October 20th, 2024
by John Cole
by John Cole
INTRODUCTION
During the past two weeks, many Jews observed Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. One drastic difference of their observance from when it was observed in ancient days is that Jerusalem no longer has a temple or temple-sacrifices. So in the place of those, Jews today gather in synagogues and practice prayer, repentance, and forms of charity.
The historically tragic and prophesied desolations and destruction of the Jerusalem temple is precisely what today’s text is about. Parents, in a little bit, I will show some pictures with soldiers and war. No close-up graphics, but the pictures will help us follow the horrible storyline of the Jewish-Roman War in a more rapid pace.
Last week, we looked at verses 14-16, where Jesus instructed His apostles and followers in their generation to:
UNDERSTAND & OBEY PROPHESY.
Remember, prophesy is not given to decode. It is given to do.
Jesus said…
Mark 13:14–16
But when ye shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing where it ought not, (let him that readeth understand,) then let them that be in Judaea flee to the mountains: And let him that is on the housetop not go down into the house, neither enter therein, to take any thing out of his house: And let him that is in the field not turn back again for to take up his garment.
We…
Studied Last Sunday & Wednesday: Luke 21:20-24; Matthew 24:15-16; Daniel 9
You can…
Listen to or read those sermons at rhbaptist.net/sermons.
In these verses, Jesus is instructing His disciples to flee without delay and without return once they see abominations taking place in the temple and armies beginning to approach and surround Jerusalem.
God’s promised, good wrath would come upon Jerusalem and the temple, so obedient followers of Christ must forsake the old temple and covenant to instead represent the everlasting Temple and Covenant into all the world.
Before getting into our text today, let’s hear how Jesus’s prophesy unfolded and how Jesus’s followers were spared by obeying it.
History of the Jewish Wars & Destruction of the Temple
After the death of King Herod Agrippa I in 44 AD as recorded in Acts 12:23, the Jewish people suffered around 20 years of oppressive treatment under the direct rule of a series of Roman procurators (or governors). During this time, aspirations of zealots, revolutionaries, and false messiahs kindled hotter and hotter.
Gessius Florus, the last Roman procurator of Judea, was particularly treacherous towards the Jews. He began ruling in AD 64. Within two years of his rule, the Jewish Revolt and Wars began. Most of what we will cover next took place in 66-70 AD.
To set the flame of zealot fervor into what became the Jewish Revolt and Wars, Governor Florus led a cruel slaughter and pillage of over 3,600 Jews, including those who were Roman citizens and influential upper class. During this, he took gold from the temple treasury and crucified many victims, killing men, women, boys, and girls. After this, he and his troops relocated to Caesarea, making room for zealot fractions to organize more.
The zealots stirred up civil wars throughout Jerusalem, Judea, Galilee, and surrounding areas where Jews lived. Josephus, the Jewish historian who lived through it all, called them “robbers,” and while some modern-day Jewish sources downplay such labels, holding disdain for Josephus as a traitor, the historical record makes clear that the various Jewish zealot groups oppressed their own people, warred against the temple guards and priests, and shed much blood in the temple.
They went so far as to replace the sitting high priest, other priests, the Sanhedrin of 70 members, and temple guards with their own people. The Jewish zealots in fact took over the temple as their fortress as they fought the removed temple personnel and many thousands of civilians.
This civil war was full of undercover spying, betrayal, shifting leadership, murder, oppression, and abominations. The zealots supposedly stood for the kingdom of God, the Messiah, and God’s people, but instead, they stood in the place of God’s kingdom, Messiah, and people. Menahem was killed when he tried to have himself declared as the Messiah.
They were among those who rejected Jesus as the Messiah, and now they tried to bring about their own messianic strength against Rome and all among the Jews who would not join them.
The zealots called the nearby Idumeans to join them in their fight against the citizens of Jerusalem and their rulers. Eventually, even the Idumeans left the fight because they came to realize that they had been brought into an unjust slaughter of civilians.
It seems the Jewish zealots saw themselves as following in the footsteps of the Maccabees, but instead they were just a part of Jesus’s prophesied wars, rumors of wars, persecutions, false messiahs, abominations, and desolations. The non-Christian, Jewish historian, Josephus, who lived through all this said that these zealots were the cause of the abominations, desolations, and destruction of Jerusalem and the temple.
We read that the Jewish rulers had been asking help from Roman senator and governor of Syria, Cestius Gallus, but Gallus put things off until everything got way out of control.
Various zealots and revolutionaries had taken over a number of locations in the region, but especially significant was when they seized the rule of Jerusalem and the temple. The chief among those leading the zealots in Jersualem during this war in the late 60s AD was Eleazar, son of the high priest, Ananias—who was eventually killed under Eleazar’s rule of the zealots.
Possibly the most crafty among the zealots was John of Gischala, who led revolutionaries in Galilee and then served as a sort of spy during this civil war in Jerusalem before rising as a leader among the zealots and then being imprisoned by Rome.
These zealots violently warred against the populace and the temple guards. Blood was shed in the temple. Worshipers died as they brought their sacrifices, and even priests were killed. The zealots then forced the stop of sacrifices that were regularly made on behalf of Caesar—which in effect declared war on Rome.
So, Roman senator and Governor of Syria, Cestius Gallus, determined to set order by coming to Jerusalem with 12 legions of soldiers. They pitched camp just under a mile away from Jerusalem for three days, giving opportunity for people in the city to flee.
And then they advanced into Jerusalem, setting parts on fire and making their way to the temple walls—where they strove for five days with the zealots who had positioned themselves well behind the temple walls an in towers from which they defended themselves.
Then, Cestius took many of his best men to shield themselves from hurling darts and make their way to the gates of the northern quarter. After arriving to the gates with shields above them in defense, these Roman soliders were ready to set fire to the gates and take over the temple triumphantly.
But, suddenly and strangely and as Josephus put it, “without any reason in the world,” Cestius and his soldiers immediately retired from the temple gate and retreated from the city.
Well, the now emboldened Eleazar and zealots followed after the retreating army for 40 miles to as far as Antipatris and destroyed around 6,000 Roman footman and horseman as they hauled their armory away in retreat.
This resulted in several things:
First—The Zealots and people were emboldened to commit themselves to what became known as the 7 years of the 1st Jewish Wars that followed. Really, the war only lasted 3.5 years.
Second—Nero commissioned General Vespasian to punish them for rebelling against Rome. Vespasian began in Galilee and the northern lands in the Fall of AD 67 and continued to take control of Samaria, Judea, Idumea, and all but four strongholds from Jewish zealot control by AD 68.
During that year, Nero committed suicide, Rome went through three emperors, and then Vespasian became emperor of Rome in AD 69. As emperor, Vespasian directed his son, Titus, to command the troops in the region of Judea and lay siege to Jerusalem in AD 70.
Titus surrounded Jerusalem with 80,000 Roman soldiers for about 5 months, creating gruesome famine and internal horror in Jerusalem.
In early August of AD 70 the morning and evening sacrifices were not offered in the temple for the first time in centuries.
Around August 29 the sanctuary was torched and the temple was destroyed with rocks literally being thrown down—just as Jesus prophesied.
By the end of September, the city had been desolated, and according to Josephus, as much as one million Jewish people had been killed and some 900,000 had been taken captive. Some continued to revolt from fortresses like Masada for another 3.5 years, but that ultimately did not end well for them.
So, what happened to the Christians who listened to Jesus?
Finally—Christians of both Jewish and Gentile ethnicity obeyed the warning and instruction of Jesus to flee Jerusalem and Judea as soon as they saw abominations taking place in the temple (like those of the zealots) and the presence of Roman armies ready for war around Jerusalem.
Jesus told them not to listen to the voices that will claim messianic rule and who would deceive many into following them into the abomination of desolations.
The Christian’s first opportunity to both see the armies and flee would have likely been during the three days that Cestius camped less than a mile from Jersualem before attacking it.
Their second opportunity was after Cestius’ army strangely retreated from the temple walls and was defeated during their retreat.
Their third opportunity to obey was while they heard of Vespasian’s campaigns coming from the north to Jerusalem. This occurred for over a year, giving time to “flee!”
Their final opportunity would have been during the transition times of emperors until Titus actually surrounded and besieged Jerusalem. We have clear early history that Christians did in fact flee Judea to the mountains and surround areas—such as Pella.
