Text: Mark 13:5-23, Title: Signs of the Times, Date/Place: 1/11/09, PM
A. Opening illustration: A priest and a rabbi from local parishes were standing by the side of the road holding up signs. The rabbi’s read, "The End is Near!" The priest, on the other side of the road, held up a sign which read, "Turn before it’s too late!" They planned to hold up their signs to each passing car. "Get a job." The first driver yelled. The second, immediately behind the first, yelled, "Leave us alone you religious freaks"! Shortly, from around the curve, they heard screeching tires and a splash followed by more screeching tires and another splash. The rabbi looked over at his companion and said, "Do you think we should try a different sign"? The other man responded, "Perhaps, ’Bridge Out’ might be better"?
B. Background to passage: do a review slide with variants of premillenialism and a brief timeline of the tribulation period and the rapture. In these verses Jesus begins to answer their questions about the end of the age with signs of cosmic upheaval. The paragraph that begins in verse 24 is the beginnings of the dealings with the coming of the Son of Man after the tribulation (Rev 19), so these verses tonight deal with the tribulation itself.
C. Main thought: To show Jesus’ answer to the signs of the end of the age, related to the tribulation.
A. The Beginning of Sorrows (v. 5-8)
1. As we spoke of last week the bible speaks of a time called the great tribulation. It is a seven year period divided in half in which God will bring about the end of the age. And here in v. 5 Jesus starts to describe what he calls “the beginnings of sorrows,” which is the start of this seven year period. The middle point of this period occurs in v. 14, more on that in a minute. But Jesus here gives five signs that would signal the beginning of the tribulation. Note that none of them is the rapture of the church. Paul has a similar argument giving signs that must precede Christ’s coming for the church. Jesus says that there will be 1) false Christs, deceivers, and religious leaders that come in His name; 2) political turmoil resulting in war and rumors of wars; 3) nations and kingdoms will take up sides against one another; 4) natural disastrous phenomenon such as earthquakes will increase; 5) and famines will be frequent as well. The Matthew text also speaks of pestilences and disease. Then He reminds them, the end is not yet, these are only the beginning of the end.
2. 2 Thess 2:1-3, 1 John 4:1, Mark 13:21-22, 2 Tim 3:13, 1 John 2:18, Matt 24:6,
3. Illustration: (Issue: July 1, 2002) “The Bible & the Apocalypse! Why more Americans are reading and talking about THE END OF THE WORLD!” Nancy Gibbs authored the article entitled: Apocalypse Now. “What do you watch for, when you are watching the news?…For many years the Church and Bible scholars have used the word “Apocalypse” and even said we live in such an age…The article continues by pointing out that even the pre-Christian is thinking about the future. Recent polls suggest that 35% of Americans say they are paying closer attention to news events and how they relate to the coming of the world since the terrorist attacks of September 11th. 17% of Americans believe the end of the world will happen in their lifetime. Father Divine, David Koresh, David Applewhite, Jim Jones, Rev. Sun Myung Moon of the Unification Church who all actually claim to be Jesus Christ. One Christian leader claims that since 1900, over 1,100 people have claimed to be Christ. Historians all agree that the 20th century was unparalleled in the scale of its human misery created by other humans. No period has witnessed the escalation of wars as has the 20th Century. The Red Cross has estimated that over 100 million people have been killed, The World Almanac tells us that there were only 21 earthquakes of major strength between the years 1000 and 1800. But between 1800 and 1900 there were 18 major earthquakes. In the next 50 years, between 1900 and 1950, there were 33 major quakes, and between 1950 and 1991 there were 93 major earthquakes
4. These signs given are fairly generic, and probably not intentioned to allow us to be very specific. For surely at many points in Christian history these things have been active in the world simultaneously. So does that mean that we are not in the “last days?” No, it is clear from biblical revelation that we are in the last days, as many of the OT and NT writers said explicitly that. And so the point is exactly what Jesus said, these are the beginnings, remember, I have told you beforehand. Jesus does seem to imply that the church would see and be present during this time. Therefore we must be prepared to endure suffering that will come to our world; not as the wrath of God upon us, but as a test of faith and a testimony to the world.
B. The Intensifying Persecution (v. 9-13)
1. And in case you thought that was bad, Jesus says that it gets worse for us. The next thing that He predicts to take place as a sign of the end coming is intense persecution. He says that Christians will be hated, beaten, jailed, falsely accused, dragged into courtrooms for their faith. He indicates that this persecution will be so intense that families will turn against each other, handing their family members over to authorities to put to death. He seems to indicate as well that this will be a means of the propagation of the gospel, for a testimony, for work among the nations.
