SERMON TITLE: Living in the End Times
TEXT: Mark 13:1-13 (ESV)
SPEAKER: Josh Hanson
DATE: 2-6-22
You can watch the sermon here.
You can find the sermon notes here.
As always it’s a joy to be with all of you this weekend at Gateway Church. And there’s one thing I want you to know — this is true if you’re worshipping with us for the first time or are joining us at our North Main campus — I want you to know that God loves you and that I love you too.
We’re returning to the gospel of Mark this week. If you’re new to Gateway — for the past few years we’ve been slowly working our way through Mark’s gospel. Our common practice is to work our way through books of the Bible — for example we’ve been working through the gospel of Mark, the book of Acts, and Paul’s letter to Christians living in the city of Rome — Romans. We spend a few months at a time in one of the books and then move onto another — and we’ve been doing this for a few years now. Thus — this year — the plan is to finish both Mark’s gospel and the book of Acts.
And — since we’re returning to Mark’s gospel after some time away from it — a couple of reminders might be helpful for those of us who are new — and maybe even for all of us. First, you can find all of the previous sermons — from Mark’s gospel — on our website — gatewayepc.org — or on our church app. Again — we’re starting in the thirteenth chapter — and finishing up the book this year — so you’ve missed most of the gospel if you’re new to Gateway. All that — to say — a great way to catch up — or to remind yourself of what’s already come in Mark’s gospel — is to go check out the sermons on our website or app.
And — speaking of Mark’s gospel — now would be a great time — if you have your Bible — to turn with me to Mark chapter 13. And — while you’re finding Mark chapter 13 — let’s talk about the title for this series — “This is the End!” Let’s just say that Shaun Meloy is one cleverly creative individual. Why do I say that? Well not just because of his fancy sneakers and cool looking guitars — you see — “This is the End!” is clever because we’re going to find ourselves looking at Jesus’ words about the end times for the next three weeks. Then we’ll transition to the end of Jesus’ life as we approach the cross. And — finally — we’re going to finish the gospel of Mark this year — so we’re finally at the end of this multiple years long journey. So three layers of meaning behind the title “This is the End!” Like I said — Shaun’s a clever one.
And — hopefully by now you’ve had time to find the gospel of Mark — so let’s turn to our passage for today and talk about the end times. Here are the words found in Mark chapter 13. Beginning in verse 1.
“And as he came out of the temple, one of his disciples said to him, “Look, Teacher, what wonderful stones and what wonderful buildings!” 2 And Jesus said to him, “Do you see these great buildings? There will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.” 3 And as he sat on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter and James and John and Andrew asked him privately, 4 “Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign when all these things are about to be accomplished?” 5 And Jesus began to say to them, “See that no one leads you astray. 6 Many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am he!’ and they will lead many astray. 7 And when you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed. This must take place, but the end is not yet. 8 For 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. 9 “But be on your guard. 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 them. 10 And the gospel must first be proclaimed to all nations. 11 And 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. 12 And brother will deliver brother over to death, and the father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death. 13 And you will be hated by all for my name’s sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.” (Mark 13:1-13 ESV)
Now — to give us all some context — we’re in the final week of Jesus’ life. Last year — when we were in Mark — we began this final week of his life. We saw Jesus enter Jerusalem riding on a donkey. We saw him inspect the Temple and later clear the Temple out from all the corruption going on as God’s house of prayer had been turned into a house of thieves. Then we saw Jesus predict his death — which isn’t the first time he did this in Mark’s gospel. Then he spoke about his resurrection.
So — even though it’s been a few months for us — we’re in this same final week of Jesus’ life. And some of Jesus’ last teachings are on the topic of the end times. And — in our verses — Jesus tells his disciples how they’re to live and what they’re to do in the end times. And what Jesus tells them — is relevant for us today. For we’re living in the end times — as we’ll see. So we should all pay attention to what Jesus says because he tells us how to live in these unsettling times.
But he begins by focusing his attention back on the Temple. We’re in verse 1.
“And as he came out of the temple, one of his disciples said to him, “Look, Teacher, what wonderful stones and what wonderful buildings!” 2 And Jesus said to him, “Do you see these great buildings? There will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.”” (Mark 13:1-2 ESV)
Most people are caught up in one of two views about the end times. The first view is to not think about the end at all. Focus on the here and now — the present — because they believe that right now is all there is. So they chase after things that will give them present pleasure — things that distract them from thinking about the future.
