Be Ready For The End Times
Mark 13:1-13
Message #50
We’re back in our verse-by-verse study of Mark today. And since this is Palm Sunday, I really wanted to call this message “Triumphal Re-Entry” to connect it to Palm Sunday, but I couldn’t. We just did the Triumphal Entry in Mark not too many weeks ago. So, I thought I would just forge ahead today to the next section. Let’s pray we would be ready for the end times.
I think we’ve done six messages on the attacks and debates that Jesus faced from the religious leaders on just this one day of the Passion Week.
And so, as we start today, Jesus is just leaving the Temple after a very wild and crazy day and as Jesus leaves, one of the Disciples comments about the magnificent temple.
Mark 13:1 (NLT)
1 As Jesus was leaving the Temple that day, one of his disciples said, “Teacher, look at these magnificent buildings! Look at the impressive stones in the walls.”
Have you ever been impressed with a church building? I sure have – in fact, I analyze every detail and people love to be in big, impressive church buildings.
But no church building of any era has ever been anywhere close to the Temple in Jerusalem at this time.
From a distance, it looked like a mountain of gold, because its exterior was plated with gold and silver. It rose ninety feet into the air.
The Historian Josephus wrote:
being covered on all sides with massive plates of gold, the sun was no sooner up than it radiated so fiery a flash that persons straining to look at it were compelled to avert their eyes, as from the solar rays. To approaching strangers it appeared from a distance like a snow-clad mountain; for all that was not overlaid with gold was of purest white.
And the Jewish people viewed the Temple as proof that God was with them. And they made a very clear connection between the magnificence of the Temple and the magnificence of their God.
But here’s the first lesson. No building can house the magnificence of God.
Acts 7:48-49 (NLT)
48 . . . the Most High doesn’t live in temples made by human hands. As the prophet says, 49 ‘Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool. Could you build me a temple as good as that?’ asks the Lord . . .
And so, Jesus is going to take this opportunity to rock his Disciples about more than just the Temple. Jesus is about to shake the foundation of their end-times expectations because the Disciples needed to be shaken to be prepared for what was coming, just like we need to be prepared today.
And so, Jesus responds in Mark 13:2.
Mark 13:2 (NLT)
2 Jesus replied, “Yes, look at these great buildings. But they will be completely demolished. Not one stone will be left on top of another!”
This was earth-shaking prophecy and it was precisely fulfilled in 70 A.D. by the Roman army, and as Jesus said, not one stone was left on top of another.
The pile of stones from the destruction of the Temple in 70 A.D. still currently lay on the streets of Jerusalem from 70 A.D. below the Temple Mount.
But listen, the reason this prophecy from Jesus was so shocking was because these Disciples thought they were living in the end times.
Because they knew in the end times
1). Israel would be in troubled times and they were (Rome)
2). A forerunner would come and he did (John the Baptist)
3). The Messiah would enter Jerusalem as a King and Jesus did
4). Then all Israel would live under the rule of the Messiah with the Temple as the centerpiece of the Messiah’s rule
And so, they thought they were in phase four of the end times already.
Remember, the Disciples still didn’t understand that the cross was coming in just a few days. At this point, they thought they were only waiting for Jesus to run Rome out of the land and set up his throne as Messiah and Kind in Jerusalem with the Temple as the center of all Jewish life.
And so, the Disciples are certainly rocked (and Jesus wanted them rocked) because he wanted to prepare them in the same way that he wants to prepare us.
Because Jesus does not want us to be misled, deceived, or discouraged. Instead, he wants us to push hard. He wants us to follow hard after him to the very end, whenever that comes.
So, the Disciples send in the inner circle (Peter, James, and John) to ask Jesus for more information about this shocking statement. And then Andrew (Peter’s brother) is like, “Come on you guys, let me go with you…” And so, we read the following in Mark 13:3-4.
Mark 13:3-4 (NLT)
3 Later, Jesus sat on the Mount of Olives across the valley from the Temple. Peter, James, John, and Andrew came to him privately and asked him,
4 “Tell us, when will all this happen? What sign will show us that these things are about to be fulfilled?”
And when we go to Israel, we sit on the Mount of Olives just across the valley from the Temple, maybe near the same place Jesus was now sitting with his Disciples.
And the inner three (with Andrew) come and ask Jesus, “When will all this happen? and What will the sign be?” and this launches Jesus into what is commonly called the “Olivet Discourse.”
But what we’ve got to understand as we approach this text is although this is prophecy, it’s clear that prophecy is not the primary purpose of this long discourse from Jesus.
