WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:08.240 Now, I wanted to begin with those passages because I think we tend to frame our minds 00:00:08.240 --> 00:00:15.359 when it comes to tribulation and that word and that dynamic, that season, this kind of season 00:00:15.359 --> 00:00:23.539 of suffering and hardship. I think we tend to think of tribulation only as a future series of 00:00:23.539 --> 00:00:30.519 events in which we will have little to no participation. Typically, that's how our minds 00:00:30.519 --> 00:00:34.379 are framed. We hear people use that word tribulation. It's an odd word. It's not one that we use very 00:00:34.379 --> 00:00:41.219 often, but when we come to the Bible, it's there a lot. And we often frame our mind back or forward 00:00:41.219 --> 00:00:47.820 to that Revelation 7 passage, that Revelation 9 passage. And what is it that we think of? Well, 00:00:48.019 --> 00:00:53.439 there's going to be a massive amount of tribulation at the end. I'm probably not going to be around 00:00:53.439 --> 00:00:58.280 for that, but I guess it's helpful to know, right? And we think of it that way. But then as we begin 00:00:58.280 --> 00:01:03.060 to look at the scriptures as a whole, and to be sure, there is a great tribulation that is coming. 00:01:03.179 --> 00:01:08.500 It still awaits its final fulfillment. But tribulation is not something that will only be 00:01:08.500 --> 00:01:16.519 experienced by a small percentage of believers at the end of the age. In regards to this verse in 00:01:16.519 --> 00:01:25.159 John 16, Alistair Begg said, surely that is a word for today. Jesus is not just talking about one 00:01:25.159 --> 00:01:34.979 century. He's talking about the totality of the earthly pilgrimage. And when we get here to Mark 13, 00:01:34.979 --> 00:01:43.959 Jesus introduces the reality of earthly tribulation that will culminate in eternal salvation 00:01:43.959 --> 00:01:51.899 for believers at his return. And again, it's a sobering reality that's paired with the glorious 00:01:51.899 --> 00:01:59.559 promise of God's amazing grace. And it's this dynamic, this concept that perhaps inspired John 00:01:59.559 --> 00:02:07.939 Newton to write in his famous hymn, Through Many Dangers, Toils, and Snares, I Have Already Come. 00:02:07.939 --> 00:02:17.780 It was grace that brought me safe thus far, and grace will lead me home. There's the reality of suffering. 00:02:18.300 --> 00:02:24.460 There's the reality of tribulation. There's the reality of hardship. There's also the reality of 00:02:24.460 --> 00:02:30.740 the grace of God that superintends all the events of the earth and all the things that you endure in 00:02:30.740 --> 00:02:38.640 this life. And grace will lead you home. Mark 13. Look with me at verse 14. 00:02:40.240 --> 00:02:47.840 But when you see the abomination of desolation standing where he ought not to be, let the reader 00:02:47.840 --> 00:02:56.480 understand, then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let the one who is on the housetop 00:02:56.479 --> 00:03:02.699 not go down nor enter his house to take anything out of it. And let the one who is in the field not 00:03:02.699 --> 00:03:10.539 turn back to take his cloak. That's a bit like the firefighters that come to your fourth grade 00:03:10.539 --> 00:03:14.799 elementary school class, and they're telling you what to do when there's a smoke alarm that goes off 00:03:14.799 --> 00:03:19.319 in your house. And they say, don't worry about grabbing all your stuff. Just hit the road. Get 00:03:19.319 --> 00:03:25.019 out of the house. That's a bit what Jesus is saying here. Verse 17. And alas for women who are pregnant, 00:03:25.020 --> 00:03:32.020 and for those who are nursing infants in those days, pray that it may not happen in winter. For in 00:03:32.020 --> 00:03:38.939 those days there will be such tribulation as has not been from the beginning of creation that God 00:03:38.939 --> 00:03:49.280 created until now and never will be. And if the Lord had not cut short the days, no human being would 00:03:49.280 --> 00:03:59.280 be saved. But for the sake of the elect whom he chose, he shortened the days. And then if anyone says to 00:03:59.280 --> 00:04:08.840 you, look, here is the Christ, or look, there he is, do not believe it. For false Christ and false prophets 00:04:08.840 --> 00:04:18.340 will arise and perform signs and wonders to lead astray if it were possible. The elect, but be on guard. 