The other view — about the end times — is influenced by movies, TV shows, and books. Movies like Armageddon or Infinity War — where the focus is on the what and how of the end. What might happen when it’s the end — or how will it all end — maybe a giant meteor is headed for earth — or Thanos will snap his finger. Even popular Christian material — on the end times — tend to focus on the what and how of the end — like the Left Behind book series. Add to all of this our advancements in technology — and many people live with a hope that humanity’s going to figure out how to actually avoid the end. If we just take care of this planet long enough, start exploring other planets, and advance in our technology — we humans will be able to push back against the inevitable and maybe the end will never come.
Now — it’s easy to understand why people get so hyper-focused on living in the present that they don’t take time to think about the future. Our culture is present focused. Social media and our news feeds are all focused on what’s happening now — because what happened — even an hour ago — feels kind of ancient, right? And other than maybe the stock market, or some personal upcoming event — like a wedding — or maybe a political election — other than these types of things the future just isn’t on our minds.
And given that there have been so many different predictions about the end times that haven’t come true — hello Y2K and how about all of that Mayan calendar hubbub in 2012 — it’s easy to just tune out thinking about the end. And — again — with all of our technological advancements — the future — our future — seems like it’ll just go on and on forever.
But then — a pandemic comes along — and shakes up our world. And all of a sudden Christians everywhere want their pastor to preach from the book of Revelation. Did you know that Revelation was no more practical in 2020 or 2021 than it was in 2019 or any prior? And the rest of the Bible was no less relevant to our lives in 2020 and 2021 than in non-pandemic years. But suddenly church folks are all like, “What about the book of Revelations, preacher man?” And — yes — the “s” was on purpose.
But all of this misses the whole point about the end. You see, our focus on the end times shouldn’t be on “what” or “how” things are going to end — our focus should be on “who” is returning. Because — for the Christian — our hope isn’t in this present world — our hope is in the One who created this present world and the world to come — the One who will return on the Last Day of these end times. And because our hope is in him — Jesus — we live in the end times with hope and purpose.
But — today we’re going to admit that far too often — our focus — I’m speaking for Christians here — our focus on the end times — is far too often on things other than the return of Jesus. We Christians can get just as caught up as the unbelieving world in the what and how things will end — instead of focusing on who is returning — which means — you can be interested in the end times and not be interested in Jesus. But — my hope for all of us — is that as we talk about the end times — for the next few weeks — that our interest in Jesus will be what’s increased most.
But back to Mark’s gospel. Jesus and his disciples are exiting the temple — they’ve just witnessed the widow put everything she has financially to live on in the offering box. And — as they’re exiting — the disciples comment on the wonderful architecture that’s surrounding them. And — you should know — it was an amazing structure.
One scholar writes, “This complex of stone was one of the most impressive sights in the ancient world, and was regarded as an architectural wonder. The rabbis had little respect for Herod and his successors, but they said, ‘he who has not seen Jerusalem in her splendor has never seen a desirable city in his life. He who has not see the temple in its full construction has never seen a glorious building in his life.’” (William Lane, The Gospel of Mark (reprint; Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1974), 451.)
Now — if you don’t know the history of the temple — Solomon built the original temple in Jerusalem. That temple was later destroyed after God’s people were conquered by the Babylonians. The temple was later repaired and rebuilt but wasn’t ever really taken care of by the Jewish people. So — when Herod became king of Judea — in an effort to gain favor with the local Jewish people — he proposed the temple be rebuilt. And the Jews liked this idea and construction began around the year 18BC.
It took about a decade for the main part of the temple to be finished, but there were many other projects that went on to improve the structure. These renovations went on through Jesus’ lifetime all the way up to the year 65AD — so we’re talking nearly 85 years of renovations. Now — to give you an idea of what the temple looked like — here’s an artist’s model of what the temple looked like in Jesus’ day. (Pics 1 and 2)
Under Herod’s leadership, the area of the temple doubled in surface area, covering nearly 36 acres of land — that’s about the size of 26 football fields. And — the size of the building wasn’t just for show — it needed to be big in order to accommodate the thousands of Jews who would come to the city to worship during the various Jewish festivals.
So — again back to Mark’s gospel. Jesus — in response to the disciples admiring the architecture around them — tells them that everything they see is going to be destroyed — the temple will come to ruin. And this — in fact — happens about five years after the renovation work is finished. In 70AD the Romans conquer the city of Jerusalem and destroy the temple.