Jesus is speaking here as a Shepherd, a Pastor. Jesus is not so much detailing end-times prophecy as he is encouraging the Disciples to push hard and to follow hard after him through all that will come until his return. He’s encouraging his Disciples to be steadfast and faithful until he returns.
And so, the Disciples ask
When will this happen?
What signs will we see?
The Disciples ask about “timing” and “signs” and Jesus replies with something far more important.
Mark 13:5-6 (NLT)
5 Jesus replied, “Don’t let anyone mislead you,
6 for many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah.’ They will deceive many.
From that day to this day, we desperately need to hear this truth. Don’t be misled or deceived. There are plenty of people out there peddling their ideas of the truth and claiming to be the answer for people.
But none of them or their ideas can ever begin to measure up to the supernatural, miraculously proven 2,000-year-old foundation of the Bible. Not to mention the historical fact of the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.
Don’t be misled and don’t be deceived because Jesus says many will come with messianic claims and they will deceive many. Don’t be duped by them.
And then, in Mark 13:7-8 Jesus continues with the “don’t be” warnings.
Mark 13:7-8(a) (NLT)
7 And you will hear of wars and threats of wars, but don’t panic. Yes, these things must take place, but the end won’t follow immediately. 8 Nation will go to war against nation, and kingdom against kingdom . . .
Don’t be deceived (verses 5-6) and don’t panic (verse 7). Don’t be deceived by those selling their own truth. Don’t panic about a general lack of peace on earth. There have always been those who deceive and mislead. There have always been wars and threats of wars. These things must take place because we live in a sinful, fallen world. But these things (by themselves) do not indicate the end of the age.
And then Jesus says it’s the same with natural disasters.
Mark 13:8(b) (NLT)
8 . . . There will be earthquakes in many parts of the world, as well as famines. But this is only the first of the birth pains, with more to come.
Just as deception and wars, earthquakes and famines have always been a part of this fallen world. But – it’s all only the beginning of “birth pains” and there are more to come before Jesus returns.
Since the Old Testament prophets, birth pains have been used to illustrate the birthing of the new world, the new earth, the new heaven, and eternal life. And so, Jesus uses that illustration here to connect to those Old Testament prophets.
And then, in verse 9, Jesus gets personal.
Mark 13:9 (NLT)
9 “When these things begin to happen, watch out (be on guard)! You will be handed over to the local councils and beaten in the synagogues. You will stand trial before governors and kings because you are my followers. But this will be your opportunity to tell them about me.
This began happening within months of Jesus speaking these words. From the beginning of the Book of Acts, this is exactly what happened to these Disciples and since that time it has happened over and over again, throughout history. It is still happening in many parts of the world and it may soon be happening in our part of the world.
But notice Mark 13:10.
Mark 13:10 (NLT)
10 For the Good News must first be preached to all nations.
This does not mean that Jesus will not return until the last person on earth hears the Gospel. I wish it did, and missionaries try to use this verse to inspire people. And we should be inspired, and we should go reach those people. But this is a general statement that the Gospel has to go out.
From the Book of Acts to the underground church in Iran and China today, wherever we see the persecution of believers, we see the spread of the Gospel message. And Christians get strong, they begin to live like Christ-followers when there’s persecution.
It is often said, when the enemy tries to stomp out the fire of the Gospel, he only spreads the coals and starts even more fires.
Since the beginning of the Church, persecution has served to spread the Gospel message.
And you and I, in some way, have a part in that. And so, Jesus says in Mark 13:11,
Mark 13:11 (NLT)
11 But when you are arrested and stand trial, don’t worry in advance about what to say. Just say what God tells you at that time, for it is not you who will be speaking, but the Holy Spirit.
Back in verse 9, Jesus said Be ready – Be on guard and when we are called to speak in these intense settings, Jesus says don’t worry about what to say. At that point, your life is a testimony to the transforming power of Jesus and God will give you the words – by the Holy Spirit. You stand and God will deliver.
But it’s not just “civil persecutions” that we must prepare to face, it is also personal and relational persecutions. Jesus wants us prepared for these persecutions.
Mark 13:12 (NLT)
12 “A brother will betray his brother to death, a father will betray his own child, and children will rebel against their parents and cause them to be killed.
Mark is writing this Gospel to believers in Rome and soon in Rome (under Nero) the intense persecution of Christians would begin and families would turn on their own members who had become Christians in order to save their own lives. And today, in countries like Iran and China, that is still the case. There are places in the world right now where you have to be careful letting your family know that you’re a Christ-follower because they may turn you in for their own skin.
