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Mark Chapter 13
How magnificent and great we see the works of man. His inventions, buildings, technology, etc., but the Lord who sees everything in the future sees the end result of the works of man. Jesus here was foreseeing the destruction of the temple. The temple was a strong sturdy building that could not have been torn down easily. Josephus says that some stones were 94 feet long, 10 1/2 feet high, and 13 feet wide. There were 162 columns which held up the porches that were 52 feet high.(Ref. Dake's study notes) Every stone was removed and a plow run over the place where it stood fulfilling the words of Jesus. This was about 70 A.D. when Jerusalem was destroyed by the Romans. Forty years after Jesus' ascension into heaven, the Roman emperor Vespasian sent his son Titus with an army to besiege Jerusalem. According to the historians Josephus and Eusebius, on August 10, 71 A.D., Titus captured Jerusalem--and a holocaust followed. Titus actually tried to stop his troops from burning down the temple, but he was too late. A mad spirit overtook them, and they torched it, burning it to the ground. When the smoke cleared, not a single stone remained upon another. The Lord's prophecy of judgment was fulfilled to the letter! (Ref. pg. 77 in the book America's Last Call by David Wilkerson). When God speaks or inspires someone to write a word of prophecy, it may take a few years, but it will come to pass no matter what we may try to do to stop it.
Jesus explains His words fully to His disciples privately. Notice that He allows them to question Him. He did not volunteer the information. This shows that the Spirit does draw us but it is up to us to seek Him and desire His word. Jesus' first words were, "Take heed lest any man deceive you." For those who like to preach only soft words and no words of warning take notice. Jesus warned many times. A friend of mine did a study on all the "take heeds" in the bible. It was quite interesting. That would really make an interesting bible study. Jesus knew that there would be many deceivers coming to turn people after themselves and away from the true Lord. They even came in His name. This is why studying the scriptures on a daily basis with an attitude of prayer and a seeking heart is vital. There are so many different denominations and opinions that it can be mind boggling. It doesn't have to be that way if we continue in prayer and study the word continually. I for one do not want anyone to take my word for anything. Search the scriptures. Seek the Lord. There has been some who may have started out preaching the truth to gain followers and then start thinking themselves to be higher than they actually were and some have even claimed to be Christ Himself. So far most of these have met with tragic deaths. I don't think God will take it lightly when someone uses His name like that. Yet even with all this warning, Jesus comforts by saying, "Be not troubled." There will be wars and rumors of wars, nations shall rise up against nation. These are the beginning of sorrow. Things will get worse not better before the end comes. Men work to have peace, have peace conferences, make treaties, and try their best to have peace but it will not work. No matter how hard they try there will be no peace and things will get continually worse until the Lord Himself comes back. Men have rejected the one who makes peace, "The Prince of Peace, Jesus Christ." We cannot possibly have peace without Him. I know Christians have sometimes been blamed for causing the lack of peace but if every born again true believer in Jesus Christ was taken out of the earth to heaven, you would see such a state of hate, war, and trouble that never before is has upon the earth. There would then be no restraint from evil. The worse city in the United States today would seem like a Sunday School picnic compared to the trouble that would come without any restraint to evil. There are three things that restrain or hold back evil, The government, the church and the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit dwells in believers. If the believers were removed the good government would no longer exist and evil would abound worse than anything that we have ever seen. Already we see earthquakes, famines, storms, fires and troubles all over the world. This is just the beginning. We should long for the Lord's peaceful reign upon the earth. Yes, we don't like to think about it but these good days in the United States cannot last much longer if we do not turn back to God. Do you really think God doesn't see what is going on? Do you really think He doesn't care about the millions of slain innocents being killed by the will of their own mothers? Do you really think He doesn't see these judges who decree that the mention of God or His Son Jesus Christ in a public school is unconstitutional? God is the reason we have a constitution and He name isn't allowed to be mentioned in the public schools??? God allowed us to win WW1 and WW2. God helped us in the Gulf War. Do you think for one minute that it was the might of the United States? It was the prayers of His people that won those wars. Try winning a war without the prayers of those believing mothers and fathers. No war can be won unless God allows it. This is why we should fear. If God steps back and does not defend our nation because of our sin, another nation no matter how inferior it may be, can conquer us. It happened to Israel in history. The gospel will be published in all nations before the final end comes. Every nation will have a chance to hear the gospel so they will be without excuse when judgment falls upon the earth. It is now going all over the earth by way of radio, television, computer, and missionaries. It is not always received. Some have been beaten, killed and persecuted because of preaching the gospel. The nations which touch just one of the messengers of the gospel will suffer severe judgment from God if they do not repent. God sees that one who is slain for His namesake. God sees that one languishing now in a prison camp. He also sees that little child in whose essay was rejected by a teacher because it contained the name of Jesus. A comfort for believers in verse 11 is that we don't have to worry about how to answer those who persecute and question us about our faith or the gospel. The Holy Spirit will give us the words to say.