Now — for the disciples — you have to realize how hard it would’ve been for them to believe what Jesus is saying. It’s kind of like us imagining the United States not being a powerful influence in the world any longer — try to imagine the US being an insignificant nation — not even in the top 100 nations of influence and power in the world. We can’t imagine that kind of situation, can we? And neither could the disciples imagine the awe-inspiring structures they were looking at being completely destroyed.
But — though they may not be able to imagine the temple being destroyed — they’ve learned to trust Jesus’ words. So they ask him a question. We’re in verse 3.
“And as he sat on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter and James and John and Andrew asked him privately, 4 “Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign when all these things are about to be accomplished?” 5 And Jesus began to say to them, “See that no one leads you astray. 6 Many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am he!’ and they will lead many astray. 7 And when you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed. This must take place, but the end is not yet. 8 For 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. 9 “But be on your guard. 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 them. 10 And the gospel must first be proclaimed to all nations. 11 And 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. 12 And brother will deliver brother over to death, and the father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death. 13 And you will be hated by all for my name’s sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.” (Mark 13:3-13 ESV)
So after a bit of a walk — out of Jerusalem — across the Kidron Valley — and to the Mount of Olives — the disciples ask what’s been on their mind for most of the walk. “When will this happen and what will be the sign that the temple’s about to be destroyed?” Now — something we need to understand — is that for the Jewish people — and Jesus’ disciples are Jewish — they saw the destruction of the temple and the end of the world as being interconnected. (Thomas Constable, “Notes on Mark,” https://www.planobiblechapel.org/tcon/notes/html/nt/mark/mark.htm) And — particularly — the destruction of the temple was considered by the Jews to be a sign of God’s judgment upon them. (George Kittel, Gehard Friedrich, Geoffrey W. Bromiley, Theological Dictionary of the New Testament (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1985), 1185.) So this is NOT good news to the disciples’ ears.
But Jesus corrects their misunderstanding and tells them that the two events — the destruction of the temple and the end times — won’t happen at the same time — at least not in the way the disciples think the two events will happen. In fact, I’m not even sure that the disciples are thinking correctly about either the end times or the temple. What do I mean?
First, the temple. During an earlier visit to the temple, Jesus had been confronted in regards to whether or not he was operating under the authority of God. In fact, during this encounter he was also asked for a sign. The disciples — here in Mark — ask Jesus to tell them the sign of when all of these things will take place. But — earlier in his ministry — Jesus was asked for a sign when, “the Jewish leaders demanded, “What are you doing? If God gave you authority to do this, show us a miraculous sign to prove it.” 19 “All right,” Jesus replied. “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” 20 “What!” they exclaimed. “It has taken forty-six years to build this Temple, and you can rebuild it in three days?” 21 But when Jesus said “this temple,” he meant his own body. 22 After he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered he had said this, and they believed both the Scriptures and what Jesus had said.” (John 2:18-22 NLT)
The Jewish leaders demand for Jesus to give them a sign because they don’t believe in him. The disciples ask him for a sign — not indicating they don't believe him — but that they do. And that’s the difference. And it’s not until after his resurrection that his disciples connect what Jesus says about the temple being destroyed — and three days later it being raised up — and how all of this was referring to his bodily death and resurrection — and not Herod’s temple.
But — back in our verses in Mark — the disciples are still thinking about the wrong temple being destroyed — they don’t connect the dots — until after Jesus’ resurrection — that he’s the temple that will be destroyed and raised back up. They don’t yet realize how Jesus — in having come to fulfill all of Scripture — how he’s the true and better temple of God that will be destroyed. They don’t yet realize how Jesus — knowing all things — including the future — knows that the temple built by Herod will also be destroyed. But — here — Jesus’ primary focus is on him being the temple that’s about to be destroyed.
But — the disciples' misunderstanding of what it meant for the temple to be destroyed — meaning the death and resurrection of Christ — is just their first misunderstanding. They also misunderstood the arrival of the end times. For — the death and resurrection of Jesus — did begin the end times — but it did not bring about the last and final day of the end. This was the disciples' second misunderstanding — they assumed that the destruction of the temple would mean the end — meaning the last day — had come. But they were wrong. Yet they did begin to live in the end times on the day when Christ was killed on the cross. And — like them — we’re living in the end times because we’re still waiting for the conclusion of the end — and what’s the conclusion? The thing we’re to be most focused on — the return of Jesus. For when he returns — the last day of the end will come.
So let’s hear from Jesus as he tells us how we’re to live — in the end times — as we wait for his return. We’re in verse 5.
