LANGUAGE:
(Mark 13:5-13)
As we open up God’s Word, I invite you to turn with me to Mark chap 13. We’ve been following Jesus thru the eyes of Mark, who we believe is following Jesus through the eyes of Peter. This will be our second look at this chapter. We pick up our study with the question posed by the disciples to Jesus in v4,
4“Tell us, when will this happen? What will be the sign when all this will come to an end?”
That question comes from Jesus telling the disciples in v2 that the temple was to be demolished stone by stone. For the disciples, the destruction of the temple surely meant ‘the end’ life as they knew it. And so they ask: 4when will this happen? What will be the sign when all this will come to an end?”
V5Jesus answered them, “Be careful not to let anyone deceive you. 6Many will come using my name. They will say, ‘I am he,’ and they will deceive many people. 7“When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, don’t be alarmed! These things must happen, but they don’t mean that the end has come. -- 8Nation will fight against nation and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes and famines in various places. These are only the beginning pains ⌊of the end⌋. 9“Be on your guard! People will hand you over to the Jewish courts and whip you in their synagogues. You will stand in front of governors and kings to testify to them because of me.10But first, the Good News must be spread to all nations. 11When they take you away to hand you over to the authorities, don’t worry ahead of time about what you will say. Instead, say whatever is given to you to say when the time comes. Indeed, you are not the one who will be speaking, but the Holy Spirit will. 12“Brother will hand over brother to death; a father will hand over his child. Children will rebel against their parents and kill them. 13Everyone will hate you because you are committed to me. But the person who endures to the end will be saved.
Let’s bow in prayer--Heavenly Father, clear our minds as we open Your eternal Word to us. Help us to realize that what we hold in our hands is the Sword of the Spirit. Because it is the Sword of the Spirit, I ask that the Spirit awaken our spirits so that we might hear from You and apply it’s truths to our daily living. I ask that the Holy Spirit help us to think clearly, feel deeply, and respond properly to what You have for us today and this week. In the name of our Lord and Savior, we ask these things. Amen
As we delve into this chapter, we need to keep in mind that Jesus follows the pattern of the prophets of old. He speaks to the moment . . . then jumps way ahead to the future.
Well, in case you haven’t noticed, the end of the world was not only a hot topic for the disciples, it is a hot topic in today’s world. I don’t know if you have heard this . . . but the latest date that I've come across for the end of the world comes from a computer program. It was developed at MIT and predicts the end of our civilization to be sometime between the years 2040 to 2050. You might be interested to know that this prediction was made back in 1973,[i]and here we are in the year 2022. For you who struggle with math, that means we have approximately 18 yrs left of earth time. Just know that the Followers of Jesus are not the only one’s trying to figure out when life as we know it stops.
But to ease any fears we might have, Jesus tells us that we’ll never figure it out, v32, concerning that day or that hour, no one knows.
In my notes I jotted down John 14:1-3, Don’t let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God, believe also in Me. I am leaving to prepare a place for you. But I am coming back to get you.
But at the same time we should be careful that we don’t fall into a mocking skepticism mentioned in 2 Peter 3:3–4 (GW) where we are told that in the last days people who follow their own desires will ridicule God 4by saying, “What’s happened to His promise to return? Because ever since our ancestors died, everything continues as it did from the beginning of the world.”
Listen, I have it on good authority that Jesus will return. You’ll remember, as Jesus floated into the heavens in Acts 1:11, two men appeared in white cloths, said to the disciples: “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into the sky? This Jesus (not another Jesus, but this Jesus) who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in just the same way as you have watched Him go into heaven.” 1 John 3:3 (ESV) there is coming a day when we shall see Him just as He is.[ii]
With that in our minds, let’s take a closer look at how Jesus answered the disciple’s question in v4. Now notice v5: He begins with a strong word of warning--See to it that no one misleads you. – To say, See to it that no one misleads you is a call for a disciplined mind. We’re not talking about alarm clocks, time cards and exercise. We’re talking about living like a soldier in a battlefield. To live like a solider we must have our ears tuned to sounds, eyes piercing the darkness, feet planted for action, hands on our sword, mind fully awake. Proverbs 24:10 (GW) If you faint in a crisis, you are weak. Mental and emotional discipline is a top priority. Soft living will derail you.
Jesus now gives his disciples clues about what lies ahead, which includes the destruction of the temple, which removes it from their spiritual lives.