And then, Mark 13:13.
Mark 13:13(a) (NLT)
13 And everyone will hate you because you are my followers . . .
There is a certain time and a certain place where Christ-followers either are – or will be – hated by the world. Jesus said in John 15:18 (NLT) 18 “If the world hates you, remember that it hated me first. These are hard words, but they are words of preparation and warning. Truly following Jesus Christ is going against the flow of the world.
There has always been a determined opposition to Christ-followers in other parts of the world, and it seems to me that we may be seeing the signs of a coming determined opposition toward Christians in our “previously Christian” nation.
But then, here is the end of it all.
Here is the point – especially of this part one of the Olivet Discourse. Guys, Jesus is not interested in “tickling our ears” with signs of the end times. Jesus is interested in this one thing, and it’s in the last half of Mark 13:13.
Mark 13:13(b) (NLT)
13 . . . But the one who endures to the end will be saved.
Jesus is calling his Disciples to get ready to push hard and to follow hard after him – to lean in and to be on guard.
Jesus is preparing his Disciples for what is going to happen as they begin to take the Gospel to the ends of the earth. Jesus is strengthening their resolve (and he wants to strengthen our resolve).
Jesus is giving his Disciples a foundation they can stand on when these things begin to happen, and they did begin to happen, and they are still happening. And at some time, to some extent, we (as Christ-followers) will also experience them.
But, just look at the victory at the end of verse 13. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. If enduring trials and persecution in this world mean spending eternity with God in heaven, then we are resolved, committed, and determined to endure whatever this world can throw at us in order to spend eternity with Jesus Christ in the glory of heaven.
1 Peter 4:12–13 (NLT)
12 Dear friends, don’t be surprised at the fiery trials you are going through, as if something strange were happening to you.
13 Instead, be very glad—for these trials make you partners with Christ in his suffering, so that you will have the wonderful joy of seeing his glory when it is revealed to all the world.
Being faithful through the trials prepares you for his glory for eternity.
2 Corinthians 4:17 (NLT)
17 For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever!
And so, if your eyes are set on that glory, you say, “Bring it. Because all it’s doing is preparing me for glory.”
Romans 8:18 (ESV)
18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.
You can’t even compare them. We’re bound for heaven if we’re believers. We’re bound for glory, and that’s what we press to.
Here is how Jesus begins his discourse on the end times.
Don’t be deceived – don’t panic.
Be ready – be on guard
Hold on to Jesus – endure to the end
That is what we truly need to be ready for the end times.
I think we’ve done six messages on the attacks and debates that Jesus faced from the religious leaders on just this one day of the Passion Week.
And so, as we start today, Jesus is just leaving the Temple after a very wild and crazy day and as Jesus leaves, one of the Disciples comments about the magnificent temple.
Mark 13:1 (NLT)
1 As Jesus was leaving the Temple that day, one of his disciples said, “Teacher, look at these magnificent buildings! Look at the impressive stones in the walls.”
Have you ever been impressed with a church building? I sure have – in fact, I analyze every detail and people love to be in big, impressive church buildings.
But no church building of any era has ever been anywhere close to the Temple in Jerusalem at this time.
From a distance, it looked like a mountain of gold, because its exterior was plated with gold and silver. It rose ninety feet into the air.
The Historian Josephus wrote:
being covered on all sides with massive plates of gold, the sun was no sooner up than it radiated so fiery a flash that persons straining to look at it were compelled to avert their eyes, as from the solar rays. To approaching strangers it appeared from a distance like a snow-clad mountain; for all that was not overlaid with gold was of purest white.
And the Jewish people viewed the Temple as proof that God was with them. And they made a very clear connection between the magnificence of the Temple and the magnificence of their God.
But here’s the first lesson. No building can house the magnificence of God.
Acts 7:48-49 (NLT)
48 . . . the Most High doesn’t live in temples made by human hands. As the prophet says, 49 ‘Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool. Could you build me a temple as good as that?’ asks the Lord . . .
And so, Jesus is going to take this opportunity to rock his Disciples about more than just the Temple. Jesus is about to shake the foundation of their end-times expectations because the Disciples needed to be shaken to be prepared for what was coming, just like we need to be prepared today.
And so, Jesus responds in Mark 13:2.
Mark 13:2 (NLT)
2 Jesus replied, “Yes, look at these great buildings. But they will be completely demolished. Not one stone will be left on top of another!”
This was earth-shaking prophecy and it was precisely fulfilled in 70 A.D. by the Roman army, and as Jesus said, not one stone was left on top of another.