“And Jesus began to say to them, “See that no one leads you astray. 6 Many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am he!’ and they will lead many astray. 7 And when you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed. This must take place, but the end is not yet. 8 For 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. 9 “But be on your guard. 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 them. 10 And the gospel must first be proclaimed to all nations. 11 And 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. 12 And brother will deliver brother over to death, and the father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death. 13 And you will be hated by all for my name’s sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.” (Mark 13:5-13 ESV)
The disciples ask for “the sign” — singular — yet Jesus gives them a whole bunch of indicators that they’re living in the end times. And though Jesus does give us a variety of things to watch out for — too often we’re focused on things like “if this war or that earthquake or this thing over here is the sign letting us know that things are coming to an end.” But — when these types of things have our focus — we miss the point of Jesus’ words. Especially his commands to us.
Because what does Jesus command us to do? He tells us to make sure that no one leads us astray during these end times. And how do we ensure that we’re not led astray — that we remain faithful to him? Well Jesus tells us. He tells us to not be alarmed, to be on guard, to not be anxious, and to be ready to speak the word of God.
Do you want to know how you’re supposed to live in the end times — how to endure to the end? Don’t be led astray. Don’t be alarmed. Be on guard. Don’t be anxious. And speak the word of God. Let’s look at each of these.
First, don’t be led astray. Jesus tells us that there will be people who claim to teach and act in his authority when — in fact — their goal is to lead us astray. A possible example of this is found in the book of Acts — chapter 19 — where we read, “A group of Jews was traveling from town to town casting out evil spirits. They tried to use the name of the Lord Jesus in their incantation, saying, “I command you in the name of Jesus, whom Paul preaches, to come out!” 14 Seven sons of Sceva, a leading priest, were doing this. 15 But one time when they tried it, the evil spirit replied, “I know Jesus, and I know Paul, but who are you?” 16 Then the man with the evil spirit leaped on them, overpowered them, and attacked them with such violence that they fled from the house, naked and battered.” (Acts 19:13-16 NLT)
These sons of Sceva tried to use the name of Jesus as an authority — when they didn’t believe in him. And — though they may have fooled some people — did you notice how they couldn’t fool the demon? Now I’m not saying we need to be like this demon and start attacking false teachers so they flee from us naked and battered — but wedo need to take Jesus’ words seriously — his command to us seriously — and see that no one leads us astray. And the primary way in which we keep from being led astray is by knowing God’s Word. For when we know God’s Word we will spot the lies of the enemy and the lies of those who are trying to lead us astray. We’ll spot the lies we’re believing — even lies we tell ourselves — as God’s Word corrects us with truth. This is what God’s people are called to do while we live in the end times — don’t be led astray.
Second, Jesus tells us to not be alarmed. There will be wars — nations will rise up against other nations. For the disciples — this was disturbing news — as they were used to living in relatively peaceful times. And — historically speaking — we’re living in a relatively peaceful time as well. (Go to acleddata.com/dashboard for more information.)
Jesus also mentions that there will be a rise in earthquakes and famines. Did you know that there are roughly 20,000 earthquakes that happen around the globe each year — that’s 55 earthquakes every day. (According to the National Earthquake Information Center) And — guess what? This is an increase — overall — especially in the number of major earthquakes happening each year. So this is the end, right!?
Well — not so fast — because famines have been steadily decreasing around the world. (Joe Hasell and Max Rose, “Famines,” December 7, 2017; ourworldindata.org/famines) And many see the decline of famines to be one of the greatest achievements of modern humanity. Something — for sure — we should all be thankful for.
But a kind of mixed message in regards to the signs, right? An increase in earthquakes — a decrease in famines — and a relatively peaceful time among nations. But — if you pay attention to Jesus’ words — he tells us that all of these things aren’t an indication of the end — but actually indicate a beginning — the beginning of “the birth pains” — the beginning of “the new birth of the world.” (George Kittel, Gehard Friedrich, Geoffrey W. Bromiley, Theological Dictionary of the New Testament (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1985), 674.) And he tells us not to be alarmed by these things. Practically this means that we should stop letting the news cycle formulate our theology and — instead — allow our theology to interpret the news cycle.
Third, we’re told to be on guard. We can’t control earthquakes and most of us aren’t in charge of whether or not there’s a war — but being on guard is something we each can control. And what are we to be on guard about? How we respond when we find ourselves no longer being treated favorably by the rest of society because of our faith in Christ. Did you catch the certainty in Jesus’ words about what the disciples would experience?
Verse 9 — “they will deliver you over to councils…you will be beaten in the synagogues…you will stand before governors and kings.”
Verse 12 — “families will hand over family members — even having them put to death for following Jesus — you will be hated by all — Jesus says — on account of me.”
