“To Catch an Angel” is a book by the late Robert Russell. It’s the autobiography of a young blind man who lived alone on an island in the middle of a river. Despite his blindness, he went rowing on the river almost every day. He did it using a relatively simple system.
He attached a bell with a timer to the end of the dock. The bell rang every thirty seconds. Robert could sail up and down the river, and every thirty seconds, judge his distance by the sound of the bell. When he’d finished rowing, he’d find his way home using the bell. He explained it like this: “The River lies before me, a constant invitation, a constant challenge, and my bell is the thread of sound along which I return to a quiet base.”
Life is like a great river. God calls us to venture out where danger and excitement exist. But our security is in the bell, the Word of God, Jesus Himself.[1]
I like that analogy. Our security is in Christ if we hear Him and follow! But we will perish if we ignore Him, or if His voice gets lost among all the other noises.
Not only are our individual lives like a river, but so is the broad stream of humanity. As our individual lives are finite, so is the stream of humanity. God will bring human history to His predetermined climax, in His timing. People have always had questions about the end of time and humanity as we know it. Today, we’re closer to that climax than any other time.
Our study today is from Mark 13:1:13. In the closing verses of chapter 12, Jesus and His disciples observed people in the Temple giving their offerings. He noted the large gifts of the wealthy and contrasted them with the tiny amount offered by the poor widow.
I mentioned that during this time in history, the Temple-Treasury contained the equivalent of nearly half a million dollars. And the vessels of the Temple were valued at between 4 and 5 million dollars in today’s dollars. The Temple was one of the great wonders of the ancient world. But the beauty and magnificence of the Temple masked a religious system that was hollow and rotting on the inside – ripe for judgment.
Mark chapter 13 brings us to Jesus’ prediction of future events. His teaching is in response to observations and questions from His disciples. I’ve titled this teaching “The Coming Judgment.”
In this chapter, Jesus blended in one picture his death, the destruction of Jerusalem within that generation, the second coming, and the end of the world, typified by the destruction of the city. The lines between these topics are not sharply drawn in the report, and we can’t separate the issues clearly. This great discourse is the longest in Mark and may result from Peter’s input. Today, we will focus on the first 13 verses. Listen carefully as I read.
Jesus provides several clear INDICATORS that will precede the coming judgment.
The First INDICATOR is,
Physical Destruction
Our text begins with one of Jesus’ disciples exclaiming about the great size of the foundation stones and the beauty and ornamentation of the Temple. Even today, you can see these massive stones from their vantage point on the Mount of Olives.
Remember, Solomon’s Temple had been destroyed in 586 BC by the Babylonians. The second Temple was built by Zerubbabel and dedicated in 515 BC. It had stood for approximately 545 years and had been enlarged and beautified by Herod the Great and others (over 80 years). The Temple complex was massive; it encompassed about 35 acres. Some of the single stones in the walls ranged in size from 20 to 40 feet in length and weighed up to 300 tons! I have seen them at the southwestern angle of the wall of the Temple Mount. They are amazing! No other building in the ancient world was as magnificent as the Temple in Jerusalem.
The scores of massive portico columns were of marble, more than 40 feet high. The porches of the Temple were adorned with many offerings, like golden vines with bunches of grapes as large as a man and large golden pitchers. Most of the gates in the Temple complex were overlaid with gold, and lavish gilding was throughout the structure. The interior of the Holy of Holies was awash with gold.
History tells us that after the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD, so much plundered gold saturated the Syrian market that the value of the precious metal fell by half!
“Why is it important for us to know these things?” Because the outward beauty and ornamentation masked a tragic reality – a spiritually bankrupt religion focused on outward appearance rather than genuine worship and holy living. It was deception on a massive scale! We have some of that in the church today. The apostle Paul tells us in 2 Timothy 3:13 that this spiritual deception will only worsen as we approach the end of the age.
