold that view with an open hand. I think there is room within our church family, even, for more than one understanding of the timing Jesus is talking about here so long as we agree on a personal and visible return of Jesus Christ to rescue His people.
Verses 3-13, in my view, cover where we are today. While we await the second coming, we’ve been subjected to a barrage of false Christs, false teachers, and false prophets. Wars, disasters, and persecution will mark this era, and these things will get worse over time. I believe the world—morally speaking—is getting worse, not better.
Jesus compared this period to the beginning of birth pangs. Just as a woman experiences mild contractions before giving birth, the world's turmoil will intensify as the end draws near. The current state of the world is just the beginning, and the events leading up to the end will be even more tumultuous and catastrophic.
He warned His followers to remain vigilant, especially against deception. There will be those who mislead and spread misinformation, causing confusion and leading people away from the truth. Church, how many millions of people have been led astray by the likes of Muhammad, Buddha, Joseph Smith, Charles Taze Russell, L. Ron Hubbard, Jim Jones, and a host of other false religious leaders since the time of Jesus?
Many will be led astray and many who remain faithful will be persecuted. He seems to indicate that persecution will become more intense as the end draws near. But even through the persecution, the gospel would be preached to all nations.
Those two things are probably linked, in my view. The harder the church has been persecuted, historically, the further the gospel has spread.
The application of this section reminds us that we live in an age where evil is rampant. We’re at war against a world sliding further and further into darkness, so we must remain fully committed to our faith.
Hold fast to the truth of the gospel, share it with others, and eagerly await the glorious return of our Savior. We expect it to get worse. The worse the world around us gets, church, the tighter we hold fast, the more committed we become to sharing the gospel with the lost, and the more we become desperate for Jesus to return.
He doesn’t stop by telling them what to expect, He tells them how this temporary world will end.
How to expect this temporary world to end (vv. 14-31)
If verses 3-13 are the birth pangs, verse 14 is the water breaking. It’s an event that signals the end here.
Jesus responded by telling them about a significant and specific event known as "a time of tribulation." He explained that this time would be unlike anything the world had ever experienced before, and it would be more severe than even the terrible flood in the days of Noah.
I believe this to be the period described in Revelation chapters 6-19. There you’ll find a detailed description of the events that would occur during this time of tribulation. It reveals the unfolding of various judgments, including seals, trumpets, and bowls, as well as the rise of an Antichrist figure.
That time period is signaled by this “Abomination of Desolation." This sign is a major event that will signal the start of the time of tribulation. It will happen in the future, and Jesus specifically mentioned that it would be written down in Scripture for future generations of readers to understand. That’s what Mark is doing in verse 14. He’s signaling that this truth is something that the reader should understand and look toward in the future. It wasn’t something that Jesus’s original audience would have understood.
They would have heard about an abomination of desolation before, though. That’s spoken of back in Daniel 9. Daniel mentioned it three times in his writings. It involves the Antichrist doing something terrible at a restored temple in Jerusalem. This event will be a clear indication that the time of tribulation has begun. The generation that sees the abomination of desolation, whatever this event is that seems like it will happen in Jerusalem, that generation will see the end of time according to verse 30.
Just for the sake of clarity and so that you can know where I’m coming from, based on 1 Thessalonians 4, 1 Corinthians 15, and Revelation 7, I don’t believe God’s people—the church—will be here for this period of tribulation. I believe that the most direct teaching of Scripture is that God’s people will be raptured—taken up from the world at this time.
This will be God pouring out His wrath on unrepentant humanity and the world will be exponentially worse during his period than anything we can imagine.
However, in the midst of these troubling events, we can find hope. He promises that He will come again after the time of tribulation to set things right. The sun will darken, the moon will lose its light, and the stars will fall from the sky, signifying a momentous event, the glorious return of the Son of Man, Jesus Himself.