Now the central theme is that they should not be deceived by coming events.[iii] Jesus calls His followers to faithfulness in spite of the difficulties to come-- a call for godly discernment in the midst of “birth pains” in order to stand as a faithful witness. Because the temptation will be to panic under the coming turmoil. But, the “end”, in this context the “end” of the Temple, is not to stop them from proclaiming the Gospel of the Kingdom. In spite of the coming turmoil, they are called to proclaim the gospel. And it is because of their allegiance to the gospel that they will be forced to stand before courts and governing officials.[iv]
Let’s take a closer look at Jesus’ warnings so that we do not get deceived as some have been deceived.
In response to the disciples’ question, “Tell us . . . what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?” -- Jesus warns the disciples, V6, that many will come in my name, saying I am he! And will mislead many.[v]
Hear well Jesus’ warning to His disciples: Watch out for imposters, religious counterfeits, hucksters, religious con artists’ begging for your attention. They will pretend to be Jesus or His representatives, but they will not be true representatives of Jesus. They will pretend to have a word from Jesus, but the word will not come from Jesus. A case in point, according to Wikipedia there have been 31 people in our century who have indeed claimed to be Jesus.[vi]
The point is, religious hucksters seek to take advantage of dire times to fleece the anxious. They know that when people get scared, they more often than not do not think straight.[vii] 2 Timothy 4:3, there is coming a time when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear” --giving sermons that charm rather than challenge, that entertain rather than edify, and that please rather than preach.[viii]
These are just a view of the groups vying for our attention.
Vs7-8, responding to the disciple’s question, Jesus tells them that they “will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but these things must happen, but they don’t mean that the end has come. “For nation will rise up against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; These things are merely the beginning of birth pangs.
In troubling times, we have a tendency to assume that the end of the age is near, but Jesus said that wars and rumors of wars are not signs of the end. In addition, you might be interested in the word nation. It is the translation of the GK word ethnicity. I seriously doubt Jesus had in mind our concept of nations. I suspect that He is talking more about mounting racial, ethnic tension—the break out of racial wars.
You should know that on any given day at any given moment in our world that there are at least 15 wars and armed conflicts actively going on around the world that we rarely, if ever hear about.[xiii]. They include places like . . .
These wars have a lot to do with ethnicity, and the point is, we’re not the only ones that struggle with ethnic and racial issues. Jesus said that just because there will be growing racial ethnic tension, V7-8, do not be frightened; those things must take place, but this is not the end, they are beginning of birth pains. “Catastrophes will happen, but these do not signal the end.”
The point is, as tension rise, that’s an indicator that the world is being prepared to receive a savior. Satan will raise up the antichrist—one who promises an end to hostilities through a new world order, united under his leadership. Be warned. [xv]
V8, responding to the disciple’s question, Jesus tells them that there will be earthquakes and famines. You might be interested to know that worldwide there are around 1400 earthquakes each day, which equals roughly 500,000 each year. Of those we actually feel roughly 275 of them.
You might be wondering is it possible that an earthquake could possibly destroy the earth? I am told that in all probability a magnitude 15 could do just that.[xviii] And by the way, there is a seismical region called the Pacific Ring of Fire which runs roughly 25,000 miles in length that could alter the earth as we know it.[xix]
What about famines? Millions of people have died from famines since Jesus' warning--25 million in the 6th century Plague of Justinian, 50 million from the Black Death in the 14th century, and 15 million in China and India in the early 20th century. Famines come because of droughts, poor farming habits, armed conflict and political repression[xx] The deadliest famine in history took place in China between 1959 and 1961, often referred to as one of the greatest man-made disasters. It was caused by a combination of political and social factors brought about by decisions made by the People’s Republic of China.[xxi]
Now notice what Jesus said, V8, these things are ‘merely’ the beginning of birth pangs. These things include religious imposters, wars, ethnic and ruler struggles, . . . they must take place; but that is not yet the end . . . they are merely the beginning of birth pains.
It’s worth noting that in the Gospel of Luke we are told that there will be also terrors and great signs from heaven (Luke 21:11)
Vs9-13, responding to the disciple’s question, Jesus tells them that there will be great persecutions V9, you’ll be flogged in the synagogues, V11 you’ll be arrested, v12 there will be family betrayals, V13, and you will be hated by all because of My name.
The annual World Watch List produced by Christian Charity Open Doors shows there is a huge increase in persecutions over previous years[xxii] Today it is reported that over 100,000 Christians are violently killed every year.[xxiii] John 15:19 Jesus told His disciples, "If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you." Though we do not have the persecution terror of China, Iran, Afghanistan, North Korea, it is creeping into our own country by stealth.