2. Matt 10:22, Rev 6:10-11, 7:14, 1 Pet 4:14, Heb 11:36-38, 1 Thess 3:3, John 16:2, 15:20, Mar 10:29-30
3. Illustration: read the highlighted portions of the article written by Dr. Neil Chadwick, Since the death of Jesus Christ, 2000 years ago, 43 million Christians have become martyrs • Over 50% of these were in the last century alone • More than 200 million Christians face persecution each day, 60% of whom are children • Every day over 300 people are killed for their faith in Jesus Christ. — World Evangelical Encyclopedia, an average of 160,000 Christians have been killed every year since 1990 in a variety of nations such as Pakistan, Sudan, Algeria, and Nigeria, the Canadian pastor who was fined and jailed and censored for remarks he made about the ill effects of homosexuality on society after a lawsuit from a gay professor at a Canadian University,
4. Persecution is on the rise, and Jesus says that in the last days it will only get worse. So prepare yourself! You don’t have to worry about what to say when you are drug before the magistrates, so as long as you are truly born again. Speak what you hear from the Spirit in that hour. We are told these things then admonished to endurance. Remember that your goal is to glorify God through suffering well, enduring to the end, being faithful to Jesus Christ to the very last breath. Not that we should dwell upon it, but what if we are called to choose death or our faith, or worse yet, our children’s death or our faith. Where would you draw the line? Our loyalties are, and will be tested severely, prepare your hearts now. Do you give up your other friends if captured? Do you give up your bibles? (Maybe bibles, but not guns!)
C. The Abomination of Desolation (v. 14-20)
1. The next paragraph of prophecy gives us our only specific sign to watch for. Jesus says to let the reader understand and watch for the Abomination of Desolation. Explain Antiochus Epiphanes in 167 BC and the Maccabean Revolt. This is what Jesus and any Jews would have had in mind. So how does this relate to the tribulation? Jesus said that when you see something that is equal in blasphemy to sacrificing a pig on the altar, it’s gonna get really bad. The bible prophesies a time where the Antichrist will halt sacrifices in the rebuild temple, reneging on his agreement, and set himself up as god in the Temple. The bulk of the suffering pictured in the tribulation is after the half-way point 3.5 years. As Jesus says, the world will have never seen the kind of suffering that will be seen after that point. The prescriptions Jesus makes here are of complete and cataclysmic destruction. And here are some reasons why a mid-tribulational rapture could solve lingering problems with pre and post. The shortening of days for the elect’s sake could indicate this rapture. Note that it does indicate believers will see it, but their days be shortened.
2. 2 Thess 2:3-4, Rev 13:5-6, 14:14-16, Dan 8:11-12, 9:27, 11:36,
3. Illustration: In history, 160 years before the birth of Jesus, there is the story of the Maccabean revolt in Israel. Antiochus IV, King of Syria, had conquered Jerusalem, & he decided to destroy the Jewish religion & make the Jews deny their faith in God. Among the many things he did was to order the people to sacrifice pigs upon their altars built for the worship of God. Of course this was an abomination to the Jews. History records the story of one Jewish mother with 7 sons. The soldiers came first to the oldest son & ordered him to offer a pig upon the altar. The son refused. So they cut out his tongue. Still he refused, so they scalped him. Since he still refused, they cut off his hands & feet & threw his mangled body into a pit of fire where it was consumed. They went to the second son & ordered him to offer a pig upon the altar. When he refused, they fried him alive in a giant skillet. The third, the fourth, the fifth, & the sixth all refused & all died after a variety of horrible tortures. Finally they came to the baby of the family, just a boy. Even the most hardened of the soldiers didn’t want to see him die. So they went to the mother & said, “If you’ll just ask him to place the pork to his lips, that will be enough, & we’ll spare his life.” History records that the mother took her son, her youngest, & said to him, “Son, I carried you in my womb for 9 months. I nursed you for 3 years. I raised you for a moment like this. I encourage you to stand strong in your faith & follow in the steps of your brothers. And when you die, I will die to be with you.”
4. We must remember God’s love for His elect even through suffering. This is true now as well as during the tribulation. His protection is generally not from pain, but through pain. The church will be purified further in this age than ever because the nominal believers will fall away. And all those that do endure to the end will be saved. The sufferings that we are enduring economically are nothing compared to what we must endure. And if I am wrong and the church is whisked away before all of this happens, praise the Lord! But it seems to show that the church will suffer at least through part of the tribulation before meeting her Bridegroom. So the message of Mark 13 is to prepare yourself for suffering.
A. Closing illustration: In the days before Connecticut became a state, the colonial legislature was in session when a thick black cloud blocked out the sunlight. Someone shouted, "It is the Day of Judgment Let’s go home and get ready" But one member of the legislature, who happened to be an old church deacon, stood up and said, "Brethren, it may be The Day of Judgment--I do not know. The Lord may come. But when He does, I want Him to find me at my post, doing my duty up to the very last moment. Mr. Speaker, I move that candles be brought in and that we get on with the business of the colony." In the same way, as we have seen tonight the signs are pointing to the fact that Jesus could return at any moment. But until He does, our duty as His servants is to make the best use of our talents and our opportunities. We need to continue doing the business of His Kingdom, by sharing the Gospel message of His Love and His Grace with everyone that is lost and dying in their sins.
B. Read v. 21-23
C. Invitation to commitment
Additional Notes
• Is Christ Exalted, Magnified, Honored, and Glorified?