By the time of the siege, it was too late for most. Those who disobeyed the true Messiah’s prophesy remained in Jerusalem before the siege began. Their end was tragic. They ignored the Word of the Lord from the Messiah like far too many do today…
But those who believed and obeyed Jesus’s word fled to the mountains and continued to spread across the lands instead of remaining tethered to Jerusalem and the temple.
They were sent out to the ends of the horizons by Jesus’s judgment on Jerusalem as the new temple of God filling the earth. They went beyond the limits we see in the Book of Acts.
Some of the sources referenced while writing this summary:
1.Josephus, Flavius, and William Whiston. The Works of Josephus: Complete and Unabridged. Peabody: Hendrickson, 1987.
2.Sch¸rer, Emil. A History of the Jewish People in the Time of Jesus Christ, Second Division. Vol. 1. Edinburgh: T&T Clark, 1890.
3.Sch¸rer, Emil. A History of the Jewish People in the Time of Jesus Christ, First Division. Vol. 2. Edinburgh: T&T Clark, 1890.
4.Singer, Isidore, ed. The Jewish Encyclopedia: A Descriptive Record of the History, Religion, Literature, and Customs of the Jewish People from the Earliest Times to the Present Day, 12 Volumes. New York; London: Funk & Wagnalls, 1901–1906.
5.Eusebius. The Ecclesiastical History and 2: English Translation. Edited by T. E. Page, E. Capps, W. H. D. Rouse, L. A. Post, and E. H. Warmington. Translated by Kirsopp Lake and J. E. L. Oulton. Vol. 1. The Loeb Classical Library. London; New York; Cambridge, MA: William Heinemann; G. P. Putnam’s Sons; Harvard University Press, 1926–1932.
6.Travis, William. “First Jewish Revolt.” Baker Encyclopedia of the Bible. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 1988.
7.Melvin, David P. “Israel, History Of, Post-Monarchic Period.” Edited by John D. Barry, David Bomar, Derek R. Brown, Rachel Klippenstein, Douglas Mangum, Carrie Sinclair Wolcott, Lazarus Wentz, Elliot Ritzema, and Wendy Widder. The Lexham Bible Dictionary. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2016.
That is a summary of how Jesus’s prophesy and instruction unfolded. Let’s see now the rest of Jesus’s prophesy and instruction related to all this.
Try to picture yourself receiving this instruction.
All of Christ’s followers would have to leave their homes and travel in difficulty.
This would not be easy for anyone.
So, Jesus taught them to…
PRAY FOR MERCY DURING AFFLICTION.
God’s judgment on sin brings affliction/tribulation in our current fallen world—until Jesus returns and makes all things new with His redeemed people.
We too need to pray for mercy. Jesus said…
Mark 13:17–19
But woe to them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days! And pray ye that your flight be not in the winter. For in those days shall be affliction, such as was not from the beginning of the creation which God created unto this time, neither shall be.
Jesus uses the language of prophetic warning here as He warns of the horrific affliction/tribulation that will take place in Judea before the destruction of the temple.
Notice how Jesus’s words echo Moses’s words in Exodus.
Judgment Like None Other: Exodus 11:6; Daniel 9:11-12; Leviticus 26:27-35; Ezekiel 5:5-12; Extra: Deuteronomy 28-30; Lamentations 2:17
Exodus 11:6
And there shall be a great cry throughout all the land of Egypt, such as there was none like it, nor shall be like it any more.
By sounding like Moses, Jesus is saying a judgment like the 10th plague on Egypt is coming upon Jerusalem! Jerusalem has been found like Egypt, so now God’s true people must be saved up out of Jerusalem!
But why so great of affliction and tribulation?
It is what God consistently warned in His covenant with Moses and Israel—blessing or cursing.
Remember Daniel’s prayer from last week?
Daniel 9:11–12
11 Yea, all Israel have transgressed thy law, even by departing, that they might not obey thy voice; therefore the curse is poured upon us, and the oath that is written in the law of Moses the servant of God, because we have sinned against him.
12 And he hath confirmed his words, which he spake against us, and against our judges that judged us, by bringing upon us a great evil: for under the whole heaven hath not been done as hath been done upon Jerusalem.
What had happened in the 6th century BC had been prophesied long before it at the forming of Israel after their redemption from Egypt. Let’s just look at a portion of Leviticus 26.
Leviticus 26:27–35
27 And if ye will not for all this hearken unto me, but walk contrary unto me;
28 Then I will walk contrary unto you also in fury; and I, even I, will chastise you seven times for your sins.
29 And ye shall eat the flesh of your sons, and the flesh of your daughters shall ye eat.
30 And I will destroy your high places, and cut down your images, and cast your carcases upon the carcases of your idols, and my soul shall abhor you.
31 And I will make your cities waste, and bring your sanctuaries unto desolation, and I will not smell the savour of your sweet odours.
32 And I will bring the land into desolation: and your enemies which dwell therein shall be astonished at it.
33 And I will scatter you among the heathen, and will draw out a sword after you: and your land shall be desolate, and your cities waste.
34 Then shall the land enjoy her sabbaths, as long as it lieth desolate, and ye be in your enemies’ land; even then shall the land rest, and enjoy her sabbaths.
35 As long as it lieth desolate it shall rest; because it did not rest in your sabbaths, when ye dwelt upon it.
The Mosaic Covenant that God made with Israel promised that great evil and curse would come upon them if they persisted in turning away from the LORD to serve other gods and idols and to forsake His commanded sabbatical years*.
*Years of rest—particularly from agriculture and debt—once every seven years.
As prophesied by Moses, Israel did seek after other gods, Jerusalem and the temple was destroyed, and they were scattered in exile for 70 years.
The first time this happened was in the 6th century BC. Ezekiel was among those exiled. Hear what he writes by the Spirit about it. Notice especially the similarity of Jesus’s words with Ezekiel’s.
Ezekiel 5:9
And I will do in thee that which I have not done, and whereunto I will not do any more the like, because of all thine abominations.
God said there that He was doing to Israel what He has not done nor would ever do again because of their abominations! He was speaking about the desolations, destruction of Jersualem, and exile of Jews that they—and Ezekiel—went through in the 6th century BC.
But now, Jesus is saying that once again a similar judgment of desolation, destruction, and exile was about to happen, and Jesus uses the same hyperbolic, prophetic language as in Deuteronomy, Leviticus, Daniel, and Ezekiel… and other places!
Mark 13:17–19
17 But woe to them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days! 18 And pray ye that your flight be not in the winter. 19 For in those days shall be affliction, such as was not from the beginning of the creation which God created unto this time, neither shall be.
Jesus is connecting this judgment with the previous judgments on both Egypt and Jerusalem, according to God’s Mosaic Covenant with Israel.
It’s of the same nature, for the same purpose (judgment/redemption), and of the same context—local!
Between all the Gospel accounts, Jesus describes this time with such words as “during the sabbath, in Judea, on the housetop, in the field, and flee to the mountains,” and Jesus gives direct instruction to “you”—His disciples.
Jesus is not prophesying here about a world-wide affliction. His prophesy is about “those days” of affliction that would lead up to the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple.
A destruction on the same level—but worse and more lasting—than the destructions on Egypt and Jerusalem before.
But the instruction to flee this affliction would lead Jesus’s disciples through affliction, not entirely from it. We will see that more clearly in verse 20, but also we see it in Jesus’s instruction for them to pray in regards to the timing and their travels out of Jerusalem and Judea.
The Sovereign over all these events is instructing the disciples to pray for merciful travel conditions before it all occurs!
Notice verse 18: “And pray ye that your flight be not in the winter.”
Why give such instruction?
1.It gave them acts of faith to do before the affliction happens.
2.Such prayer would prepare them for the affliction.
3.If they prayed, God would answer with mercy .
4.Prayer is an expression of trust in God’s sovereignty.
Even when God’s plan involves affliction, God never leaves His people alone. He is ever present.
Prayer through affliction deepens the believers trust in God’s sovereignty over all things.
But prayer and God’s sovereign rule over all things unnecessarily perplex some. Consider these two questions.
Q: Why do you pray when God is sovereign? Why don’t you pray when God is sovereign?
God’s sovereign rule over all things should not lead believers into determinism and fatalism. Rather, it should lead us into trust, prayer, and obedience.
