Sunday September 4, 2016 “The Lord of the These last days”
1) The Temporary Temple – Though beautiful, it won’t last forever. Jesus gives the following signs that will let you know when these things are occurring.
2) Signs of the End of the Age
- Signs = an object, quality, or event whose presence or occurrence indicates the probable presence or occurrence of something else. / Something regarded as an indication or evidence of what is happening or going to happen)
- Age = a distinct period of history:
- This Generation will not pass until these things happen
- The Abomination of Desolation – a significantly sinful sign
- The Coming of CHRIST the Son of Man
- a) When He Comes. b) How He Comes and c) What’s the 1st Thing He’ll Do when He Gets Here!
Mark 13: 1-2 The Temporary Temple 1Regarding the wonderful stones and buildings of the temple, 2 Jesus says Jesus acknowledge these buildings are great, but though beautiful, they won’t last forever.
Solomon built the 1st/first temple. (1 Kings 5:3-5 & 8: 18-20 a 7 1/2 year building period.)
Ezra and Nehemiah built the 2nd/second temple as a center piece of God’s deliverance of Israel after 70 years in Babylon. (Ezra 3:12 tells us it was not as splendid as the one Solomon built, and “12 But many of the older priests and Levites and family heads, who had seen the former temple, wept aloud when they saw the foundation of this temple being laid, while many others shouted for joy. . Thus leading to the famous Zech 4:10a verse “For who has despised the day of small things?” – as the Israelites longed for the temple of former glory.
Herod did not build a 3rd/third temple, but added on to the 2nd temple in an extensive building project perhaps as an agreement with the PARC (the Politically Appointed Religious Crowd/Committee – in power during Christ’s 3 year earthly ministry that is the subject of the 4 Gospels.)
Mark 12: 35 – 44 “the 2nd coming is synchronized to These Signs signs 1-4:
Jesus gives the following discourse on the signs that will let you know when these things are occurring. The challenge with scripture interpretation is that we do one of 3 things in relation to it:
- Mk 13: 3-4 We are in danger of being deceived/led astray from discerning the signs, because (Mk 13: 6) Many will come in Christ’s Name, saying, ‘I am he!’ and will lead many astray, which means a) away from the correct path or direction: we went astray but Christ redirected us. b) into error or morally questionable behavior; c) into Bible interpretation (Doctrinal) mistakes that get fleshed out into unscriptural sinful behavior(s).
- 7hearing of wars and rumors of wars,and nation rising against nation, and kingdom against kingdom should not alarm us, because “the end (of the age) is not
- 8 Earthquakes, and famines will increase but these are the beginning of the birth pains. …7-8 7And when you hear of wars and rumors of wars (that disrupt the nations to roll them up into one-world gov’t), do not be alarmed. This must take place, but the end is not yet. 8For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places; there will be famines. These are but the beginning of the birth pains.
Signs 4-6
Mk 13: 9 We are to be on our GUARD. (heed KJV = give intent, earnest contemplation for yourselves and your focus on God), For they will deliver you over to councils, and you will be beaten in synagogues, and you will stand before governors and kings for my sake, to bear witness before/against (KJV) them.
- 10And the GOSPEL must first be proclaimed/published to all nations. (Who does the proclaiming? (Rev 14: 1-6 – the 144k inspired by an angel)
- “ when they bring you to trial and deliver you over, do not be anxious beforehand what you are to say, but say whatever is given you in that hour, for it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit.” This verse means
- a Bible teacher never need prepare, because preaching/teaching is a major “trial.”
- a Bible teacher never need prepare, as each time he/she speaks he/she is being “delivered over” to proclaim truth.
- The Holy Spirit never allows people to prepare in advance, because spontaneity is more godly than study and preparation.
- If we are brought to trial and delivered over to an inquisitor, don’t worry about what you’ll say because you don’t know the questions they’ll ask anyway, so relax and let the Holy Spirit direct your responses.
MK 13: 12And brother will deliver brother over to death, and the father his child, and children
will rise against parents and have them put to death. 13And you will be hated by all for my name’s sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.
- Mk 13: 12 Families will be so deceived and divided politically brother will deliver brother, and children and parents will have each other put to death.. because 13And the name of Jesus, His Bible Truth and Gospel and those who are bold enough to identify with it will be hated by all for my name’s sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. .
- “ But the one who endures to the end will be saved. This verse means
- We must work our way to Heaven through faithfulness that never stumbles. (2 Tim 2:13) 13 If we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot * deny Himself.