The pile of stones from the destruction of the Temple in 70 A.D. still currently lay on the streets of Jerusalem from 70 A.D. below the Temple Mount.
But listen, the reason this prophecy from Jesus was so shocking was because these Disciples thought they were living in the end times.
Because they knew in the end times
1). Israel would be in troubled times and they were (Rome)
2). A forerunner would come and he did (John the Baptist)
3). The Messiah would enter Jerusalem as a King and Jesus did
4). Then all Israel would live under the rule of the Messiah with the Temple as the centerpiece of the Messiah’s rule
And so, they thought they were in phase four of the end times already.
Remember, the Disciples still didn’t understand that the cross was coming in just a few days. At this point, they thought they were only waiting for Jesus to run Rome out of the land and set up his throne as Messiah and Kind in Jerusalem with the Temple as the center of all Jewish life.
And so, the Disciples are certainly rocked (and Jesus wanted them rocked) because he wanted to prepare them in the same way that he wants to prepare us.
Because Jesus does not want us to be misled, deceived, or discouraged. Instead, he wants us to push hard. He wants us to follow hard after him to the very end, whenever that comes.
So, the Disciples send in the inner circle (Peter, James, and John) to ask Jesus for more information about this shocking statement. And then Andrew (Peter’s brother) is like, “Come on you guys, let me go with you…” And so, we read the following in Mark 13:3-4.
Mark 13:3-4 (NLT)
3 Later, Jesus sat on the Mount of Olives across the valley from the Temple. Peter, James, John, and Andrew came to him privately and asked him,
4 “Tell us, when will all this happen? What sign will show us that these things are about to be fulfilled?”
And when we go to Israel, we sit on the Mount of Olives just across the valley from the Temple, maybe near the same place Jesus was now sitting with his Disciples.
And the inner three (with Andrew) come and ask Jesus, “When will all this happen? and What will the sign be?” and this launches Jesus into what is commonly called the “Olivet Discourse.”
But what we’ve got to understand as we approach this text is although this is prophecy, it’s clear that prophecy is not the primary purpose of this long discourse from Jesus.
Jesus is speaking here as a Shepherd, a Pastor. Jesus is not so much detailing end-times prophecy as he is encouraging the Disciples to push hard and to follow hard after him through all that will come until his return. He’s encouraging his Disciples to be steadfast and faithful until he returns.
And so, the Disciples ask
When will this happen?
What signs will we see?
The Disciples ask about “timing” and “signs” and Jesus replies with something far more important.
Mark 13:5-6 (NLT)
5 Jesus replied, “Don’t let anyone mislead you,
6 for many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah.’ They will deceive many.
From that day to this day, we desperately need to hear this truth. Don’t be misled or deceived. There are plenty of people out there peddling their ideas of the truth and claiming to be the answer for people.
But none of them or their ideas can ever begin to measure up to the supernatural, miraculously proven 2,000-year-old foundation of the Bible. Not to mention the historical fact of the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.
Don’t be misled and don’t be deceived because Jesus says many will come with messianic claims and they will deceive many. Don’t be duped by them.
And then, in Mark 13:7-8 Jesus continues with the “don’t be” warnings.
Mark 13:7-8(a) (NLT)
7 And you will hear of wars and threats of wars, but don’t panic. Yes, these things must take place, but the end won’t follow immediately. 8 Nation will go to war against nation, and kingdom against kingdom . . .
Don’t be deceived (verses 5-6) and don’t panic (verse 7). Don’t be deceived by those selling their own truth. Don’t panic about a general lack of peace on earth. There have always been those who deceive and mislead. There have always been wars and threats of wars. These things must take place because we live in a sinful, fallen world. But these things (by themselves) do not indicate the end of the age.
And then Jesus says it’s the same with natural disasters.
Mark 13:8(b) (NLT)
8 . . . There will be earthquakes in many parts of the world, as well as famines. But this is only the first of the birth pains, with more to come.
Just as deception and wars, earthquakes and famines have always been a part of this fallen world. But – it’s all only the beginning of “birth pains” and there are more to come before Jesus returns.
Since the Old Testament prophets, birth pains have been used to illustrate the birthing of the new world, the new earth, the new heaven, and eternal life. And so, Jesus uses that illustration here to connect to those Old Testament prophets.
And then, in verse 9, Jesus gets personal.
Mark 13:9 (NLT)
9 “When these things begin to happen, watch out (be on guard)! You will be handed over to the local councils and beaten in the synagogues. You will stand trial before governors and kings because you are my followers. But this will be your opportunity to tell them about me.