So, trust and obey God’s prophesy. Believe in God’s ability. Pray for mercy during affliction… And…
TRUST GOD’S FAITHFUL LOVE.
This next verse contains a beautiful truth.
Mark 13:20
And except that the Lord had shortened those days, no flesh should be saved: but for the elect’s sake, whom he hath chosen, he hath shortened the days.
“Those days” of affliction could have went on longer.
•The Jewish zealots could have had a longer tyrannical rule.
•Vespasian could have extended his armies to more regions where more Christians lived.
•Nero could have lived longer.
•Titus could have extended the siege even more than 5 months and not have taken any captives—no one alive.
But Jesus is saying that, as horrific as “those days” would be, God would restrict “those days” out of love for His elect people—those whom He has foreknown and is saving.
Imagine what our world’s horrors would be if God did not restrict evil!
Be careful pointing your finger at God about circumstances you don’t like!
Were it not for His faithful love… if God left us to our own ways… our affliction would dramatically escalate from being purposeful according to God’s good wisdom to being just plain ruin and chaos according to our sin.
While traveling through affliction (which is the only way Christians experience it), followers of Christ must trust that not only is God sovereign but also that He is faithful in His love.
You might ask, “How can God be faithful in love if He brings His followers through such affliction?”
I don’t know, maybe we should ask people like Abraham, Joseph, Moses, David, Ezekiel, Daniel, John the Baptist, the disciples… Jesus!
The early church… later church… and modern church all go through affliction and tribulation in various forms and oftentimes with intensity.
And today, Christians remain highly persecuted in numerous regions all over our world.
But praise God, we can trust that God will be faithful to love us through all affliction—as Jesus promised He would through their affliction before the destruction of the temple!
Q: When and how do you struggle with trusting God’s faithful love for His people?
Do you pull in closer to God and His people during afflictions, or do you walk away? Trust God’s faithful love for His own.
DON’T BE LED ASTRAY .
During “those days” of affliction, false “messiahs” tried to rally the Jewish populace as though they were going to bring about God’s promised kingdom over their enemies—who, in their minds, was Rome.
So Jesus said…
Mark 13:21–22
And then if any man shall say to you, Lo, here is Christ; or, lo, he is there; believe him not: For false Christs and false prophets shall rise, and shall shew signs and wonders, to seduce, if it were possible, even the elect.
Imagine being caught in the middle of all sorts of mixed messaging, threatenings of death, and vicious peer and family pressure to “join the cause of God” and fight against Rome!
And at the same time, you have religious rulers who encourage you to calm down and submit to Rome.
Who do you follow? That depends on the source of your trust.
If you are a Christian at that time, you obey Jesus and flee to the mountains, knowing that the temple and Jerusalem will not be defended by God.
There is a an everlasting Temple and Jerusalem that will fill the earth. No need to hold onto the one destined to destruction!
No need to follow the false messianic fervor! You know the Christ.
No need to follow the conventional wisdom of remaining in the fortified city and temple.
Go on! Flee! Get far from this place.
Jesus is saying that they must forsake the only country they know while they continue to drawn nigh to Temple and City not made with hands!
God’s people have always been a people who are called to obey God by faith, leaving what they have always known for what can been only truly seen by faith in God’s Word.
Jesus said that this false messianic fervor, prophesies, and signs would be so intense and convincing that most will be seduced—except God’s elect people.
Those who are in Christ by faith have God’s Spirit and will not be deceived.
And some of the means by which they will not be deceived is the hearing and teaching of God’s Word—what Jesus is giving them here, and what we are to preach today.
Jesus’s teaching protects His followers from deceivers, but deceivers keep many from hearing Jesus’s teaching.
Q: Who do you need to stop listening to in order to obey Jesus?
Those who fill their minds with counterfeits of truth will not:
•Understand and obey prophesy
•Pray for mercy during affliction
•Trust God’s faithful love
•Avoid being led astray
BE VIGILANT ABOUT WHAT GOD HAS MADE KNOWN .
And now we come to apocalyptic (or unveiling) language concerning prophesy to which all the other verses in Mark 13 have been leading us.
What exactly is Jesus predicting in this final section of today’s text?
Before we get into Jesus’s words, we are going to simply read through a series of prophesies that employ similar apocalyptic language.
In each one, notice God’s involvement and description of what human armies do. And remember how Jesus is the eternal Son Who came from the Father’s right hand.
It is my conviction that Jesus is here identifying Himself as Yahweh and the promised Son of Man with the language and prophesy He gives next—a prophecy about which the disciples are told to “take heed” and “be vigilant”!
Jesus prophesies about a day of the LORD to come.
Let’s now read through some…
Examples of apocalyptic language for judgment (or rescue) from God through human armies:
•2 Samuel 22 / Psalm 18 (David—rescued from Saul & Enemies)
2 Samuel 22:7–18
7 In my distress I called upon the LORD, And cried to my God: And he did hear my voice out of his temple, And my cry did enter into his ears.
8 Then the earth shook and trembled; The foundations of heaven moved And shook, because he was wroth.
9 There went up a smoke out of his nostrils, And fire out of his mouth devoured: Coals were kindled by it.
10 He bowed the heavens also, and came down; And darkness was under his feet.
11 And he rode upon a cherub, and did fly: And he was seen upon the wings of the wind.
12 And he made darkness pavilions round about him, Dark waters, and thick clouds of the skies.
13 Through the brightness before him Were coals of fire kindled.
14 The LORD thundered from heaven, And the most High uttered his voice.
15 And he sent out arrows, and scattered them; Lightning, and discomfited them.
16 And the channels of the sea appeared, The foundations of the world were discovered, At the rebuking of the LORD, At the blast of the breath of his nostrils.
17 He sent from above, he took me; He drew me out of many waters;
18 He delivered me from my strong enemy, And from them that hated me: for they were too strong for me.
Verse 18 is what happened.
•Joel 2:1-2,10-11 (Judah—invaded by Assyria)
Joel 2:1–2
1 Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in my holy mountain: Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble: For the day of the LORD cometh, for it is nigh at hand;
2 A day of darkness and of gloominess, A day of clouds and of thick darkness, As the morning spread upon the mountains: A great people and a strong; There hath not been ever the like, Neither shall be any more after it, Even to the years of many generations.
Joel 2:10–11
10 The earth shall quake before them; The heavens shall tremble: The sun and the moon shall be dark, And the stars shall withdraw their shining:
11 And the LORD shall utter his voice before his army: For his camp is very great: For he is strong that executeth his word: For the day of the LORD is great and very terrible; And who can abide it?
•Isaiah 19:1-4 (Egypt—civil war & subdued by Assyria)
Isaiah 19:1
The burden of Egypt. Behold, the LORD rideth upon a swift cloud, and shall come into Egypt: And the idols of Egypt shall be moved at his presence, And the heart of Egypt shall melt in the midst of it.
•Jeremiah 4:13-14, 23-28 (Jerusalem—destroyed by Babylon)
Jeremiah 4:13–14
13 Behold, he shall come up as clouds, And his chariots shall be as a whirlwind: His horses are swifter than eagles. Woe unto us! for we are spoiled.
14 O Jerusalem, wash thine heart from wickedness, that thou mayest be saved. How long shall thy vain thoughts lodge within thee?
Notice next the “de-creation” language that is common of apocalyptic writings. It sounds like a reversal of Genesis 1-2.
Jeremiah 4:23–28
23 I beheld the earth, and, lo, it was without form, and void; And the heavens, and they had no light.
24 I beheld the mountains, and, lo, they trembled, And all the hills moved lightly.
25 I beheld, and, lo, there was no man, And all the birds of the heavens were fled.
26 I beheld, and, lo, the fruitful place was a wilderness, And all the cities thereof were broken down At the presence of the LORD, and by his fierce anger.
27 For thus hath the LORD said, The whole land shall be desolate; Yet will I not make a full end.
28 For this shall the earth mourn, and the heavens above be black: Because I have spoken it, I have purposed it, And will not repent, neither will I turn back from it.
•Ezekiel 32:4-11 (Egypt—destroyed by Babylon)
Ezekiel 32:7–11
7 And when I shall put thee out, I will cover the heaven, and make the stars thereof dark; I will cover the sun with a cloud, and the moon shall not give her light.