Imagine things getting so bad that brother betrays brother. In the civil war even families were divided about whose side to fight on. I don't believe that this predicts the Civil War but that was an example of brothers fighting brothers. Most of these scriptures have more to do with the Jewish nation although wars and rumors of wars happen all over the world. Jesus warns of perilous times. He always warns us to be ready spiritually, alert, in prayer looking for His coming. What would cause a family to betray their own kin? One thing would be for fear of their own safety, they would turn in a family member in order to be spared themselves. I've read of this happening in the days of Hitler and the Holocaust. Another reason would be religion where a family would cut themselves off from a brother who dared to believe in Jesus as savior.
Hated for my name's sake. It also says that those who endure will be saved. Those who hold fast to their faith in Jesus and do not waver. The Jewish people have always been hated so whether or not this refers to the Jewish nation or all believers in Christ is something to think about. A remnant of the Jewish nation is to be saved and find out that Jesus is the very Messiah their forefathers rejected. So the ones at the end who is steadfast in their faith will be saved. This also could refer to those who endure tribulation and persecution for the gospel's sake. Those that endure that without wavering will be saved.
These verses give a hint to what Jesus is referring to. The prophet Daniel spoke of the abomination of desolation. This warns of those in Judah fleeing to the mountains. This prophecy mainly concerns the nation of Israel probably during the tribulation period that Daniel speaks about. Daniel spoke of a time when God deals firmly with the nation of Israel. See how Israel had to be a nation again before the prophecies in the bible could come to pass. Before 1948 this prophecy could not have been fulfilled. We see Israel surrounded by enemies and in place for prophecy to be fulfilled. The abomination is believed by many to be the antichrist who removes the temple worship of the Jewish people and sets himself up as the object of worship. This may hint that the temple is to be rebuilt and the Jewish worship is restored before this takes place. Lest any think that the temple being rebuilt in Jerusalem is impossibility so was the restoration of Israel as a nation in 1948. God used Harry Truman and a few others to help bring prophecy to pass whether he knew it or not, I don't know. In just 10 years before that event, the world would have said Israel's rebirth would have been impossible. The antichrist will desire people to worship him instead of God. He will exalt himself against God and boast himself to be great. We have always seen forerunners of this one. Hitler, Stalin, and others who thought they would rule forever and never come to an end. One by one no matter how powerful they became, they were allowed power for a short space and then was cut off. Not by the United States, that country was just a tool. It was by the hand of God. As we read more and more of these verses it clearly shows whom it is referring to. In the United States and many parts of the world, it is nothing to us to travel on the Sabbath day or any day. When Jewish worship is back in force, a true believer in the Law of Moses will not travel on the Sabbath day. Matthew 24: 20 mentions the Sabbath day. They have to flee suddenly with no time to go back into their houses to get anything. I would have hoped that the troubles of Israel would have been over during the Holocaust but it seems like more is coming when they are back in their own land. This time to come is supposed to be worse than any period in history, even worse than the Holocaust. I didn't think anything could be worse than that. God is merciful for He will shorten those days for the elect's sake. This is the Jewish elect, the remnant that shall be saved. Whether the tribulation affects the whole world or not and it probably will but the main focus will be in the nation of Israel. The whole purpose of the tribulation is to bring Israel back to God and show them that the Jesus Christ whom their ancestors rejected is the Messiah. The second purpose of the tribulation is to show the kingdoms of the world who God is and bring judgment on those who have rebelled against Him and persecuted the believers and the nation of Israel. God has not forgotten Israel.