Let’s pause at this point and reflect on what we have learned.
David Garland, in his commentary on Mark, points out for us that Jesus’ was warning the disciples of coming dangers to prevent them from being mesmerized by end-time fervor. Terrible events will occur, but the point here, they needed to break from the temple and flee its domain. The coming events should not cause dread or hysteria or distract them from their calling.[xxvi]
As we wrap up our study, let me give you a couple of pointers:
Mark this down. In answering the disciples request, Jesus tells them that there is coming a whirlwind of spiritual negativity, but do not be alarmed. Instead, be like the Bereans in Acts 17:11 who, upon hearing Paul and Silas, examined the Scriptures every day to see if what they were teaching were true.
It is interesting that when Jesus came, He announcing, “I am he” (14:62; see 6:50), but He was not believed. But messianic frauds come and say, “I am he,” and many will be swept off their feet.[xxvii]So watch out for religious hucksters, people preaching a gospel that replaces Jesus with dollars like Kenneth Copeland, Paul Crouch, Benny Hinn.
Jesus told His disciples to sharpen their focus, to see through the coming impostors, know who they are, mark them down, and do not be caught up in the excited delusions brought by them.[xxviii]
Don’t be excessively alarmed by the waring nations. Vs7–8 (GW) 7“When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, don’t be alarmed! These things must happen, but they don’t mean that the end has come. 8Nation will fight against nation and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes and famines in various places. Mark this down, These things are merely the beginning of birth pains[xxix]
“These things”—refers back to the men who claim to be the Messiah (v 6), the wars and the rumors of war (v 7), the strife between ethnic groups (v 8a), and the earthquakes and famines (v 8b)—these are but “the beginning of birth pains.” The image of birth pains hints at something new is about to emerge.[xxx] The beginning of birth pains are the early warning signs that the birth of the Kingdom is approaching. Listen, we are all smart people. We know by observation and experience that
Both the unwanted labor pains and the highly desired child are thrusted into the forefront of everyone’s thoughts and plans.[xxxi] Birth pains are meant to sharpen our focus . . . and in context, these birth pains are meant to motivate us as heralds of the Gospel of the Kingdom. V10 (GW) The Gospel of the Kingdom must first be preached to all the nations. When we see and feel the birth pains, the message of the Gospel of the Kingdom should readily flow from our lips. Peter would later give us this advice in 1 Peter 2:12 (NASB95) Keep your behavior excellent among the Gentiles/ unbelievers, so that in the thing in which they slander you as evildoers, they may because of your good deeds, as they observe them, glorify God in the day of visitation.
Jesus gives these warnings so that the disciples and us will not be surprised and can respond appropriately when suffering comes front center. Be ready, V9, for they will deliver you to the courts . . . for My sake, as a testimony. Suffering and hatred come to Followers of Jesus because they preach the gospel of the Kingdom faithfully.
Gospel antagonism can be so intense that family members will turn on other family members because they passionately hate the gospel or are desperate to escape persecution themselves.[xxxii] The presence of persecution does not relieve the Church of our responsibility to proclaim the Gospel of the Kingdom. 2 Timothy 3:12 (NASB95) Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.
Vs9–13 (GW) 12“Brother will hand over brother to death; a father will hand over his child. Children will rebel against their parents and kill them. 13Everyone will hate you because you are committed to Me. Radical commitment to the Gospel of the Kingdom can break up the most trusted and sacred of relationships. Announce your conversion in any Muslim or Hindu country can take on a terrible reality. Jesus said in Matthew 10:34–36 (GW) 34“Don’t think that I came to bring peace to earth. I didn’t come to bring peace but conflict. 35I came to turn a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. 36A person’s enemies will be the members of his own family. Anyone who conforms to the image of Christ will suffer persecution.
Because of the coming intense persecution, V9, Be on your guard.[xxxiii] While be on your guard can apply to personal safety, the larger context is on the spiritual resolve of staying faithful to the Gospel of the Kingdom because commitment to the gospel and spiritual integrity was and is greater than personal safety.
In the late 50s I was 10 yrs old at Rift Valley Academy in Kenya. It was the days of the Mau Mau rebellion. It was not unusual for them to attacked churches. Our school was literally a fortress.
I am told that one day two JrHi boys were walking home from church on our campus. A gang of Mau Mau confronted them in the forest, and challenged them to recant their faith, and if they did not, they would be killed instantly. After minutes of verbal abuse, knowing death was certain, one boy responded:
"I cannot deny my Jesus. Kill me if you will, for today I will be with my Father in paradise." They killed him.