8 All the bright lights of heaven will I make dark over thee, and set darkness upon thy land, saith the Lord GOD.
9 I will also vex the hearts of many people, when I shall bring thy destruction among the nations, into the countries which thou hast not known.
10 Yea, I will make many people amazed at thee, and their kings shall be horribly afraid for thee, when I shall brandish my sword before them; and they shall tremble at every moment, every man for his own life, in the day of thy fall.
11 For thus saith the Lord GOD; The sword of the king of Babylon shall come upon thee.
In verse 10, the LORD said it would be His sword. In verse 11, the LORD said it would be the sword of the king of Babylon.
This is common language of prophesy.
“Revelation” or “apocalyptic” language descriptively and poetically “unveils” God’s rule in heaven over our experiences on earth .
Each of those apocalyptic writings were simply descriptions of army invasions and battles over which God rules.
God “covering the heavens, sun, moon, and stars” is a way of saying that this “sword of the king of Babylon coming on you” is a work of the LORD.
Let’s look at one more passage before going through the remainder of our text today.
In Mark 14, we have the insightful context of the prophesy Jesus gives to the high priest at His trial:
Mark 14:61-62
Mark 14:61–62
61 But he held his peace, and answered nothing. Again the high priest asked him, and said unto him, Art thou the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?
62 And Jesus said, I am: and ye shall see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven.
Jesus said there that He is “I am”—Yahweh, the One Who rides on the clouds.
He then prophesied that Caiaphas the high priest and those with him would see Jesus, the Son of man of Daniel 7, both sitting on the right hand of power and coming in the clouds of heaven.
How does one both sit and come at the same time, unless His “coming” is from His seat?
Jesus and Mark by the Spirit here are connecting this prophesy with the the one Jesus already gave in Mark 13—they (not the disciples) shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds with great power and glory.
While Jesus does clearly prophesy of His future coming and return to earth, our text before us is clearly not about that.
Now I understand that due to the language used, many have taken this to be referring to Jesus’s coming, the resurrection of the saints, and Jesus’s return at the end of the age, but that simply does not fit the context or Jesus’s words that “this all will take place in this generation.”
•If Jesus is the Messiah, He must bring both redemption and judgment.
•If Jesus is the Messiah, He must also show Himself to be Yahweh.
•If Jesus is the Messiah, He must reign until He puts all His enemies under His feet.
•If the apostles and church are to be faithful to Jesus’s words, we must know that He is a true Prophet.
All this and more is accomplished by Jesus’s prophesy being fulfilled as the answer to the disciples’s question about the destruction of the temple.
Jesus begins by saying, “Give vigilance to flee when you see all the things that will come before what comes next “in those same days”—the Son of Man bringing judgment on Jerusalem from heaven through the Roman armies.”
Mark 13:23–31
23 But take ye heed: behold, I have foretold you all things.
24 But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light,
25 And the stars of heaven shall fall, and the powers that are in heaven shall be shaken.
26 And then shall they see the Son of man coming in the clouds with great power and glory.
27 And then shall he send his angels, and shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from the uttermost part of the earth to the uttermost part of heaven.
28 Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When her branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is near:
29 So ye in like manner, when ye shall see these things come to pass, know that it is nigh, even at the doors.
30 Verily I say unto you, that this generation shall not pass, till all these things be done.
31 Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away.
This is the answer to the disciples’ question of when the temple would be destroyed and how Jesus would give an obvious sign to His disciples that He is ascended and reigning on the throne of the kingdom, as promised.
“The Son of man coming in the clouds” is Jesus bringing judgment on Jerusalem through Roman armies in the same way Yahweh coming in the clouds was God bringing judgment through human armies in the past.
This final section of our text today is loaded with Old Testament language, and it strongly connects Jesus with both Yahweh and Daniel’s prophesied Son of man, Who ascends to rule at the right hand of Yahweh.
This text makes clear that Jesus did not just claim to be an innocent Spirit-led man who paid for our sins—like Islamic, Jehovah’s Witness, and Mormon cults will gladly say.
No, Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever as the true Yahweh Who came in clouds of judgment many times before and would soon do again against Jerusalem, and Who continues to do as He rules over the nations today.
In verse 23 Jesus instructs His disciples to be vigilant about everything He has foretold, and in verse 30-31 Jesus declares that His prophesy will surely come to pass in their generation.
What exactly did Jesus make known?
1.Jesus is both Yahweh and the prophesied Son of man.
2.After His death, resurrection, and ascension, Jesus would rule the nations from His heavenly throne.
3.Those who believe Jesus’s word will be able to discern the timing of His prophesied judgment and flee Judea before it comes .
4.In fleeing the temple, Jerusalem, and Judea, Jesus’s followers would be fully untethered from the old Mosaic Covenant and scattered as messengers* of the New Covenant from one end of the horizon to the other .
5.“Those days” of affliction, judgment, redemption, and scattering would come in their generation .
6.Jesus’s prophetic words will surely come to pass and vindicate Him as the promised Prophet-Priest-King of heaven and earth.
For NT scriptures that use “angellos” for human messengers, see the ones I have given in the bulletin.
*See: Mark 1:2; Matthew 11:10; Luke 7:24,27; 9:52; 2 Corinthians 12:7; James 2:25; Revelation 2-3
Concerning the sending of His messengers to the four winds and to the uttermost (or extreme limit) of earth and heaven (or sky), consider how Matthew puts it:
Matthew 24:31
“And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet [like a King or ruler would do], and they [the messengers] shall gather together his elect from the four winds [all directions], from one end of heaven[s] [or skies/horizons] to the other.”
I believe Jesus is saying that He will send His messengers to gather His elect from one horizon to the other… or to all the earth.
Right before ascending to His throne, Jesus said it this way:
Acts 1:8
“But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.”
Jesus gave His disciples everything they needed to know to trust Him through tribulation, to avoid destruction after He had left them, and to carry out His mission for them.
Q: Do you trust that God has already revealed all that you need to know to follow Jesus?
He did for them.
What God has revealed in Scripture and presently applies by His Spirit is sufficient for us to follow Jesus today.
Trust His word and follow Jesus. As we do so, we will…
LIVE AS COMMISSIONED MEMBERS OF THE GLOBAL TEMPLE OF CHRIST UNTIL HE COMES AGAIN.
As His church, we live in the results of that prophesy.
The church has been scattered all over the earth, and we are commissioned as Christ’s messengers of the New Covenant until He returns.
We have been given the Gospel, Scripture, the Spirit, and the church.
Jesus and all in Him are the new temple.
Consider what Paul wrote while this doomed Jerusalem temple still stood in the 1st century:
Galatians 4:25–26
For this Agar is mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children. 26 But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all.
Earthly Jerusalem was doomed, but heavenly Jerusalem—then and now—is “the mother of us all.” That means, we belong to the heavenly Jerusalem—the city of God, if we have been born from above (or again).
And then the writer of Hebrews tells us to seek that Jerusalem above since “we have no continuing city.”
Hebrews 13:14
For here have we no continuing city, but we seek one to come.
The heavenly Jerusalem/city is enduring. When heaven and earth is united after the return of Christ, then the earthly Jersualem will also be enduring because they will be one in the same.
So, Jesus is telling His disciples, “Leave the earthly allegiance, take up your cross, and follow Jesus to the ends of the earth!”
Earlier in the service, Jacob lead us in reading how Peter said this by the Spirit. I encourage slow reflection on 1 Peter 2:5-10 this week in your devotions.
1 Peter 2:5-10; Mark 11:17; 12:9; 13:27; 16:15
In closing, Jesus had been saying it this way all along…
Mark 11:17
And he taught, saying unto them, Is it not written, My house shall be called of all nations the house of prayer? but ye have made it a den of thieves.
Mark 12:9
What shall therefore the lord of the vineyard do? he will come and destroy the husbandmen, and will give the vineyard unto others.
Mark 13:27
And then shall he send his angels, and shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from the uttermost part of the earth to the uttermost part of heaven.
Jesus would soon say it this way…
Mark 16:15
And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.
MAIN ARGUMENT: Jesus’s fulfilled word should embolden us as globally commissioned messengers to spread His word while He gathers His elect as the new, holy temple of God .
Do you trust the word of Jesus?
Are you obeying the word of Jesus?
Are you being a messenger of the word of Jesus?
Jesus is ruling and reigning from His throne above. He is faithfully sending and saving.