00:04:18.339 --> 00:04:26.500 Lord, I have told you all these things beforehand. But in those days, after that tribulation, 00:04:27.339 --> 00:04:35.120 the sun will be darkened, the moon will not give its light, the stars will be falling from heaven, 00:04:35.339 --> 00:04:42.759 and the powers in the heavens will be shaken. And then they will see the Son of Man coming in the 00:04:42.759 --> 00:04:51.240 clouds with great power and glory. And then he will send out the angels and gather his elect from the 00:04:51.240 --> 00:05:01.680 four winds from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven. Amen. Well, let's pray one more time 00:05:01.680 --> 00:05:10.959 and ask for the Lord's help as we come to this text. Because as many Sundays go, my best preparation 00:05:10.959 --> 00:05:17.359 prior to preaching is to go to the Lord in prayer and say, help. And maybe we'll all pray that prayer 00:05:17.359 --> 00:05:27.259 this morning. Father, you are good to give us your word. And you are faithful to give us the warnings 00:05:27.259 --> 00:05:35.860 that it contains here. And I ask that you would help us not to despair, though we need to be aware of what 00:05:35.860 --> 00:05:43.300 is to come. But to see the promises of your grace that are so prevalent in this passage. 00:05:44.980 --> 00:05:49.699 Open our hearts to understand your truth. And help me now as I preach your word. 00:05:49.699 --> 00:05:57.740 In Jesus' name. Amen. Well, we're picking up here where we left off in the Olivet Discourse, 00:05:58.039 --> 00:06:03.459 which is getting its name from the place where Jesus taught it to his disciples, namely the 00:06:03.459 --> 00:06:10.759 Mount of Olives. It was adjacent to the temple complex in Jerusalem, but it was outside of the city, 00:06:10.759 --> 00:06:19.620 as you well know. And as they are looking on the temple, this lesson is prompted by one of Jesus' 00:06:19.939 --> 00:06:25.319 disciples who, in amazement, looks at the grandeur of the temple and comments on how wonderful and 00:06:25.319 --> 00:06:32.439 glorious it actually was. And of course, Jesus' response to that remark by the unnamed disciple 00:06:32.439 --> 00:06:40.879 was that it would all be utterly destroyed. And so you can imagine walking out of the temple, 00:06:41.039 --> 00:06:47.120 and here is your friend that says, this is just so wonderful. Look at how amazing this is. And 00:06:47.120 --> 00:06:52.000 Jesus immediately responds and says, well, don't get too excited about it because it's not going to 00:06:52.000 --> 00:06:56.540 be very long from now, and all of this is going to be absolutely destroyed. Not one stone will be 00:06:56.540 --> 00:07:02.000 left unturned, Jesus says. And then he leaves the disciples to ponder on that for a little bit. 00:07:02.180 --> 00:07:08.600 They go out to the Mount of Olives, and there are four of them who approach Jesus privately, it seems, 00:07:08.600 --> 00:07:15.379 and they inquired about when this was going to happen and what would be the signs preceding its 00:07:15.379 --> 00:07:20.300 fulfillment. And so as we're approaching this text, it's important that we remember there are 00:07:20.300 --> 00:07:28.000 two dimensions of prophetic fulfillment taking place in this chapter. There's the historical dimension, 00:07:28.000 --> 00:07:36.340 which relates specifically to the destruction of the temple in AD 70. But the events surrounding the 00:07:36.339 --> 00:07:44.519 destruction of the temple point forward to the ultimate fulfillment of Christ's return at the end 00:07:44.519 --> 00:07:50.799 of the age. So there's a historical dimension to this chapter. There's an eschatological dimension 00:07:50.799 --> 00:07:57.859 to this chapter. Eschatological meaning the study of the end times and the last things, the great day of 00:07:57.859 --> 00:08:06.259 the Lord. So just as the Lord's first advent leads to the dissolution of the temple and ushers in a new 00:08:06.259 --> 00:08:14.500 covenant from God, so will his second advent that we read of just a moment ago usher in the dissolution 00:08:14.500 --> 00:08:21.480 of this world and the dawn of the new heavens and the new earth. And that's the thing that is being 00:08:21.480 --> 00:08:26.980 dealt with here in this passage. It's going back and forth between these two pictures. Now at that point, 00:08:26.980 --> 00:08:35.179 the disciples, remember, had no theological capacity for understanding religious life apart from the temple. 00:08:35.179 --> 00:08:42.259 Apart from those forms of worship, they did not understand or comprehend a spiritual life that 00:08:42.259 --> 00:08:51.059 could be faithful and fruitful. And Jesus's answer here corrects their thinking. They thought that the 00:08:51.059 --> 00:08:57.319 destruction of the temple surely meant the consummation of the kingdom and the end of the age. 00:08:57.539 --> 00:09:03.539 Jesus corrects their thinking and essentially says that the destruction of the temple was not the end of 00:09:03.539 --> 00:09:12.179 the age, but actually the beginning of a new era that is pushing history forward to his return. 