This began happening within months of Jesus speaking these words. From the beginning of the Book of Acts, this is exactly what happened to these Disciples and since that time it has happened over and over again, throughout history. It is still happening in many parts of the world and it may soon be happening in our part of the world.
But notice Mark 13:10.
Mark 13:10 (NLT)
10 For the Good News must first be preached to all nations.
This does not mean that Jesus will not return until the last person on earth hears the Gospel. I wish it did, and missionaries try to use this verse to inspire people. And we should be inspired, and we should go reach those people. But this is a general statement that the Gospel has to go out.
From the Book of Acts to the underground church in Iran and China today, wherever we see the persecution of believers, we see the spread of the Gospel message. And Christians get strong, they begin to live like Christ-followers when there’s persecution.
It is often said, when the enemy tries to stomp out the fire of the Gospel, he only spreads the coals and starts even more fires.
Since the beginning of the Church, persecution has served to spread the Gospel message.
And you and I, in some way, have a part in that. And so, Jesus says in Mark 13:11,
Mark 13:11 (NLT)
11 But when you are arrested and stand trial, don’t worry in advance about what to say. Just say what God tells you at that time, for it is not you who will be speaking, but the Holy Spirit.
Back in verse 9, Jesus said Be ready – Be on guard and when we are called to speak in these intense settings, Jesus says don’t worry about what to say. At that point, your life is a testimony to the transforming power of Jesus and God will give you the words – by the Holy Spirit. You stand and God will deliver.
But it’s not just “civil persecutions” that we must prepare to face, it is also personal and relational persecutions. Jesus wants us prepared for these persecutions.
Mark 13:12 (NLT)
12 “A brother will betray his brother to death, a father will betray his own child, and children will rebel against their parents and cause them to be killed.
Mark is writing this Gospel to believers in Rome and soon in Rome (under Nero) the intense persecution of Christians would begin and families would turn on their own members who had become Christians in order to save their own lives. And today, in countries like Iran and China, that is still the case. There are places in the world right now where you have to be careful letting your family know that you’re a Christ-follower because they may turn you in for their own skin.
And then, Mark 13:13.
Mark 13:13(a) (NLT)
13 And everyone will hate you because you are my followers . . .
There is a certain time and a certain place where Christ-followers either are – or will be – hated by the world. Jesus said in John 15:18 (NLT) 18 “If the world hates you, remember that it hated me first. These are hard words, but they are words of preparation and warning. Truly following Jesus Christ is going against the flow of the world.
There has always been a determined opposition to Christ-followers in other parts of the world, and it seems to me that we may be seeing the signs of a coming determined opposition toward Christians in our “previously Christian” nation.
But then, here is the end of it all.
Here is the point – especially of this part one of the Olivet Discourse. Guys, Jesus is not interested in “tickling our ears” with signs of the end times. Jesus is interested in this one thing, and it’s in the last half of Mark 13:13.
Mark 13:13(b) (NLT)
13 . . . But the one who endures to the end will be saved.
Jesus is calling his Disciples to get ready to push hard and to follow hard after him – to lean in and to be on guard.
Jesus is preparing his Disciples for what is going to happen as they begin to take the Gospel to the ends of the earth. Jesus is strengthening their resolve (and he wants to strengthen our resolve).
Jesus is giving his Disciples a foundation they can stand on when these things begin to happen, and they did begin to happen, and they are still happening. And at some time, to some extent, we (as Christ-followers) will also experience them.
But, just look at the victory at the end of verse 13. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. If enduring trials and persecution in this world mean spending eternity with God in heaven, then we are resolved, committed, and determined to endure whatever this world can throw at us in order to spend eternity with Jesus Christ in the glory of heaven.
1 Peter 4:12–13 (NLT)
12 Dear friends, don’t be surprised at the fiery trials you are going through, as if something strange were happening to you.
13 Instead, be very glad—for these trials make you partners with Christ in his suffering, so that you will have the wonderful joy of seeing his glory when it is revealed to all the world.
Being faithful through the trials prepares you for his glory for eternity.
2 Corinthians 4:17 (NLT)
17 For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever!
And so, if your eyes are set on that glory, you say, “Bring it. Because all it’s doing is preparing me for glory.”
Romans 8:18 (ESV)
18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.
You can’t even compare them. We’re bound for heaven if we’re believers. We’re bound for glory, and that’s what we press to.
Here is how Jesus begins his discourse on the end times.
Don’t be deceived – don’t panic.
Be ready – be on guard
Hold on to Jesus – endure to the end
That is what we truly need to be ready for the end times.