Let’s spread the word of the Sovereign Priest-King.
During the past two weeks, many Jews observed Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. One drastic difference of their observance from when it was observed in ancient days is that Jerusalem no longer has a temple or temple-sacrifices. So in the place of those, Jews today gather in synagogues and practice prayer, repentance, and forms of charity.
The historically tragic and prophesied desolations and destruction of the Jerusalem temple is precisely what today’s text is about. Parents, in a little bit, I will show some pictures with soldiers and war. No close-up graphics, but the pictures will help us follow the horrible storyline of the Jewish-Roman War in a more rapid pace.
Last week, we looked at verses 14-16, where Jesus instructed His apostles and followers in their generation to:
UNDERSTAND & OBEY PROPHESY.
Remember, prophesy is not given to decode. It is given to do.
Jesus said…
Mark 13:14–16
But when ye shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing where it ought not, (let him that readeth understand,) then let them that be in Judaea flee to the mountains: And let him that is on the housetop not go down into the house, neither enter therein, to take any thing out of his house: And let him that is in the field not turn back again for to take up his garment.
We…
Studied Last Sunday & Wednesday: Luke 21:20-24; Matthew 24:15-16; Daniel 9
You can…
Listen to or read those sermons at rhbaptist.net/sermons.
In these verses, Jesus is instructing His disciples to flee without delay and without return once they see abominations taking place in the temple and armies beginning to approach and surround Jerusalem.
God’s promised, good wrath would come upon Jerusalem and the temple, so obedient followers of Christ must forsake the old temple and covenant to instead represent the everlasting Temple and Covenant into all the world.
Before getting into our text today, let’s hear how Jesus’s prophesy unfolded and how Jesus’s followers were spared by obeying it.
History of the Jewish Wars & Destruction of the Temple
After the death of King Herod Agrippa I in 44 AD as recorded in Acts 12:23, the Jewish people suffered around 20 years of oppressive treatment under the direct rule of a series of Roman procurators (or governors). During this time, aspirations of zealots, revolutionaries, and false messiahs kindled hotter and hotter.
Gessius Florus, the last Roman procurator of Judea, was particularly treacherous towards the Jews. He began ruling in AD 64. Within two years of his rule, the Jewish Revolt and Wars began. Most of what we will cover next took place in 66-70 AD.
To set the flame of zealot fervor into what became the Jewish Revolt and Wars, Governor Florus led a cruel slaughter and pillage of over 3,600 Jews, including those who were Roman citizens and influential upper class. During this, he took gold from the temple treasury and crucified many victims, killing men, women, boys, and girls. After this, he and his troops relocated to Caesarea, making room for zealot fractions to organize more.
The zealots stirred up civil wars throughout Jerusalem, Judea, Galilee, and surrounding areas where Jews lived. Josephus, the Jewish historian who lived through it all, called them “robbers,” and while some modern-day Jewish sources downplay such labels, holding disdain for Josephus as a traitor, the historical record makes clear that the various Jewish zealot groups oppressed their own people, warred against the temple guards and priests, and shed much blood in the temple.
They went so far as to replace the sitting high priest, other priests, the Sanhedrin of 70 members, and temple guards with their own people. The Jewish zealots in fact took over the temple as their fortress as they fought the removed temple personnel and many thousands of civilians.
This civil war was full of undercover spying, betrayal, shifting leadership, murder, oppression, and abominations. The zealots supposedly stood for the kingdom of God, the Messiah, and God’s people, but instead, they stood in the place of God’s kingdom, Messiah, and people. Menahem was killed when he tried to have himself declared as the Messiah.
They were among those who rejected Jesus as the Messiah, and now they tried to bring about their own messianic strength against Rome and all among the Jews who would not join them.
The zealots called the nearby Idumeans to join them in their fight against the citizens of Jerusalem and their rulers. Eventually, even the Idumeans left the fight because they came to realize that they had been brought into an unjust slaughter of civilians.
It seems the Jewish zealots saw themselves as following in the footsteps of the Maccabees, but instead they were just a part of Jesus’s prophesied wars, rumors of wars, persecutions, false messiahs, abominations, and desolations. The non-Christian, Jewish historian, Josephus, who lived through all this said that these zealots were the cause of the abominations, desolations, and destruction of Jerusalem and the temple.
We read that the Jewish rulers had been asking help from Roman senator and governor of Syria, Cestius Gallus, but Gallus put things off until everything got way out of control.
Various zealots and revolutionaries had taken over a number of locations in the region, but especially significant was when they seized the rule of Jerusalem and the temple. The chief among those leading the zealots in Jersualem during this war in the late 60s AD was Eleazar, son of the high priest, Ananias—who was eventually killed under Eleazar’s rule of the zealots.
Possibly the most crafty among the zealots was John of Gischala, who led revolutionaries in Galilee and then served as a sort of spy during this civil war in Jerusalem before rising as a leader among the zealots and then being imprisoned by Rome.
These zealots violently warred against the populace and the temple guards. Blood was shed in the temple. Worshipers died as they brought their sacrifices, and even priests were killed. The zealots then forced the stop of sacrifices that were regularly made on behalf of Caesar—which in effect declared war on Rome.
So, Roman senator and Governor of Syria, Cestius Gallus, determined to set order by coming to Jerusalem with 12 legions of soldiers. They pitched camp just under a mile away from Jerusalem for three days, giving opportunity for people in the city to flee.
And then they advanced into Jerusalem, setting parts on fire and making their way to the temple walls—where they strove for five days with the zealots who had positioned themselves well behind the temple walls an in towers from which they defended themselves.
Then, Cestius took many of his best men to shield themselves from hurling darts and make their way to the gates of the northern quarter. After arriving to the gates with shields above them in defense, these Roman soliders were ready to set fire to the gates and take over the temple triumphantly.
But, suddenly and strangely and as Josephus put it, “without any reason in the world,” Cestius and his soldiers immediately retired from the temple gate and retreated from the city.
Well, the now emboldened Eleazar and zealots followed after the retreating army for 40 miles to as far as Antipatris and destroyed around 6,000 Roman footman and horseman as they hauled their armory away in retreat.
This resulted in several things:
First—The Zealots and people were emboldened to commit themselves to what became known as the 7 years of the 1st Jewish Wars that followed. Really, the war only lasted 3.5 years.
Second—Nero commissioned General Vespasian to punish them for rebelling against Rome. Vespasian began in Galilee and the northern lands in the Fall of AD 67 and continued to take control of Samaria, Judea, Idumea, and all but four strongholds from Jewish zealot control by AD 68.
During that year, Nero committed suicide, Rome went through three emperors, and then Vespasian became emperor of Rome in AD 69. As emperor, Vespasian directed his son, Titus, to command the troops in the region of Judea and lay siege to Jerusalem in AD 70.
Titus surrounded Jerusalem with 80,000 Roman soldiers for about 5 months, creating gruesome famine and internal horror in Jerusalem.
In early August of AD 70 the morning and evening sacrifices were not offered in the temple for the first time in centuries.
Around August 29 the sanctuary was torched and the temple was destroyed with rocks literally being thrown down—just as Jesus prophesied.
By the end of September, the city had been desolated, and according to Josephus, as much as one million Jewish people had been killed and some 900,000 had been taken captive. Some continued to revolt from fortresses like Masada for another 3.5 years, but that ultimately did not end well for them.
So, what happened to the Christians who listened to Jesus?
Finally—Christians of both Jewish and Gentile ethnicity obeyed the warning and instruction of Jesus to flee Jerusalem and Judea as soon as they saw abominations taking place in the temple (like those of the zealots) and the presence of Roman armies ready for war around Jerusalem.
Jesus told them not to listen to the voices that will claim messianic rule and who would deceive many into following them into the abomination of desolations.
The Christian’s first opportunity to both see the armies and flee would have likely been during the three days that Cestius camped less than a mile from Jersualem before attacking it.
Their second opportunity was after Cestius’ army strangely retreated from the temple walls and was defeated during their retreat.
Their third opportunity to obey was while they heard of Vespasian’s campaigns coming from the north to Jerusalem. This occurred for over a year, giving time to “flee!”
Their final opportunity would have been during the transition times of emperors until Titus actually surrounded and besieged Jerusalem. We have clear early history that Christians did in fact flee Judea to the mountains and surround areas—such as Pella.