00:09:13.059 --> 00:09:19.519 So we need to remember those two dimensions if we're going to really begin to understand what Jesus was 00:09:19.519 --> 00:09:24.899 trying to teach here. Maybe just a simple illustration of that if maybe it will be helpful to you. Have you 00:09:24.899 --> 00:09:33.279 ever used a camera that has a prime lens on it or a lens that has the ability to bring one object into 00:09:33.279 --> 00:09:38.639 extreme focus while everything else in the picture is somewhat blurred or out of focus? Have you ever 00:09:38.639 --> 00:09:43.500 used a camera like that? If you have a smartphone, perhaps you can do that in portrait mode or even if 00:09:43.500 --> 00:09:47.459 you don't know what I'm talking about with cameras, you could take your hand and put it directly in front of 00:09:47.460 --> 00:09:54.320 your face and focus your eyes on your hand. It doesn't remove everything else that you see. It just puts 00:09:54.320 --> 00:10:00.820 one particular thing in focus. Now I can leave my hand in front of my face and I can look at Mr. Kuo. 00:10:02.060 --> 00:10:07.379 Mr. Kuo is in focus now in my vision. It's not that my hand has disappeared. It's not that it's irrelevant 00:10:07.379 --> 00:10:13.860 anymore. It's just not the primary focus of what I see. That's what's happening in Mark chapter 13. 00:10:13.860 --> 00:10:20.700 There are elements to Jesus's lesson where the temple and its destruction in AD 70 is what's 00:10:20.700 --> 00:10:26.440 primarily in view. That doesn't mean that the end of the age and all the things surrounding the end of 00:10:26.440 --> 00:10:31.759 the age are irrelevant to that. They're still in the picture. It's just the temple's in view primarily. 00:10:32.480 --> 00:10:38.019 And then there are elements of this chapter where it switches, where the primary view is on the end of 00:10:38.019 --> 00:10:43.700 the age. It's not that the temple and its relevance to these disciples has disappeared now. 00:10:43.700 --> 00:10:48.500 From the picture. It's just that's not the primary thing in focus. And if you need a bit of an 00:10:48.500 --> 00:10:53.440 interpretive cheat code to help you, this has been helpful to me. It's not foolproof, but maybe it will 00:10:53.440 --> 00:10:59.740 be helpful to you. You'll notice throughout this chapter a change in the demonstrative pronouns. 00:11:00.320 --> 00:11:08.620 These things, those things. These things seems to be bringing the temple destruction to the primary 00:11:08.620 --> 00:11:15.960 focus. Those things seems to be bringing the end of the age, the return of Christ into primary focus. 00:11:16.399 --> 00:11:21.220 But we need to remember those two dimensions that are interwoven throughout the passage. The other 00:11:21.220 --> 00:11:28.080 thing that we must remember as we study this chapter, lest we quickly go awry, is what Jesus's intended 00:11:28.080 --> 00:11:34.620 purpose was in the lesson to begin with. It certainly involves this prophetic disclosure, 00:11:34.620 --> 00:11:44.399 but the overall objective here is pastoral exhortation. So Jesus wasn't aiming to lay out a blueprint or 00:11:44.399 --> 00:11:55.200 timeline for future events. His intention here is to instruct his followers in faithful discipleship 00:11:55.200 --> 00:12:03.160 in the present. So we need to make sure that our primary takeaways from Mark 13 are linked to and 00:12:03.160 --> 00:12:12.200 flowing from Jesus's primary purpose in Mark 13. This chapter is about teaching believers to cling to 00:12:12.200 --> 00:12:20.460 the promises of God, to trust the gospel of Jesus, and to live as faithful disciples no matter what comes 00:12:20.460 --> 00:12:30.560 our way. So we don't come looking for a key to unlock all the mysteries of the future. We come listening to Jesus 00:12:30.560 --> 00:12:39.660 as he tells us how to love him and obey him as we live through those future realities. Okay, you with me? 00:12:39.659 --> 00:12:51.459 Now verses 14 to 27, Jesus reveals that there will be unprecedented tribulation, and it would come as 00:12:51.459 --> 00:12:58.000 history progresses toward his return in the end of the age. As we'll see, this is historically 00:12:58.000 --> 00:13:04.579 foreshadowed in the first century, but the focus of thought primarily in these verses is centered on that 00:13:04.580 --> 00:13:13.240 eschatological fulfillment of the great tribulation and the return of Christ. And to aid our study, I'd like 00:13:13.240 --> 00:13:18.900 for us to center our focus on Jesus's statement in verse 23. Would you look at it with me again? 00:13:19.759 --> 00:13:30.160 Verse 23, Jesus says, be on guard, be prepared, be alert and aware. I have told you all these things 00:13:30.159 --> 00:13:39.159 before him. So Jesus plainly in verse 23 gives us his purpose in teaching this lesson. He is forewarning 00:13:39.159 --> 00:13:50.159 them in order that he might forearm them with the truths that they need to endure. As the great shepherd 00:13:50.159 --> 00:13:57.559 of the sheep, Jesus was preparing his disciples so that they would recognize false teachers and not be 00:13:57.559 --> 00:14:04.679 deceived by them. He was arming them with truth so that they wouldn't fall away when suffering and death 00:14:04.679 --> 00:14:10.099 drew near. Remember what we dealt with last week. Your own family might abandon you. You're going to be 00:14:10.099 --> 00:14:16.559 delivered to councils. Your own life is going to be taken away. And Jesus says, I'm telling you this so that I 00:14:16.559 --> 00:14:25.719 might forearm you to be prepared not to fall away when the hardship comes. He was teaching them not so that 00:14:25.720 --> 00:14:32.779 they would comprehend all the details of the future, but so they would recognize them as they unfolded. 