- We will be delivered healthy and whole to God without regrets.
- Some believers may endure suffering, which will have an appointed end.
- Some believers will suffer to the end of the time of the Great Tribulation.
Sign 7: Is a significantly sinful sign – The Abomination of Desolation, which is The Disgust that merits Destruction!
Mk 13: 14 “But when you see the abomination of desolation standing where he ought not to be (let the reader understand – Its described in Daniel 9,11 & 12, as a statute placed in God’s Temple in the Holy of Holies). This abomination will be an “object of disgust in God’s sight,” but will be highly esteemed amongst men Matt. 24:15; Mark 13:14.
In contrast to the veneration man shows it, its true character in God’s sight is that of a state of “complete emptiness” of Godly substance and moral value, and its thoroughly counterfeit nature merits a response of complete Destruction.”
Luke 16:15. ”for that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God.”
In Rev. 21:27, entrance is forbidden into the Holy City on the part of the unclean, or one who “maketh an abomination and a lie.” It is also used of the contents of the golden cup in the hand of the evil woman described in Rev. 17:4, and of the name ascribed to her in the following verse..
Sign 7: cont… This significantly sinful sign – The Abomination of Desolation, The Disgust that merits Destruction, includes the image of the beast to be set up by Antichrist in Rev 13:15, which Rev 14: 8-10 solemnly warns us that if we take that mark we “shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb:” (Rev 14: 8 And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication. 9 And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, 10 The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb: 11 And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.)
Mark 13: 24-26 When The Son of Man will come is …
24“But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, 25and the stars will be falling from heaven, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken.
How He Comes – 26And then they will see the Son of Man COMING in CLOUDS (metaphorically, of “a dense multitude, a throng, as in Heb 12:1 1 Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about* with so great a cloud of witnesses…) with great power and glory.
Mark 13: 28 28“From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts out its leaves, you know that summer is near. You can tell the coming of SEASONS by observing nature, 29So also, when you SEE“these things” means they will not be HIDDEN from us, but will be easily observable so we’ll know He is near, at the very gates.
30Truly, I say to you, this generation (era, the one wherein these signs will occur will not pass away until all these things take place.
- Signs of the end of the Age = this distinct period of history: (an age of technological growth | today is the television age.
Mark 13: 27And then he will send out the angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven”
What Christ will do when He comes is detailed in Mark 13: 27
Christ’s angels will gather his elect from 2 places:
- from the ends of the EARTH b) to the ends of HEAVEN.
- Perhaps those gathered from earth are the tribulation saints who received Christ after the rapture.
- the gathered from “heaven” refers to the elect harpazoed, called-up or raptured per this “Bible logic”:
- Rev 1: 12 -13 The 7 Lampstands represent the 7 churches, which Christ the Son of Man in their midst. Rev 1:20 says the seven lampstands are the seven churches.
- Rev Chapt’s 2 & 3 we are given the status of the 7 churches – which represent 4 aspects 1) the actual 7 churches; 2) the 7 elements or types of Christians within every church; 3) the 7 types of churches that always have existed, and 4) the 7 periods or stages of church history (Eph 3:10 We see the manifold wisdom of God in the description of the 7 Churches)
- Rev 4:1 John is “called up” with a voice that sounds like a trumpet, reminiscent of 1 Thes 4:16 For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first.
- In Rev 4:5 The lampstands are in heaven before the throne of God. (The 7 Spirits represent them
Those who fail to take The Bible literally are deceived because Mk 13:31 says “31Heaven and earth will pass away, but my WORDS will not pass away.”
32“But concerning that day or hour, no one KNOWS, not the angels, nor the Son, but only the Father.
33Be on GUARD, (be aware and watchful) keep awake. For you do not know when the time will come. 34It is like a man going on a journey, when he leaves home and puts his servantsb in charge, each with his work, and commands the doorkeeper to stay awake. 35Therefore stay awake—for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows,c or in the morning— 36lest he come suddenly and find you ASLEEP. (= carnal indifference to spiritual things on the part of believers, Eph. 5:14; 1 Thess. 5:6,10 (as in Mark 13:36), a condition of insensibility to Divine things involving conformity to the world
37And what I say to you, I say to all: Stay AWAKE.” (be aware of what’s going on, and how sin infiltrates our lives, and be active for Christ in relation to it.”
To view the recorded service on YouTube, go to: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xaTKVlM-6SQ