In response to the exclamations about the grandeur of the Temple, Jesus made a shocking statement. He said, “Do you see these great buildings? Not one stone shall be left upon another, that shall not be thrown down.” In just a few short decades, Roman general Titus ordered the whole city to be dug up and destroyed. The Temple complex was leveled; only a few retaining walls were left standing. One of them we know today as the Western Wall, or the Wailing Wall.
Can you imagine this prediction’s shock to the Twelve, especially in light of the recent “Triumphal Entry”? The Jewish people understood eschatology; they believed the Messiah would come and set up His kingdom. They knew that Isaiah and others predicted a time of peace and prosperity where the Messiah would reign over the whole earth. He prophesied that the world’s nations would bring their wealth and glory into the Holy City.
But they also knew the prophecies of Joel, Daniel, and Zechariah, who prophesied times of great trouble and tribulation related to the Day of the Lord. So, the disciples didn’t deny Jesus’ statements. They didn’t say, “That can never happen.” They accepted what He said at face value.
What would your response be if someone gave you information about some startling and destructive event in the future? Much like the disciples, I suppose. “When will this happen and what signs will precede it?” Their question leads us to the next indicator.
The Next INDICATOR is,
Spiritual Deception
Jesus’ first words of response are instructive. They are an emphatic warning: “Pay attention and don’t allow anyone to deceive you.” This is interesting because, like many prophetic utterances, Jesus’ words refer to the near and distant future; He doesn’t spell out the difference. We must discover the time indicated by what is prophesied and other Scripture texts.
But let’s focus on Jesus’ warning about this indicator of the coming judgment. He told them not to be deceived because “many will come claiming my authorization; even claiming to be THE Christ and proclaiming the fullness of the kingdom – “the end is here.” DO NOT follow them! Jesus also warns that many will fall for this deception. There were many “false messiahs” in the first century; Gamaliel, lists one of them in Acts 5:35. Great deception will also characterize the days just before the return of Christ.
As Christ-followers, we need discernment like never before! We must be people of the Book. We must know the Word of God and test every philosophy, teaching, and practice by the authority of God’s Word. It is our only hope of avoiding deception and eternal ruin.
Another practical lesson I draw from Jesus’ warning is this: things that appear to be immovable can be destroyed in a short space of time. Just like it was hard for the disciples to grasp how the Temple could be flattened so thoroughly, it is hard for many people in the free world to think that our economic and political freedoms could suddenly disappear.
Many nations trust in their military and economic might to preserve their existence, but they can be quickly overrun under the right conditions. As those living under the conditions of freedom and prosperity, we must know that they are not guaranteed! Our community, our state, and our nation are not invincible. We must be alert and pay attention to the times in which we live. We must stay firmly anchored in the truth of God’s Word revealed by the Holy Spirit. That is the only way we can escape the coming deception.
Another INDICATOR is,
Political Aggression
Jesus goes on to say, in verse 7, that they will hear about wars and insurrections or civil wars, but they shouldn’t be “scared out of their wits” by them. Paul uses this same verb in 2 Thessalonians 2:2 to warn against excitement over false reports that he had predicted the immediate second coming of Christ.
Jesus said this political aggression must come to pass FIRST. Even after these things happen, the end does not immediately follow them; final judgment would not be at the same time as these commotions. These kinds of events have occurred almost since the beginning of time. But they will increase in intensity as we near the end.
The people of the world will rise in opposition to one another; religious, ethnic, and sectarian wars are active in many parts of the world today. Nation-states are in open conflict with one another. The promise of a global utopia has been shattered. There is a rising tide of nationalism, prejudice, and xenophobia. These are all signs pointing toward the end.
But let us be careful in assigning every instance of war and turmoil to a specific place on God’s prophetic timeline. Many have tried to do this, and the absurdity of their position and the failure of their predictions have damaged the cause of Christ.
What applications are here for those of us who are alive today? First of all, we know that the predictions Jesus made about the fall of Jerusalem were completely accurate. And the circumstances He predicted leading up to that event were correct too. Therefore, we can have confidence that the things predicted, in this case, wars and tumult among the world’s peoples, will be fulfilled too.