They turned to the 2nd boy. He responded: I too cannot deny my Jesus, Kill me if you will, for I too will be with my Father in paradise. The machete raised . . . the boy took a breath and said “wait, It is cold here in these hills. First take my coat” . . . he removed it and stretched out his hand to give it to the leader . . . the gang was overwhelmed by his act of kindness and commitment . . . and slipped back into the forest.
When our world is going crazy and seemingly falling apart, V11 (GW) When they take you away to hand you over to the authorities, don’t worry ahead of time about what you will say. Instead, say whatever is given to you to say when the time comes. Indeed, you are not the one who will be speaking, but the Holy Spirit will.
Let’s pray . . . Heavenly Father, gracious God, thank you for this Word at this time that we might realize that the things that you want us to lay hold of are the things that fit your great enduring plan. So help us now to heed your exhortation to be on our guard. Help us not to be led astray. Help us not to be alarmed as we hear the nations rising up against nations, as we see famines and earthquakes. Help us to learn the metaphor that these things are but the beginnings of birth pains and not an announcement of the arrival. Help us to guard our faith, and not to yield to temptation. And help us to exhort and encourage one another to be strong. May we lean on each other and carry each other’s burdens and fears. May we feel free to call on one another when we somebody to lean on. May the love of our God and the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with each of us who believe today and forevermore. Amen
[i] Marc Botha, 2040 the world will collapse –This MIT computer has confirmed it, https://medium.com/predict/2040-the-world-will-collapse-this-mit-computer-has-confirmed-it-5b038bec32db
[ii] Revelation 1:7 (NASB95) 7BEHOLD, HE IS COMING WITH THE CLOUDS, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him; and all the tribes of the earth will mourn over Him. So it is to be. Amen.
[iii] David E. Garland, Mark, The NIV Application Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1996), 491.
[iv] Cf., Kurt Willems, Signs of the Times?: A Study of Mark 13. https://www.patheos.com/blogs/thepangeablog/articles/unpublished-papers/signs-of-the-times-a-study-of-mark-13/
[v] Messiah’s In The Time of Jesus, https://jamestabor.com/messiahs-in-the-time-of-jesus/. https://www.tuko.co.ke/253266-modern-day-messiahs-meet-people-claim-jesus-disciples.html
[vi] List of people claimed to be Jesus. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_people_claimed_to_be_Jesus
[vii] We are to be mentally alert because there are religious leaders who will identify themselves as the “conscience of the nation”, the “moral voice of the voiceless”, the “eptome of integrity”, messiah’s who walk with an umbrella marked Christian
[viii] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_messiah_claimants
[ix] Joel Osteen, The Gospel, & Human Suffering, https://overthinkingchristian.com/2020/07/11/joel-osteen-the-gospel-human-suffering/
[x] What’s Oprah Winfrey’s spiritual legacy? https://christiantoday.com.au/news/whats-oprah-winfreys-spiritual-legacy.html
[xi] Rob Bell, Love Wins, https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/justin-taylor/rob-bells-love-wins-a-response/
[xii]Anwesha Maiti, 11 Religious Cults That Are Extremely Dangerous For Humanity https://www.storypick.com/dangerous-cults/
[xiii]KC Morgan, 15 Wars Happening Right Now That No One Talks About, https://www.theclever.com/15-wars-happening-right-now-that-no-one-talks-bout/#:~:text=On%20any%20given%20day%20at%20any%20given%20moment,in. %20Some%20are %20fighting%20for%20independence%20and%20freedom.
[xiv] How Many Wars Are Going on in the World Right Now? https://www.reference.com/world-view/many-wars-going-world-right-now-ffd6236450ccb7ae. Cf., http://www.lastdaysmystery.info/beginning_of_birth_pains.htm. Nation against nation - ethnic group against ethnic group (Civil Wars) The following is a list from Wikipedia of Civil Wars which are ongoing or ended in the past decade, as of 2006. There are violent conflicts in 64 countries and 576 militias and separatist groups going on right now.