And the command Jesus gives them is to be on guard — don’t avoid these things. For these things will happen — Jesus says — and the disciples are to be on guard so they’re ready to bear witness for Christ in front of the councils and in the synagogues and before the governors and kings.
Fourth, Jesus tells them — and us — to not be anxious. Anxious about what? You know what he doesn’t say? He doesn’t say, “Don’t be anxious about being arrested and beaten.” He tells them to not be anxious about what they’ll say when they speak on his behalf while arrested. For — in that difficult hour — God’s Spirit will speak through them. What a comforting promise — God’s Spirit will not only be with us — but will speak through us in these most vulnerable and trying moments.
It’s here that I think of our Christian brothers and sisters living in the Middle East and Asia. For many of them — the persecutions Jesus describes are their reality. We — Christians in the US — view Jesus’ words as some kind of dire future — but for many Christians around the world — what Jesus describes — family members betraying family members — for example — is their present reality. And it’d be good for us to remind ourselves of this often — that we have much to be thankful for as Christians in our nation and much to be praying for and doing on behalf of our brothers and sisters who are — right now — standing before councils, and being beaten, and being betrayed by their own family members for following Christ.
Finally, Jesus’ last command to us is to speak the word of God. If there’s one sign — in addition to focusing on the most important thing about the end times — the return of Christ — if there’s one sign for us to look at more closely — it’s found in verse 10. “And the gospel must first be proclaimed to all nations.” (Mark 13:10 ESV)
Now — I don’t want to mislead you. Just like all of the other things mentioned — wars, earthquakes, famines, and so on — even this sign is a bit tricky to interpret and measure. But this is the sign that we get to actively participate in — proclaiming the gospel to all nations. Not nations — like we think of them — but the Greek word here refers to people groups. And — the promise to us — in this sign — is that once the gospel is proclaimed to all people groups the end is near.
Now — if you’ve ever wondered, “Well, how close are we to this being accomplished — how many more people groups need to hear the gospel?” I’d encourage you to visit the websites joshuaproject.net and globalfrontiermissions.org so you can learn more about unreached people groups, how to pray for them, and ways to be involved in the gospel going to them. But — to give you an idea — global frontier missions estimates that — of the 7.75 billion people alive today — around 3.23 billion of them are part of an unreached people group with little or no access to the gospel. (https://globalfrontiermissions.org/gfm-101-missions-course/the-unreached-peoples-and-their-role-in-the-great-commission/)
Over 3 billion people are part of the “nations” — in verse 10 — that the gospel must first be proclaimed to before the end of the end is near. So — you know what that means? We’ve got a lot of work to do — a lot of speaking the word of God to the nations left to do until Jesus returns.
CONCLUSION
A survey done by Lifeway Research — in 2020 — asked pastors which of the birth pains — described not just in Mark, but in all of the Bible — did they see taking place in current events. (Earls, “Vast Majority of Pastors See Signs of End Times in Current Events,” https://lifewayresearch.com/2020/04/07/vast-majority-of-pastors-see-signs-of-end-times-in-current-events/) Here were the top two answers. 83% of the pastors mentioned the rise of false teachers and false teachings. And 81% mentioned the love of many believers growing cold. A warning to all of us as we live in the end times.
Know God’s Word so that you’re not led astray by false teachers and their teaching. And always look to Christ and his promised return. For this will keep your heart from growing cold as we wait for that great and glorious day — when our Savior and King returns. Let’s pray.
Heavenly Father, what a call you have upon your people. To live confidently in the end times. To live faithfully in the end times. To be intentional and focused in our living — in the present — but with our eyes fixed on the future. Looking ahead to the day when our Savior — and your beloved Son — returns.
Spirit of God, give us a love for your Word. A passion for it so we read it, study it, memorize it, meditate on it, and share it with the nations. Keep our hearts from growing cold as we wait for the day of our Lord’s return. For the days that we’re living in — our spiritually cold days. Keep our hearts afire with your power and love.
And — Jesus — thank you for your words to us today. Words telling us how to live in the end times while we wait for the most important sign — your return. Help us to not be led astray. Help us to not be alarmed. Help us to remain on guard. Help us to not be anxious. And give us courage to speak the word of your Good News to the nations. And we pray all of this in your name. Amen.
May you go eager to know God’s Word better than you do right now — so you’re not led astray, are not alarmed, remain on guard, are not anxious, and so that you speak the word of God to the nations as you live in the end times.
God loves you. I love you. You are sent.
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