As we look at human history and observe the things Jesus predicted, we can see that His words are indeed coming true. His plan is unfolding exactly how He said it would. While we don't know the exact time of these future events, we can trust in Jesus and His promises, knowing that He is faithful and true to His Word. And what do we do with this Word? We take it to heart and we prepare. Listen to all the times Jesus encourages watchfulness in this chapter. Verse 5 watch out, verse 9 be on your guard, and you must watch-verse 23, learn this-verse 28, recognize-verse 29, verse 33 watch! Be alert, be alert is there again in 35, and the closing words of verse 37 again—be alert!
That’s how we live expectantly in a temporary world. Let’s read the last section again.
How to live expectantly in a temporary world (vv.32-37)
Jesus wants everyone to know that life is short, and we don't know when our time on Earth will be over. That's why we need to be ready and prepared for whatever comes our way.
Nobody knows the exact day or hour when He will come back, not even the angels in heaven, or even Jesus Himself when He was on Earth! Only God the Father knows. So, we need to be alert and ready because we don't know when Jesus will return or when our time will be up.
But here's the good news, my friends. It hasn’t happened yet, and He wants us to be ready to meet Him when the time comes. He wants us to trust in Him, to believe in Him, and to follow Him. When we do that, we can have peace in our hearts, knowing that we are ready for whatever comes our way.
So, the message of Jesus is for everyone, both for that future generation and for us today. We all need to be ready, just like the people who will see the signs of Jesus' return. We need to trust in Jesus, and He will help us be prepared for whatever surprises life brings. Let's remember His words and be ready, because those who are found sleeping will face disaster.
We opened with the story of a man who was well-prepared, but his preparation failed him. We’ll close with a man who was woefully unprepared.
September 9, 1861 saw the entire Vermont Brigade of the Union Army and stood at attention. A firing squad was assigned and took its place. The prisoner was brought forth.
Private William Scott was guilty. He had been serving a night watch on August 31, less than two weeks earlier. Sometime between the hours of three and four in the morning, an officer making his regular tour of inspection found Private Scott asleep at his post.
Subsequently, he was court-martialed, found guilty, and sentenced "to be shot to death" first thing Monday morning, September 9th.
In front the entire Vermont Brigade, including 79 men from his own hometown, Scott was marched in front of a firing squad. His charges were read. His death sentence was read.
Private William Scott, of Company K. of the Third regiment of Vermont volunteers, having been found guilty by court martial of sleeping on his post while a sentinel on picket guard, has been sentenced to be shot, and the sentence has been approved and ordered to be executed.
But then another statement was read:
The commanding officers of the brigade, the regiment and the company, of the command, together with many other privates and officers of his regiment, have earnestly appealed to the Major-General commanding, to spare the life of the offender, and the President of the United States has expressed a wish that as this is the first condemnation to death in this army for this crime, mercy may be extended to the criminal. This fact, viewed in connection with the inexperience of the condemned as a soldier, his previous good conduct and general good character, and the urgent entreaties made in his behalf, have determined the Major-General commanding to grant the pardon so earnestly prayed for.
(http://www.vermontcivilwar.org/units/3/sentinel.php)
In the few days between Scott’s conviction and his execution, word of his plight had traveled all the way to President Abraham Lincoln himself. Lincoln argued for a pardon and General George McClellan agreed. Scott earned death by falling asleep when he was supposed to be alert, but received mercy at the last second.
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. Otherwise, when he comes suddenly he might find you sleeping. And what I say to you, I say to everyone: Be alert!”
Church, let’s not be found sleeping. Jesus reminds us in Mark 13 that there won’t be mercy for those who reject Him. The tribulation will be awful and the Hell that follows will be worse.
Be alert, because Jesus Christ will return in power and glory. Be alert. Know where you’ve placed your faith. Not in your own skills, not in your own merit, but in the hands on the Savior who offered Himself up as a sacrifice so that we don’t have to bear the wrath our sins earned. I know I didn’t answer every question you have about Mark 13. Find me afterward, call me or come by the office this week. I love it when I get to open God’s Word with our people. Would you pray with me as we close?