Don't believe anyone who says, here is Christ. False prophets and false teachers will increase in the last days. They will probably imitate the true preachers of the gospel and even try to exercise signs and wonders. This should not make us avoid signs and wonders because remember, false signs will imitate the true. We do not abandon something good just because some try to imitate that good. Do people stop buying diamonds because fake diamonds exist? False prophets will not gain followers by standing up and announcing that they are false teachers. They will be imitating the true teachers. They will look like the true ones up to a point. Take heed. Any that uses the name of Christ to draw followers after themselves instead of God beware of. At first they may appear to draw people after God and they may even start out that way but just as soon as they start drawing attention to themselves instead of Christ, avoid them like the plague. Jesus is the hope not any man. Jesus is the way, not any person. The focus must stay on the savior. Jim Jones started out preaching the gospel. The moment he started throwing the bible down and exalting himself those people should have run for their life. The minute Jeffery Lungrin started twisting the scripture for his own lustful desires, those people should have gotten out quickly. We are to love our church leaders and love our preachers but the minute our affection becomes higher than our love for the Lord, beware that is a dangerous sign. No man should be exalted above the Lord. Although false prophets will sometimes preach judgment too and use the same scriptures that the true teachers use, if we stay filled with the Spirit and stay in God's word we will know the difference. I must add here that there are false prophets that do not act in a radical crazy manner too. Those that teach smooth things and appear to care for people. They may even feed the poor and do good deeds. I read that Jim Jones did good things for people at the beginning. And we should be doing good things too but for the right reasons. Do they teach repentance, do they warn against sin and do they allow things the bible speak of as sin in their own lives? Good deeds and helping the poor is wonderful but it does not take the place of the gospel. Feeding the hungry should be done by every true believer but it will not save a lost soul by itself. Beware of feel good messages that do not warn against sin or preach repentance. I believe the signs in the heavens to be literal and will come during the tribulation. All these may bring some to the fear of God and repentance but if we read the book of Revelation not all will repent. In fact there are disasters now taking place some very severe. Instead of taking it as a judgment or warning from God they are blaming global warming and air pollution. Some have even declared that it is not judgment from the Lord but Satan that causes disasters. However if we read the Old Testament prophets and warnings given to nations that turn against God we will see that God does allow evil to befall a backslidden nation. That may not be the picture some of us like to have but we must walk in truth and not just tell the good things.
I have been taught my whole life that the tribulation period is full of terrible things and judgment from God. I've been taught that the true believers will escape all these things and stand before the Son of Man at the throne of God. Whether or not the church is taken away at the beginning, the middle or the end of the tribulation is not as important as whether we can stand with faith without wavering and be ready for the coming of the Lord. I started noticing what is said in verse 27 just the other day. He gathers His elect from all the earth but notice it also says to the uttermost part of heaven. That seems to indicate that some were previously taken by what we call the rapture and are in heaven, returning with Jesus when He comes to set up His kingdom on earth. He also gathers the believers that are on the earth too because many have come to Jesus after the rapture. Mostly it is probably the Jewish people but God will save anyone who repents and receives Him as savior and Lord. A good sign to look for is do we want the Lord to come? Do we look forward to His appearing? Does the thought of His coming bring fear instead of comfort? We must be spiritually ready no matter which way it happens. The bible does say that no man knows the day or hour. This implies that we live in constant readiness and not be spiritually asleep, overcome with the things of this life and be alert to the word of God and His will for our individual lives. It appears here that when things are so bad that mankind could not possibly survive much longer, Jesus comes with the clouds and sends the angels to gather the elect, or called of God, to Him to abide with Him forever. Some bible scholars believe this is the end of the 7 years tribulation and the ones gathered here are the ones who were saved after the rapture of the church. Others teach that there is no rapture and this is the time of the resurrection and the only coming of Christ. There is verses that support the rapture which view I hold, and that the tribulation or the arrival of the antichrist or wicked one can't really come until the hinderer of lawlessness is removed which is the spirit filled praying godly church. Some believe the one that hinders is the Holy Spirit. Since the Holy Spirit abides within true believers, they will be going also. The emphasis though must be on being ready rather than argue over the timing of the rapture. Either way we need to be right with God or we will not make it. If we can't stand for Christ now when things are good, how can we stand when trouble arises and persecution for the gospel's sake. Now is the time to live for God and make sure our hearts are right with Him. If we have sin in our hearts, let's get it out. We can't do this by ourselves; we need the cleansing that comes from the very Son of God who died for us, Jesus Christ. Yes, it is possible for believers who once have walked close to God to allow the cares of this life and even sin to reenter their hearts. There are warnings all through the bible against falling away from God. There are warnings in Revelations against lukewarmness. Jesus warned the churches in Revelation to repent time and time again. We must take heed. I would love to believe the once saved always saved gospel but I cannot in light of the warning scriptures that Jesus gives, Paul gives, John, Peter, Jude and others. If we could not possibly be lost, why would Jesus warn us not to be deceived. Believing in Jesus means to trust in Him and Him only for salvation but to trust in Him is to trust in everything He said not just part of it. Remember the same Jesus that said "Neither do I condemn thee," also said, "Go and sin no more."
This is the key verse here. Watch and pray. I don't believe in arguing over pre-trib, mid-trib or post-trib rapture. I believe the main emphasis should be to watch and pray. If there is a pre-trib rapture (which I strongly believe in) and catching away of believers to be with the Lord and escape the things that are to come to pass , that is great. Let's go... but if not we need to watch and pray either way it goes. To argue about it is pointless. We watchful obey the Holy Spirit and take heed is the main point of this message. Watch and Pray is what Jesus is telling us here. DC
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