00:14:33.660 --> 00:14:40.519 And though we live 2,000 years later, Jesus intends to accomplish that same purpose in us today. 00:14:41.139 --> 00:14:51.360 He is forewarning us in order to forearm us so that we can be faithful now and moving forward until the day 00:14:51.360 --> 00:14:56.600 that we leave this earth. Two things I'd like to point out in the passage. The first is this, 00:14:57.240 --> 00:15:04.200 unprecedented tribulation. Unprecedented tribulation. Look with me again at verse 14. 00:15:05.639 --> 00:15:12.860 When you see the abomination of desolation standing where he ought not to be, let the reader understand, 00:15:12.860 --> 00:15:21.060 then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. This is interesting. If you've never 00:15:21.060 --> 00:15:24.940 read this passage before, you're unfamiliar with some of the major themes of the Bible, 00:15:25.320 --> 00:15:29.159 you're going to get to this point in reading through Mark and you're immediately going to say, 00:15:29.659 --> 00:15:35.580 what in the world is this? What is this abomination of desolation? What does that mean? 00:15:35.580 --> 00:15:44.139 Where did it come from? What is he doing? All Mark tells us is that when you see the abomination 00:15:44.139 --> 00:15:50.759 of desolation standing where he ought not to be, then you need to head for the hills. 00:15:51.780 --> 00:15:57.000 The disciples had a distinct advantage over us in this sense because they were very familiar with 00:15:57.000 --> 00:16:02.860 this term. They knew exactly what Jesus was referring to when he said it. And Mark doesn't give us very much 00:16:02.860 --> 00:16:08.580 to go on here other than to say in this editorial note, maybe it's in parentheses in your Bible, 00:16:08.960 --> 00:16:15.060 there's an editorial note not said by Jesus but given by Mark that says, let the reader understand. 00:16:15.779 --> 00:16:19.620 That's Mark saying, I'm not going to tell you all about the abomination of desolation, 00:16:19.919 --> 00:16:23.860 but you can go back to the scriptures and you can find the information that you're looking for. 00:16:24.039 --> 00:16:28.639 I think that's what Mark is saying. And then we get to Matthew, and Matthew actually helps us a 00:16:28.639 --> 00:16:34.840 little bit more. It gives us some direction here. Matthew 24 verse 15, so when you see the abomination 00:16:34.840 --> 00:16:42.759 of desolation spoken of by the prophet Daniel, there's a clue for us, standing in the holy place, 00:16:43.500 --> 00:16:48.720 let the reader understand, Matthew says, then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. 00:16:49.639 --> 00:16:54.960 So where Mark says that the abomination of desolation will be standing where he ought not to be, 00:16:54.960 --> 00:17:00.460 Matthew brings some clarity to that, and he says that's actually the holy place. That's the place 00:17:00.460 --> 00:17:07.759 where God meets with his people. That is where this abomination of desolation figure is going to be, 00:17:07.819 --> 00:17:12.500 and that's what he will be doing. And then Matthew tells us that if we want some more information about 00:17:12.500 --> 00:17:18.180 that, we're going to have to go to the book of Daniel. And I'm not going to have you turn there. 00:17:18.240 --> 00:17:23.039 I'll let you dive into that hole later on in your own personal study. But let me just read two verses 00:17:23.039 --> 00:17:30.819 that Daniel gives us relating to this term. Chapter 9 and verse 27, Daniel's vision says, 00:17:30.940 --> 00:17:36.899 and he shall make a strong covenant with many for one week, and for half of the week he shall put an 00:17:36.899 --> 00:17:44.200 end to sacrifice and offering. That's the desolation. And on the wing of the abominations shall come one 00:17:44.200 --> 00:17:50.599 who makes desolate until the decreed end is poured out on the desolator. In other words, there's going to 00:17:50.599 --> 00:17:54.219 be a figure that's going to come. He's going to do some really bad things. He's going to make it 00:17:54.219 --> 00:18:00.259 impossible for people to truly worship the Lord in the way that God intended, and then the Lord's 00:18:00.259 --> 00:18:03.579 going to come and he's going to deal with it. Essentially, that's what Daniel's saying in chapter 00:18:03.579 --> 00:18:11.439 9. But then he reiterates it in chapter 11. Daniel 11, 31. Forces from him shall appear, 00:18:11.440 --> 00:18:19.500 and profane the temple and fortress, and shall take away the regular burnt offering, and they shall set 00:18:19.500 --> 00:18:26.620 up the abomination that makes desolate. Now Luke helps us here because Luke mentions an army that 00:18:26.620 --> 00:18:33.580 has come around as a part of the plan of this abomination. Daniel refers to that in chapter 11. 