If you read the prophet Zechariah, you will learn that Jerusalem and her people will suffer significantly in the last days. She will again be surrounded by hostile nations bent on her destruction. Zechariah chapters 12, 13, and 14 describe the desire of the countries to destroy the people of God once and for all. When it seems Israel and Jerusalem are about to be completely wiped out, God steps into the picture to rescue His people. These events are yet in the future.
However, as we see these things happening around us, we are not to be terrified or dismayed. God has a plan for humanity and is fulfilling it according to His schedule. We can rest assured that He can control what He has created.
The Final INDICATOR is,
Religious Persecution
In verse 9, Jesus clearly states that before the wars and commotion, before the earthquakes, famine, and disease, and before the destruction of Jerusalem, the followers of Jesus would experience significant persecution. We know what happened from the book of Acts and early church history. Historical records inform us that there were substantial earthquakes and famines between Jesus’ predictions in AD 30 and the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70.
After Pentecost, the apostles were called before the religious leaders numerous times and commanded not to speak in the name of Jesus. Both spiritual and civil authorities imprisoned them for the sake of the Gospel. Some of them even gave their lives. The authorities did all they could to stamp out this new sect of Believers.
Jesus had specific encouragement and instructions for them during this time. He said their suffering would be a witness (marterion) to those who looked on. This has been true down through the centuries, so much so that in specific eras, the authorities executed followers of Christ privately. They did this because when these faithful ones were executed publicly, their testimony brought many more people to faith in Christ.
Jesus also instructed them not to prepare their defense beforehand or write out or memorize what they would say (verse 11). (And by the way, this has nothing to do with preaching. Some people say sermons should be spontaneous, like the testimony Jesus commanded here; you shouldn’t write anything down in preparation. But this text has nothing to do with preaching in the assembly of Believers. This is about giving testimony before unbelievers.)
Then notice Jesus’ promise. “But whatever is given to you in that hour, speak that; for it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit.” We have this example in Acts 6, where Stephen boldly testified before the Sanhedrin. The text says, “They were not able to resist the wisdom and the Spirit by which he spoke.” And all who sat in the council, looking steadfastly at him, saw his face as the face of an angel.” However, they ignored his innocence and put him to death.
Jesus warned His disciples they would be betrayed by their most intimate acquaintances – their family members. The pain of betrayal is awful, but when it comes from those who profess to love you, it is especially excruciating. These betrayals would lead to imprisonment for many, and some would even be put to death by the testimony of their family members.
All people would hate them for the sake of Christ; it will always be so. Jesus told the disciples in John 15:18, “If the world hates you, you know it hated Me before it hated you. If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. But all these things they will do to you for My name’s sake, because they do not know Him who sent Me.”
These are difficult words in the Western world, where most have known nothing except religious freedom. We see things changing around us, a growing intolerance of truth and moral absolutes. We must realize the freedoms we’ve enjoyed as followers of Christ are an anomaly. The vast majority of our brothers and sisters in Christ around the world suffer some form of harassment and persecution. Why should you and I expect to be exempt from suffering?
Then notice Jesus’ promise in verse 13; this is precious! He told them that those who endure to the end will be saved. The soul is the eternal part of us that cannot be destroyed. The body will die and decay; that is inescapable – if not today or tomorrow, at some point, all of us will experience physical death. Jesus was promising them spiritual deliverance, spiritual victory. By their steadfast faith in Jesus, they would gain eternal life. The same is true for you and me.
The judgment Jesus predicted eventually came in 70 AD when Jerusalem was destroyed. And yet, many of the signs of judgment Jesus predicted are still present today in even greater measure than back then. A greater judgment is yet to come, and the next portion of this chapter gives insight into that judgment.
Are you ready for that day of judgment when it comes?
[1] Chris Surber, Knowing the Season, 11/24/2009