By the time of the siege, it was too late for most. Those who disobeyed the true Messiah’s prophesy remained in Jerusalem before the siege began. Their end was tragic. They ignored the Word of the Lord from the Messiah like far too many do today…
But those who believed and obeyed Jesus’s word fled to the mountains and continued to spread across the lands instead of remaining tethered to Jerusalem and the temple.
They were sent out to the ends of the horizons by Jesus’s judgment on Jerusalem as the new temple of God filling the earth. They went beyond the limits we see in the Book of Acts.
Some of the sources referenced while writing this summary:
1.Josephus, Flavius, and William Whiston. The Works of Josephus: Complete and Unabridged. Peabody: Hendrickson, 1987.
2.Sch¸rer, Emil. A History of the Jewish People in the Time of Jesus Christ, Second Division. Vol. 1. Edinburgh: T&T Clark, 1890.
3.Sch¸rer, Emil. A History of the Jewish People in the Time of Jesus Christ, First Division. Vol. 2. Edinburgh: T&T Clark, 1890.
4.Singer, Isidore, ed. The Jewish Encyclopedia: A Descriptive Record of the History, Religion, Literature, and Customs of the Jewish People from the Earliest Times to the Present Day, 12 Volumes. New York; London: Funk & Wagnalls, 1901–1906.
5.Eusebius. The Ecclesiastical History and 2: English Translation. Edited by T. E. Page, E. Capps, W. H. D. Rouse, L. A. Post, and E. H. Warmington. Translated by Kirsopp Lake and J. E. L. Oulton. Vol. 1. The Loeb Classical Library. London; New York; Cambridge, MA: William Heinemann; G. P. Putnam’s Sons; Harvard University Press, 1926–1932.
6.Travis, William. “First Jewish Revolt.” Baker Encyclopedia of the Bible. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 1988.
7.Melvin, David P. “Israel, History Of, Post-Monarchic Period.” Edited by John D. Barry, David Bomar, Derek R. Brown, Rachel Klippenstein, Douglas Mangum, Carrie Sinclair Wolcott, Lazarus Wentz, Elliot Ritzema, and Wendy Widder. The Lexham Bible Dictionary. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2016.
That is a summary of how Jesus’s prophesy and instruction unfolded. Let’s see now the rest of Jesus’s prophesy and instruction related to all this.
Try to picture yourself receiving this instruction.
All of Christ’s followers would have to leave their homes and travel in difficulty.
This would not be easy for anyone.
So, Jesus taught them to…
PRAY FOR MERCY DURING AFFLICTION.
God’s judgment on sin brings affliction/tribulation in our current fallen world—until Jesus returns and makes all things new with His redeemed people.
We too need to pray for mercy. Jesus said…
Mark 13:17–19
But woe to them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days! And pray ye that your flight be not in the winter. For in those days shall be affliction, such as was not from the beginning of the creation which God created unto this time, neither shall be.
Jesus uses the language of prophetic warning here as He warns of the horrific affliction/tribulation that will take place in Judea before the destruction of the temple.
Notice how Jesus’s words echo Moses’s words in Exodus.
Judgment Like None Other: Exodus 11:6; Daniel 9:11-12; Leviticus 26:27-35; Ezekiel 5:5-12; Extra: Deuteronomy 28-30; Lamentations 2:17
Exodus 11:6
And there shall be a great cry throughout all the land of Egypt, such as there was none like it, nor shall be like it any more.
By sounding like Moses, Jesus is saying a judgment like the 10th plague on Egypt is coming upon Jerusalem! Jerusalem has been found like Egypt, so now God’s true people must be saved up out of Jerusalem!
But why so great of affliction and tribulation?
It is what God consistently warned in His covenant with Moses and Israel—blessing or cursing.
Remember Daniel’s prayer from last week?
Daniel 9:11–12
11 Yea, all Israel have transgressed thy law, even by departing, that they might not obey thy voice; therefore the curse is poured upon us, and the oath that is written in the law of Moses the servant of God, because we have sinned against him.
12 And he hath confirmed his words, which he spake against us, and against our judges that judged us, by bringing upon us a great evil: for under the whole heaven hath not been done as hath been done upon Jerusalem.
What had happened in the 6th century BC had been prophesied long before it at the forming of Israel after their redemption from Egypt. Let’s just look at a portion of Leviticus 26.
Leviticus 26:27–35
27 And if ye will not for all this hearken unto me, but walk contrary unto me;
28 Then I will walk contrary unto you also in fury; and I, even I, will chastise you seven times for your sins.
29 And ye shall eat the flesh of your sons, and the flesh of your daughters shall ye eat.
30 And I will destroy your high places, and cut down your images, and cast your carcases upon the carcases of your idols, and my soul shall abhor you.
31 And I will make your cities waste, and bring your sanctuaries unto desolation, and I will not smell the savour of your sweet odours.
32 And I will bring the land into desolation: and your enemies which dwell therein shall be astonished at it.
33 And I will scatter you among the heathen, and will draw out a sword after you: and your land shall be desolate, and your cities waste.
34 Then shall the land enjoy her sabbaths, as long as it lieth desolate, and ye be in your enemies’ land; even then shall the land rest, and enjoy her sabbaths.
35 As long as it lieth desolate it shall rest; because it did not rest in your sabbaths, when ye dwelt upon it.
The Mosaic Covenant that God made with Israel promised that great evil and curse would come upon them if they persisted in turning away from the LORD to serve other gods and idols and to forsake His commanded sabbatical years*.
*Years of rest—particularly from agriculture and debt—once every seven years.
As prophesied by Moses, Israel did seek after other gods, Jerusalem and the temple was destroyed, and they were scattered in exile for 70 years.
The first time this happened was in the 6th century BC. Ezekiel was among those exiled. Hear what he writes by the Spirit about it. Notice especially the similarity of Jesus’s words with Ezekiel’s.
Ezekiel 5:9
And I will do in thee that which I have not done, and whereunto I will not do any more the like, because of all thine abominations.
God said there that He was doing to Israel what He has not done nor would ever do again because of their abominations! He was speaking about the desolations, destruction of Jersualem, and exile of Jews that they—and Ezekiel—went through in the 6th century BC.
But now, Jesus is saying that once again a similar judgment of desolation, destruction, and exile was about to happen, and Jesus uses the same hyperbolic, prophetic language as in Deuteronomy, Leviticus, Daniel, and Ezekiel… and other places!
Mark 13:17–19
17 But woe to them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days! 18 And pray ye that your flight be not in the winter. 19 For in those days shall be affliction, such as was not from the beginning of the creation which God created unto this time, neither shall be.
Jesus is connecting this judgment with the previous judgments on both Egypt and Jerusalem, according to God’s Mosaic Covenant with Israel.
It’s of the same nature, for the same purpose (judgment/redemption), and of the same context—local!
Between all the Gospel accounts, Jesus describes this time with such words as “during the sabbath, in Judea, on the housetop, in the field, and flee to the mountains,” and Jesus gives direct instruction to “you”—His disciples.
Jesus is not prophesying here about a world-wide affliction. His prophesy is about “those days” of affliction that would lead up to the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple.
A destruction on the same level—but worse and more lasting—than the destructions on Egypt and Jerusalem before.
But the instruction to flee this affliction would lead Jesus’s disciples through affliction, not entirely from it. We will see that more clearly in verse 20, but also we see it in Jesus’s instruction for them to pray in regards to the timing and their travels out of Jerusalem and Judea.
The Sovereign over all these events is instructing the disciples to pray for merciful travel conditions before it all occurs!
Notice verse 18: “And pray ye that your flight be not in the winter.”
Why give such instruction?
1.It gave them acts of faith to do before the affliction happens.
2.Such prayer would prepare them for the affliction.
3.If they prayed, God would answer with mercy .
4.Prayer is an expression of trust in God’s sovereignty.
Even when God’s plan involves affliction, God never leaves His people alone. He is ever present.
Prayer through affliction deepens the believers trust in God’s sovereignty over all things.
But prayer and God’s sovereign rule over all things unnecessarily perplex some. Consider these two questions.
Q: Why do you pray when God is sovereign? Why don’t you pray when God is sovereign?
God’s sovereign rule over all things should not lead believers into determinism and fatalism. Rather, it should lead us into trust, prayer, and obedience.