1. Afghan Civil War, 1992-2001 - present
2. Algerian Civil War, 1991-2002 - present
3. Casamance Conflict, Senegal, 1990- present
4. Colombian armed conflict, 1964- present
5. Côte d'Ivoire Civil War, 1999-2000, 2002- present
6. Darfur Conflict, Sudan, 2003- present
7. Georgian Civil War, 1988- present
8. Iraq Civil War, 2003 - present
9. Kashmir Conflict, 1989- present
10. Northern Irish civil war, 1969- present
11. Somali Civil War, 1991- present
12. Sri Lankan Civil War, 1983- present
13. Ugandan Civil War, 1987- present
14. Yemen Civil War, 2000- present
15. Kingdom against kingdom - Country against Country
Ongoing Conflicts from Wikipedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ongoing_wars
Great earthquakes in various places
1. 7.9 India 01/26/01 killed 20,023
2. 5.8 Afghanistan 03/25/02 killed 1,000
3. 6.8 Algeria 05/21/03 killed 2,300
4. 6.5 Iran 12/26/03 killed 31,000
5. 9.2 Sri Lanka 12/26/04 killed 227,898
6. 8.7 Indonesia 03/28/05 killed 1,000
7. 7.6 Pakistan 10/08/05 killed 80,361
8. 8.3 Java 05/26/06 killed 5,749
9. 8.0 Peru 03/28/07 killed 514
10. 7.9 China 05/12/08 killed 87,652
http://earthquake.usgs.gov/eqcenter/eqarchives/year/byyear.php
Famines in various places
1. Ethiopia 2/27/07 current
2. Chad 1/30/07 current
3. Somalia 1/23/07 current
4. Kenya 1/19/07 current
5. Zimbabwe 8/15/07 current
6. Listing see - http://www.fews.net/
Pestilences in various places
Fearful events
[xv] https://www.thelastdays.info/the-birth-pains
[xvi] Ker Than, Chile Earthquake Altered Earth Axis, Shortened the length of a day by 1.26 millionths of a second. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/100302-chile-earthquake-earth-axis-shortened-day`https://mentalitch.com/the-biggest-earthquakes-in-history/
[xvii] https://earthquakestoday.info/#:~:text=Worldwide%20there%20are%20around%201400% 20earthquakes% 20each% 20day,recorded%20earthquake%20occurred%20in%201556%20in%20central%20China. Cf., https://www.bibleref.com/ Mark/ 13/Mark-13-8.html
[xviii] https://whatisanything.com/how-many-earthquakes-a-day-is-normal/
[xix] https://whatifshow.com/what-if-the-ring-of-fire-suddenly-erupted/. The two biggest hazards from any volcanic cataclysm are ash and volcanic gases. And they would affect the whole world. The 452 simultaneous eruptions would launch a lot of ash into the air. The ash would cover the world, completely blocking sunlight. In 1991, when Mount Pinatubo erupted, it cooled parts of the world by up to 0.4 °C (0.7 °F) for two years. And the thick layer of ash wouldn’t just cause temperatures to drop. It would also cause massive crop failures, leading to a global food shortage. And, as if things couldn’t get any worse, the toxic volcanic gases would create acid rain. The rain would make the oceans even more acidic, killing off coral reefs. Marine life would suffer an extinction event.
[xx] https://sites.tufts.edu/wpf/famine/
[xxi] https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/the-deadliest-famines-ever.html
[xxii] https://www.christian.org.uk/news/huge-rise-in-christian-persecution-worldwide-revealed-in-2021-world-watch-list/2019 figure was around 260 million. A new report has revealed that more than 340 million Christians worldwide experienced high levels of persecution in 2020, with 4,761 killed for their faith
[xxiii] Modern Day Persecution of Christians Around the World, https://www.ecwausa.com/2020/02/01/modern-day-persecution-of-christians-around-the-world/
[xxiv] https://www.beliefnet.com/news/is-there-christian-persecution-in-america.aspx
[xxv] https://www.worthynews.com/1710-persecution-of-christians-growing-in-the-united-states
[xxvi] David E. Garland, Mark, The NIV Application Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1996), 491–492.
[xxvii] Morna Dorothy Hooker, Gospel According to St. Mark, Black’s New Testament Commentaries, 1993, p.306
[xxviii] David E. Garland, Mark, The NIV Application Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1996), 492.
[xxix] Craig A. Evans, Mark 8:27–16:20, vol. 34B, Word Biblical Commentary (Dallas: Word, Incorporated, 2001), 307. The expectation of global warfare and chaos is well entrenched in the prophetic and eschatological traditions. Many examples come to mind: “And I will stir up Egyptians against Egyptians, and they will fight, every man against his brother and every man against his neighbor, city against city, kingdom against kingdom” (Isa 19:2)
[xxx] Ibid., p 308.
[xxxi] https://www.thelastdays.info/the-birth-pains
[xxxii] David E. Garland, Mark, The NIV Application Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1996), 494.
[xxxiii] https://bible.knowing-jesus.com/phrases/Be-on-Your-Guard