00:18:34.140 --> 00:18:41.279 And then we find out that this abomination is being set up in the temple. Mark helps us and personifies it. 00:18:41.440 --> 00:18:48.840 He says it's not an it, it's a he. It's an individual, and he's going to desecrate the temple of God, 00:18:49.200 --> 00:18:55.799 and he's going to be powerful. He's going to have a mighty army, and he's going to essentially 00:18:55.799 --> 00:19:04.080 cause God's people to leave the temple desolate. Now the abomination refers to the egregious behavior of 00:19:04.080 --> 00:19:11.259 this individual. Desolation describes the result of his sacrilege. And the people of Israel already had 00:19:11.259 --> 00:19:18.960 an illustration of this happening in real time. In 168 BC, perhaps you'll remember from your history 00:19:18.960 --> 00:19:29.460 books, Antiochus Epiphanes comes into Jerusalem with a mighty army. He sacks Jerusalem. He sets up a statue 00:19:29.460 --> 00:19:37.819 to Zeus in the temple, and then he sacrificed a pig on the holy altar. And so the disciples were a rare, 00:19:37.819 --> 00:19:44.200 not only of Daniel's prophecies, but they were actually familiar with evidence of this kind of 00:19:44.200 --> 00:19:52.319 behavior in history after Daniel, but before their own time. So what's Jesus saying? We get back to Mark 13. 00:19:52.759 --> 00:20:01.419 Jesus is saying there's more of this to come. There's more of this to come, men. Antiochus Epiphanes 00:20:01.420 --> 00:20:08.080 was not the final fulfillment of Daniel's vision. And indeed, other examples are going to come into 00:20:08.080 --> 00:20:14.600 play historically through Roman leaders ahead of the temple's destruction. But none of them 00:20:14.600 --> 00:20:25.539 completely fulfill what the scriptures describe. They are shadows of a final fulfillment when the 00:20:25.539 --> 00:20:33.899 Antichrist wreaks havoc on the people of God and desecrates the true worship of God, which leads to, 00:20:34.000 --> 00:20:43.539 as Jesus says here, unimaginable suffering and tribulation for God's people. Paul speaks of it in 00:20:43.539 --> 00:20:50.720 2 Thessalonians. He calls him the man of lawlessness. He says, let no one deceive you in any way, 00:20:50.720 --> 00:20:56.980 for that day will not come, that is the day of the Lord, unless the rebellion comes first, and the man 00:20:56.980 --> 00:21:05.180 of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, who opposes and exalts himself against every so-called 00:21:05.180 --> 00:21:12.559 God or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God. 00:21:13.120 --> 00:21:19.019 Okay, Paul makes it very clear. We're not talking about Titus here. We're not talking about Antiochus 00:21:19.019 --> 00:21:28.660 Epiphanes. We're talking about a future figure who will elevate himself to be God. And so these verses 00:21:28.660 --> 00:21:37.539 describe this unprecedented tribulation that follows, but then it gives us a certain hope. Now, here's what I 00:21:37.539 --> 00:21:44.099 want you to see as we move forward. Okay, we're done with the history part, okay? Hang with me. I want you to 00:21:44.099 --> 00:21:53.099 see the hope that is here, because there is hope. And what Jesus begins to go through here in these 00:21:53.099 --> 00:22:00.919 next few verses is the places where hope will not be found. And then he goes through the only place that 00:22:00.919 --> 00:22:10.059 hope can indeed be found. Look at verse 14. Let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let the one who 00:22:10.059 --> 00:22:16.839 is on the housetop not go down nor enter his house to take anything out. And let the one who is in the 00:22:16.839 --> 00:22:23.799 field not turn back to take his cloak. And alas, for women who are pregnant and for those who are 00:22:23.799 --> 00:22:30.960 nursing infants in those days, pray that it may not happen in winter. Now, we know this had an immediate 00:22:30.960 --> 00:22:38.720 application for the disciples because the Lord gave them specific instructions. He said what they were to do 00:22:38.720 --> 00:22:44.339 and what they were not to do. And though the ultimate fulfillment of this is yet to come, Jesus 00:22:44.339 --> 00:22:51.279 was teaching these men that they would get a foretaste of this great tribulation in their own 00:22:51.279 --> 00:22:56.319 lifetime. And indeed, as I read the New Testament, I believe all of those verses we read is indicating 00:22:56.319 --> 00:23:02.900 the same thing, that there is a final fulfillment that awaits us in the future, but we will all endure 00:23:02.900 --> 00:23:10.759 a foretaste of this tribulation in our own lifetime. And Jesus says, here's what to do and here's what not 00:23:10.759 --> 00:23:21.740 to do. And all of these instructions we just read are based on a command to flee. That whenever this figure 00:23:21.740 --> 00:23:28.940 elevates himself and desecrates the worship of God, run to the mountains, which introduces an interesting 00:23:28.940 --> 00:23:36.620 question because at the end of verse 13, Jesus had just told the disciples, the one who endures to the 00:23:36.620 --> 00:23:42.960 end will be saved. And then immediately after he says, but then when this guy comes along the way, 00:23:43.059 --> 00:23:49.039 you need to run. And if you're like me, you have a bit of a question about that. Is there a conflict 00:23:49.039 --> 00:23:55.059 between enduring to the end and actually fleeing to the mountains and abandoning Jerusalem in this moment? 