So, trust and obey God’s prophesy. Believe in God’s ability. Pray for mercy during affliction… And…
TRUST GOD’S FAITHFUL LOVE.
This next verse contains a beautiful truth.
Mark 13:20
And except that the Lord had shortened those days, no flesh should be saved: but for the elect’s sake, whom he hath chosen, he hath shortened the days.
“Those days” of affliction could have went on longer.
•The Jewish zealots could have had a longer tyrannical rule.
•Vespasian could have extended his armies to more regions where more Christians lived.
•Nero could have lived longer.
•Titus could have extended the siege even more than 5 months and not have taken any captives—no one alive.
But Jesus is saying that, as horrific as “those days” would be, God would restrict “those days” out of love for His elect people—those whom He has foreknown and is saving.
Imagine what our world’s horrors would be if God did not restrict evil!
Be careful pointing your finger at God about circumstances you don’t like!
Were it not for His faithful love… if God left us to our own ways… our affliction would dramatically escalate from being purposeful according to God’s good wisdom to being just plain ruin and chaos according to our sin.
While traveling through affliction (which is the only way Christians experience it), followers of Christ must trust that not only is God sovereign but also that He is faithful in His love.
You might ask, “How can God be faithful in love if He brings His followers through such affliction?”
I don’t know, maybe we should ask people like Abraham, Joseph, Moses, David, Ezekiel, Daniel, John the Baptist, the disciples… Jesus!
The early church… later church… and modern church all go through affliction and tribulation in various forms and oftentimes with intensity.
And today, Christians remain highly persecuted in numerous regions all over our world.
But praise God, we can trust that God will be faithful to love us through all affliction—as Jesus promised He would through their affliction before the destruction of the temple!
Q: When and how do you struggle with trusting God’s faithful love for His people?
Do you pull in closer to God and His people during afflictions, or do you walk away? Trust God’s faithful love for His own.
DON’T BE LED ASTRAY .
During “those days” of affliction, false “messiahs” tried to rally the Jewish populace as though they were going to bring about God’s promised kingdom over their enemies—who, in their minds, was Rome.
So Jesus said…
Mark 13:21–22
And then if any man shall say to you, Lo, here is Christ; or, lo, he is there; believe him not: For false Christs and false prophets shall rise, and shall shew signs and wonders, to seduce, if it were possible, even the elect.
Imagine being caught in the middle of all sorts of mixed messaging, threatenings of death, and vicious peer and family pressure to “join the cause of God” and fight against Rome!
And at the same time, you have religious rulers who encourage you to calm down and submit to Rome.
Who do you follow? That depends on the source of your trust.
If you are a Christian at that time, you obey Jesus and flee to the mountains, knowing that the temple and Jerusalem will not be defended by God.
There is a an everlasting Temple and Jerusalem that will fill the earth. No need to hold onto the one destined to destruction!
No need to follow the false messianic fervor! You know the Christ.
No need to follow the conventional wisdom of remaining in the fortified city and temple.
Go on! Flee! Get far from this place.
Jesus is saying that they must forsake the only country they know while they continue to drawn nigh to Temple and City not made with hands!
God’s people have always been a people who are called to obey God by faith, leaving what they have always known for what can been only truly seen by faith in God’s Word.
Jesus said that this false messianic fervor, prophesies, and signs would be so intense and convincing that most will be seduced—except God’s elect people.
Those who are in Christ by faith have God’s Spirit and will not be deceived.
And some of the means by which they will not be deceived is the hearing and teaching of God’s Word—what Jesus is giving them here, and what we are to preach today.
Jesus’s teaching protects His followers from deceivers, but deceivers keep many from hearing Jesus’s teaching.
Q: Who do you need to stop listening to in order to obey Jesus?
Those who fill their minds with counterfeits of truth will not:
•Understand and obey prophesy
•Pray for mercy during affliction
•Trust God’s faithful love
•Avoid being led astray
BE VIGILANT ABOUT WHAT GOD HAS MADE KNOWN .
And now we come to apocalyptic (or unveiling) language concerning prophesy to which all the other verses in Mark 13 have been leading us.
What exactly is Jesus predicting in this final section of today’s text?
Before we get into Jesus’s words, we are going to simply read through a series of prophesies that employ similar apocalyptic language.
In each one, notice God’s involvement and description of what human armies do. And remember how Jesus is the eternal Son Who came from the Father’s right hand.
It is my conviction that Jesus is here identifying Himself as Yahweh and the promised Son of Man with the language and prophesy He gives next—a prophecy about which the disciples are told to “take heed” and “be vigilant”!
Jesus prophesies about a day of the LORD to come.
Let’s now read through some…
Examples of apocalyptic language for judgment (or rescue) from God through human armies:
•2 Samuel 22 / Psalm 18 (David—rescued from Saul & Enemies)
2 Samuel 22:7–18
7 In my distress I called upon the LORD, And cried to my God: And he did hear my voice out of his temple, And my cry did enter into his ears.
8 Then the earth shook and trembled; The foundations of heaven moved And shook, because he was wroth.
9 There went up a smoke out of his nostrils, And fire out of his mouth devoured: Coals were kindled by it.
10 He bowed the heavens also, and came down; And darkness was under his feet.
11 And he rode upon a cherub, and did fly: And he was seen upon the wings of the wind.
12 And he made darkness pavilions round about him, Dark waters, and thick clouds of the skies.
13 Through the brightness before him Were coals of fire kindled.
14 The LORD thundered from heaven, And the most High uttered his voice.
15 And he sent out arrows, and scattered them; Lightning, and discomfited them.
16 And the channels of the sea appeared, The foundations of the world were discovered, At the rebuking of the LORD, At the blast of the breath of his nostrils.
17 He sent from above, he took me; He drew me out of many waters;
18 He delivered me from my strong enemy, And from them that hated me: for they were too strong for me.
Verse 18 is what happened.
•Joel 2:1-2,10-11 (Judah—invaded by Assyria)
Joel 2:1–2
1 Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in my holy mountain: Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble: For the day of the LORD cometh, for it is nigh at hand;
2 A day of darkness and of gloominess, A day of clouds and of thick darkness, As the morning spread upon the mountains: A great people and a strong; There hath not been ever the like, Neither shall be any more after it, Even to the years of many generations.
Joel 2:10–11
10 The earth shall quake before them; The heavens shall tremble: The sun and the moon shall be dark, And the stars shall withdraw their shining:
11 And the LORD shall utter his voice before his army: For his camp is very great: For he is strong that executeth his word: For the day of the LORD is great and very terrible; And who can abide it?
•Isaiah 19:1-4 (Egypt—civil war & subdued by Assyria)
Isaiah 19:1
The burden of Egypt. Behold, the LORD rideth upon a swift cloud, and shall come into Egypt: And the idols of Egypt shall be moved at his presence, And the heart of Egypt shall melt in the midst of it.
•Jeremiah 4:13-14, 23-28 (Jerusalem—destroyed by Babylon)
Jeremiah 4:13–14
13 Behold, he shall come up as clouds, And his chariots shall be as a whirlwind: His horses are swifter than eagles. Woe unto us! for we are spoiled.
14 O Jerusalem, wash thine heart from wickedness, that thou mayest be saved. How long shall thy vain thoughts lodge within thee?
Notice next the “de-creation” language that is common of apocalyptic writings. It sounds like a reversal of Genesis 1-2.
Jeremiah 4:23–28
23 I beheld the earth, and, lo, it was without form, and void; And the heavens, and they had no light.
24 I beheld the mountains, and, lo, they trembled, And all the hills moved lightly.
25 I beheld, and, lo, there was no man, And all the birds of the heavens were fled.
26 I beheld, and, lo, the fruitful place was a wilderness, And all the cities thereof were broken down At the presence of the LORD, and by his fierce anger.
27 For thus hath the LORD said, The whole land shall be desolate; Yet will I not make a full end.
28 For this shall the earth mourn, and the heavens above be black: Because I have spoken it, I have purposed it, And will not repent, neither will I turn back from it.
•Ezekiel 32:4-11 (Egypt—destroyed by Babylon)
Ezekiel 32:7–11
7 And when I shall put thee out, I will cover the heaven, and make the stars thereof dark; I will cover the sun with a cloud, and the moon shall not give her light.
8 All the bright lights of heaven will I make dark over thee, and set darkness upon thy land, saith the Lord GOD.
9 I will also vex the hearts of many people, when I shall bring thy destruction among the nations, into the countries which thou hast not known.
10 Yea, I will make many people amazed at thee, and their kings shall be horribly afraid for thee, when I shall brandish my sword before them; and they shall tremble at every moment, every man for his own life, in the day of thy fall.
11 For thus saith the Lord GOD; The sword of the king of Babylon shall come upon thee.
In verse 10, the LORD said it would be His sword. In verse 11, the LORD said it would be the sword of the king of Babylon.
This is common language of prophesy.
“Revelation” or “apocalyptic” language descriptively and poetically “unveils” God’s rule in heaven over our experiences on earth .
Each of those apocalyptic writings were simply descriptions of army invasions and battles over which God rules.
God “covering the heavens, sun, moon, and stars” is a way of saying that this “sword of the king of Babylon coming on you” is a work of the LORD.
Let’s look at one more passage before going through the remainder of our text today.
In Mark 14, we have the insightful context of the prophesy Jesus gives to the high priest at His trial:
Mark 14:61-62
Mark 14:61–62
61 But he held his peace, and answered nothing. Again the high priest asked him, and said unto him, Art thou the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?
62 And Jesus said, I am: and ye shall see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven.
Jesus said there that He is “I am”—Yahweh, the One Who rides on the clouds.
He then prophesied that Caiaphas the high priest and those with him would see Jesus, the Son of man of Daniel 7, both sitting on the right hand of power and coming in the clouds of heaven.
How does one both sit and come at the same time, unless His “coming” is from His seat?
Jesus and Mark by the Spirit here are connecting this prophesy with the the one Jesus already gave in Mark 13—they (not the disciples) shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds with great power and glory.
While Jesus does clearly prophesy of His future coming and return to earth, our text before us is clearly not about that.
Now I understand that due to the language used, many have taken this to be referring to Jesus’s coming, the resurrection of the saints, and Jesus’s return at the end of the age, but that simply does not fit the context or Jesus’s words that “this all will take place in this generation.”
•If Jesus is the Messiah, He must bring both redemption and judgment.
•If Jesus is the Messiah, He must also show Himself to be Yahweh.
•If Jesus is the Messiah, He must reign until He puts all His enemies under His feet.
•If the apostles and church are to be faithful to Jesus’s words, we must know that He is a true Prophet.
All this and more is accomplished by Jesus’s prophesy being fulfilled as the answer to the disciples’s question about the destruction of the temple.
Jesus begins by saying, “Give vigilance to flee when you see all the things that will come before what comes next “in those same days”—the Son of Man bringing judgment on Jerusalem from heaven through the Roman armies.”
Mark 13:23–31
23 But take ye heed: behold, I have foretold you all things.
24 But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light,
25 And the stars of heaven shall fall, and the powers that are in heaven shall be shaken.
26 And then shall they see the Son of man coming in the clouds with great power and glory.
27 And then shall he send his angels, and shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from the uttermost part of the earth to the uttermost part of heaven.
28 Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When her branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is near:
29 So ye in like manner, when ye shall see these things come to pass, know that it is nigh, even at the doors.
30 Verily I say unto you, that this generation shall not pass, till all these things be done.
31 Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away.
This is the answer to the disciples’ question of when the temple would be destroyed and how Jesus would give an obvious sign to His disciples that He is ascended and reigning on the throne of the kingdom, as promised.
“The Son of man coming in the clouds” is Jesus bringing judgment on Jerusalem through Roman armies in the same way Yahweh coming in the clouds was God bringing judgment through human armies in the past.
This final section of our text today is loaded with Old Testament language, and it strongly connects Jesus with both Yahweh and Daniel’s prophesied Son of man, Who ascends to rule at the right hand of Yahweh.
This text makes clear that Jesus did not just claim to be an innocent Spirit-led man who paid for our sins—like Islamic, Jehovah’s Witness, and Mormon cults will gladly say.
No, Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever as the true Yahweh Who came in clouds of judgment many times before and would soon do again against Jerusalem, and Who continues to do as He rules over the nations today.
In verse 23 Jesus instructs His disciples to be vigilant about everything He has foretold, and in verse 30-31 Jesus declares that His prophesy will surely come to pass in their generation.
What exactly did Jesus make known?
1.Jesus is both Yahweh and the prophesied Son of man.
2.After His death, resurrection, and ascension, Jesus would rule the nations from His heavenly throne.
3.Those who believe Jesus’s word will be able to discern the timing of His prophesied judgment and flee Judea before it comes .
4.In fleeing the temple, Jerusalem, and Judea, Jesus’s followers would be fully untethered from the old Mosaic Covenant and scattered as messengers* of the New Covenant from one end of the horizon to the other .
5.“Those days” of affliction, judgment, redemption, and scattering would come in their generation .
6.Jesus’s prophetic words will surely come to pass and vindicate Him as the promised Prophet-Priest-King of heaven and earth.
For NT scriptures that use “angellos” for human messengers, see the ones I have given in the bulletin.
*See: Mark 1:2; Matthew 11:10; Luke 7:24,27; 9:52; 2 Corinthians 12:7; James 2:25; Revelation 2-3
Concerning the sending of His messengers to the four winds and to the uttermost (or extreme limit) of earth and heaven (or sky), consider how Matthew puts it:
Matthew 24:31
“And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet [like a King or ruler would do], and they [the messengers] shall gather together his elect from the four winds [all directions], from one end of heaven[s] [or skies/horizons] to the other.”
I believe Jesus is saying that He will send His messengers to gather His elect from one horizon to the other… or to all the earth.
Right before ascending to His throne, Jesus said it this way:
Acts 1:8
“But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.”
Jesus gave His disciples everything they needed to know to trust Him through tribulation, to avoid destruction after He had left them, and to carry out His mission for them.
Q: Do you trust that God has already revealed all that you need to know to follow Jesus?
He did for them.
What God has revealed in Scripture and presently applies by His Spirit is sufficient for us to follow Jesus today.
Trust His word and follow Jesus. As we do so, we will…
LIVE AS COMMISSIONED MEMBERS OF THE GLOBAL TEMPLE OF CHRIST UNTIL HE COMES AGAIN.
As His church, we live in the results of that prophesy.
The church has been scattered all over the earth, and we are commissioned as Christ’s messengers of the New Covenant until He returns.
We have been given the Gospel, Scripture, the Spirit, and the church.
Jesus and all in Him are the new temple.
Consider what Paul wrote while this doomed Jerusalem temple still stood in the 1st century:
Galatians 4:25–26
For this Agar is mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children. 26 But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all.
Earthly Jerusalem was doomed, but heavenly Jerusalem—then and now—is “the mother of us all.” That means, we belong to the heavenly Jerusalem—the city of God, if we have been born from above (or again).
And then the writer of Hebrews tells us to seek that Jerusalem above since “we have no continuing city.”
Hebrews 13:14
For here have we no continuing city, but we seek one to come.
The heavenly Jerusalem/city is enduring. When heaven and earth is united after the return of Christ, then the earthly Jersualem will also be enduring because they will be one in the same.
So, Jesus is telling His disciples, “Leave the earthly allegiance, take up your cross, and follow Jesus to the ends of the earth!”
Earlier in the service, Jacob lead us in reading how Peter said this by the Spirit. I encourage slow reflection on 1 Peter 2:5-10 this week in your devotions.
1 Peter 2:5-10; Mark 11:17; 12:9; 13:27; 16:15
In closing, Jesus had been saying it this way all along…
Mark 11:17
And he taught, saying unto them, Is it not written, My house shall be called of all nations the house of prayer? but ye have made it a den of thieves.
Mark 12:9
What shall therefore the lord of the vineyard do? he will come and destroy the husbandmen, and will give the vineyard unto others.
Mark 13:27
And then shall he send his angels, and shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from the uttermost part of the earth to the uttermost part of heaven.
Jesus would soon say it this way…
Mark 16:15
And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.
MAIN ARGUMENT: Jesus’s fulfilled word should embolden us as globally commissioned messengers to spread His word while He gathers His elect as the new, holy temple of God .
Do you trust the word of Jesus?
Are you obeying the word of Jesus?
Are you being a messenger of the word of Jesus?
Jesus is ruling and reigning from His throne above. He is faithfully sending and saving.
Let’s spread the word of the Sovereign Priest-King.
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