00:23:55.059 --> 00:23:59.440 And of course we know the Lord doesn't contradict himself, but there's some understanding here 00:23:59.440 --> 00:24:05.240 that I think we need to have. And again, I think Alistair is helpful. He says he wants them to be 00:24:05.240 --> 00:24:13.740 absolutely committed for the faith of the gospel, but he wants them to know there's no reason to be 00:24:13.740 --> 00:24:24.559 fanatical about buildings, namely a temple, or about places, namely Jerusalem. In other words, 00:24:24.559 --> 00:24:31.419 the Lord is saying you're not tied to this building and you're not tied to this place. You're tied to 00:24:31.419 --> 00:24:41.079 the gospel. Therefore, endure to the end for the gospel. And there are times when we begin to come to 00:24:41.079 --> 00:24:48.259 the scriptures and we try to see it first through the lens of our own political or cultural perspective 00:24:48.259 --> 00:24:58.940 that we begin to confuse standing firm for earthly and temporary things with standing firm on the gospel 00:24:58.940 --> 00:25:06.299 itself. I watched a documentary last night about two baseball players who defected from Cuba in the 00:25:06.299 --> 00:25:12.359 90s and became a really fantastic major league baseball players in the United States. But I thought 00:25:12.359 --> 00:25:18.500 as they were going through this documentary describing the condition of communism in Cuba, that it was 00:25:18.500 --> 00:25:25.199 during those baseball players' lifetime that the leader in Cuba allowed them to observe Christmas for 00:25:25.199 --> 00:25:33.879 the first time in decades. And can you imagine reading this passage as a Cuban in that time frame 00:25:33.879 --> 00:25:41.479 and beginning to wrap your mind around the dynamic of, well, Fidel Castro must be this abomination of 00:25:41.480 --> 00:25:47.980 desolation. He's refusing even to allow us to have Christmas in this moment. Do you see what I mean? 00:25:48.799 --> 00:25:53.480 You see what I mean? We can easily begin to look at things from a perspective that the Lord didn't 00:25:53.480 --> 00:25:58.579 mean for us to look and we begin to defend perspectives that's not really the point of what's happening. 00:25:59.200 --> 00:26:07.960 What is Jesus saying? Forget about Jerusalem. Forget about the temple. Forget about all the stuff that 00:26:07.960 --> 00:26:14.640 you've amassed here. There's no hope in those things. Your hope is in the gospel. So when this guy comes up, 00:26:14.980 --> 00:26:23.180 run. Run. Get out of Dodge. I believe that's the whole point that Jesus is making here. Don't set your 00:26:23.180 --> 00:26:32.980 affections and your hope and your security on earthly temporal things. No hope will be found in 00:26:32.980 --> 00:26:42.160 romanticized ideas about Jerusalem. No security will be found in houses. So he says, if you're on the 00:26:42.160 --> 00:26:48.519 housetop when this thing begins to take place, don't just run down inside the house and hunker down in the 00:26:48.519 --> 00:26:53.599 closet like a tornado is coming through and hope that you'll be safe. There will be no safety in your house. 00:26:53.599 --> 00:27:01.819 Don't go back in to try to grab all the things that you might need as you're on the run. Just run. If you're in 00:27:01.819 --> 00:27:08.619 the field, forget about your coat. It's not going to provide the comfort that you need. No hope will be found 00:27:08.619 --> 00:27:15.659 in these earthly things. Don't set your affections there. Don't set your hope on those things. Don't set 00:27:15.660 --> 00:27:25.460 your security on those things. We have but one hope in life and death and it is in the power of God to 00:27:25.460 --> 00:27:34.220 save. And that's what Jesus is getting at. When he instructs in verse 18, pray, he says. Pray. 00:27:35.340 --> 00:27:38.740 Pray that it doesn't happen in winter because that's going to make things even harder. 00:27:40.060 --> 00:27:44.660 In Matthew, Matthew adds, pray that it doesn't happen on the Sabbath day because that's going to 00:27:44.660 --> 00:27:50.080 create a conflict in your mind. Well, should I obey the Lord and run to the mountains or should I observe 00:27:50.080 --> 00:27:54.259 the Sabbath? Is there going to be a conflict here? Pray that it doesn't happen on the Sabbath. 00:27:54.960 --> 00:28:01.440 Pray that it doesn't happen in the winter. Pray you're not pregnant in that moment. 00:28:03.380 --> 00:28:09.960 And it reminds me of what Paul wrote in Romans chapter 12. As we endure this life, 00:28:09.960 --> 00:28:18.420 rejoice in the hope that you have. Endure the tribulation. Be constant in prayer. 00:28:19.799 --> 00:28:27.480 Because what is prayer at the end of the day? Prayer is a demonstration of our reliance on God alone. 00:28:27.480 --> 00:28:38.059 He says, forget about the stuff. Set your hope on the Lord. And Jesus gives us two assurances 00:28:38.059 --> 00:28:44.180 of God's sovereign grace that are to be the foundation of our hope. First, he says, 00:28:44.579 --> 00:28:51.759 hope in his restraining grace. Hope in his restraining grace. Verse 19. For in those days, 00:28:51.759 --> 00:28:56.980 there will be such tribulation as has not been from the beginning of the creation that God created 00:28:56.980 --> 00:29:06.759 until now and never will be. That's strong. It's going to be bad. And if the Lord had not cut short 00:29:06.759 --> 00:29:20.640 the days, no human being would be saved. But for the sake of the elect whom he chose, he shortened the days. 00:29:21.759 --> 00:29:28.819 Now that's a sobering reality, isn't it? Jesus said, the world's condition is going to get worse. 00:29:29.519 --> 00:29:33.200 And at this moment, it's going to be worse than at any other point in human history. 00:29:35.539 --> 00:29:40.400 James Edwards said, a situation is depicted that has no parallel in human history. 00:29:40.400 --> 00:29:47.839 Apart from God's gracious intervention and assistance, it will be humanly unsurvivable. 00:29:47.839 --> 00:29:55.919 Unsurvivable, Jesus says. But it comes with an assurance that grounds our faith. 00:29:57.519 --> 00:30:03.359 We have in these two verses part of what I think is the answer to the problem of evil in this world. 00:30:04.959 --> 00:30:11.179 Jesus said that if left to ourselves, all human existence would come to an end. He says, 00:30:11.180 --> 00:30:18.940 no human being would be saved. But by God's grace, we have not been left to ourselves. 00:30:20.460 --> 00:30:25.820 He says, in terms of what the evil one will be doing in this world, in terms of the people the 00:30:25.820 --> 00:30:32.100 evil one will be using in this world, and in terms in relation to the own depravity of our own wickedness 00:30:32.099 --> 00:30:39.439 of heart, the only thing that will help us in those days is the sovereign God entering our world to 00:30:39.439 --> 00:30:51.399 restrain the wickedness, to hold back so that his people will be saved. The sovereign God is ruling 00:30:51.400 --> 00:30:58.460 and reigning over this world, and all of his work serves to provide salvation for his people. 00:30:59.400 --> 00:31:06.280 And no matter how terrible the situation is at the end of the age, it will not be beyond God's 00:31:06.280 --> 00:31:15.940 sovereign control, nor will it impede his power to save his elect. Now remember all those verses we read 00:31:15.940 --> 00:31:24.620 at the beginning. Verses 19 and 20 anticipate the end, but Jesus intends for us to recognize it as we 00:31:24.620 --> 00:31:35.500 face inevitable seasons of tribulation. Now, think about it. What has kept this world from descending into 00:31:35.500 --> 00:31:42.720 total chaos and calamity? And you may say, well, it seems to me that it has descended into total chaos and 00:31:42.720 --> 00:31:51.819 calamity. But take an hour or so this afternoon and freshen up on your world history, you'll find there 00:31:51.819 --> 00:31:58.279 have been many times it's been far worse. There are many places around the world today where it is far worse. 00:32:00.960 --> 00:32:08.400 Well, what is keeping the whole of creation from descending into this utter chaos? We mourn the 00:32:08.400 --> 00:32:15.700 atrocities around the world. But what has kept other nations from committing the same heinous crimes as 00:32:15.700 --> 00:32:23.460 Putin and the Russian army? We see how God in the mystery of his providence is allowing that to unfold 00:32:23.460 --> 00:32:29.259 before our eyes. But what's keeping all the other nations from doing the same thing? We think back on the 00:32:29.259 --> 00:32:34.480 last two years and a global pandemic and all the lives that were lost in that, and we step back and we begin 00:32:34.480 --> 00:32:43.620 to ask ourselves, well, why, why, why, upon getting COVID-19, was I not one of the ones hospitalized, put on a 00:32:43.620 --> 00:32:52.660 ventilator, and ultimately that lost my life? And the answers to those things ultimately come down to, we cannot say 00:32:52.660 --> 00:33:02.480 that we are just by nature more holy and morally superior to Vladimir Putin. That's not the answer. We can't at the end of the 00:33:02.480 --> 00:33:09.360 day just say, well, I live a healthier lifestyle than many of the people who suffered during the sickness. 00:33:09.900 --> 00:33:17.059 That's not the answer. What's the answer? It is because of the restraining grace of God 00:33:17.059 --> 00:33:27.380 that enters our world to exercise his sovereign control over human life. And if it weren't for the 00:33:27.380 --> 00:33:32.620 restraining grace of God, humans would have totally decimated our own existence. 00:33:34.760 --> 00:33:37.560 And if it wasn't for the grace of God at the end of the age, 00:33:38.900 --> 00:33:45.420 the same would be true then. So what is the hope that we take? Yes, things are going to get bad. 00:33:45.880 --> 00:33:49.060 Why is God going to let them get bad? Well, we don't always have an answer for that. 00:33:49.059 --> 00:33:56.779 But what is true? He's in control. And he is showing his grace. He is restraining this wickedness 00:33:56.779 --> 00:34:04.200 for his own purposes of glory and for the good of his people in this world. And we see such a helpful 00:34:04.200 --> 00:34:11.400 reminder here that the events of history are not mere happenstance. Everything that has ever been or will 00:34:11.400 --> 00:34:18.139 ever be is under the sovereign control of the one who, according to Romans 8, is working all things 00:34:18.139 --> 00:34:26.619 together for good to them who love God, who are called according to his purpose. And this work of 00:34:26.619 --> 00:34:35.940 God in the world does not remove us from tribulation, but he saves us through this tribulation. Do you see? 00:34:37.079 --> 00:34:42.400 Many people get the idea when they come to Christ that by coming to Christ, I am removed from hardship. No, 00:34:42.400 --> 00:34:48.619 it's actually the opposite. We can expect that as we come to Christ that we will endure greater hardship 00:34:48.619 --> 00:34:54.200 even than what we might have endured before. But the purpose of God's work in this world is not to 00:34:54.200 --> 00:35:02.860 remove us from that. It is to save us through all of that. Salvation is not from tribulation. Salvation is 00:35:02.860 --> 00:35:10.860 through tribulation. That's what Jesus is getting across. So what do we do? We trust the sovereign power 00:35:10.860 --> 00:35:17.480 and plan of God. What do we do when we have no answer for what's going on around us? We trust the sovereign 00:35:17.480 --> 00:35:25.280 plan and power of God. What do we do when we want to throw in the towel? We trust the sovereign plan and grace 00:35:25.280 --> 00:35:34.620 of God. And then we see his securing grace. This is his restraining grace, but then our hope is founded on his 00:35:34.619 --> 00:35:40.380 securing grace. Verse 21, and I know we need to move to the end, but just hang with me for a few more 00:35:40.380 --> 00:35:47.139 minutes, okay? Verse 21, and then if anyone says to you, look, here is the Christ, or look, there he is, 00:35:48.059 --> 00:35:56.239 do not believe it, for false Christ and false prophets will arise and perform signs and wonders to lead 00:35:56.239 --> 00:36:08.619 astray, if possible, the elect, but be on guard. I have told you all things beforehand. Jesus reiterates 00:36:08.619 --> 00:36:15.519 this command to beware of false saviors who will inevitably deceive the world, but there's a little 00:36:15.519 --> 00:36:21.739 bit of a difference between his mention of it here and earlier in the chapter. Here he says 00:36:21.739 --> 00:36:30.019 that they will be able, through the power of the evil one, to perform signs and wonders 00:36:30.019 --> 00:36:35.899 that if it were possible, would even deceive God's chosen. 00:36:39.899 --> 00:36:46.639 But I want you to pay attention to the fact that Jesus says, not that these signs and wonders will 00:36:46.639 --> 00:36:55.359 deceive God's chosen, but that if it were possible, these signs would even deceive God's chosen. 00:36:57.119 --> 00:37:03.940 Now those of us who are honest with ourselves recognize that on our own, we really have no hope 00:37:03.940 --> 00:37:14.980 of staying the course of faith in Christ. Let's be honest. On our best days, there is often doubt. 00:37:16.639 --> 00:37:23.319 In the best of times, we may have nights where we lay in the bed and we ask ourselves the question, 00:37:23.460 --> 00:37:28.960 is this real? Is this actually what I should be doing? Is this actually what I should be believing? 00:37:29.379 --> 00:37:35.159 And if we're honest, we know that if it's left up to us, we will be deceived because the deception 00:37:35.159 --> 00:37:41.579 will be great. I like how MacArthur said one time, he said, if you could lose your salvation, you would. 00:37:41.579 --> 00:37:53.440 So what is exactly what Jesus is getting at here? Well, the emphasis here is not on our personal 00:37:53.440 --> 00:38:04.319 ability to stay the course. It is on God's sovereign power to secure his chosen, his elect. We are in his 00:38:04.319 --> 00:38:11.420 hands. So what do we do when things get bad? We commit ourselves to the one who will hold us fast. 00:38:11.420 --> 00:38:19.200 That as we'll sing in just a moment, those he saves are his delight. He will hold me fast. 00:38:19.920 --> 00:38:31.420 Precious in his holy sight, he will hold me fast. He'll not let my soul be lost. His promises shall last. 00:38:31.420 --> 00:38:40.159 He will not let my soul be lost. He will not let my soul be lost. He will hold me fast. 00:38:40.920 --> 00:38:47.820 Things are going to get bad. Stay the course. How do I know I can stay the course? Because the Lord is going to hold you fast. 00:38:47.820 --> 00:38:51.300 Trust him. Trust him. Follow him. 00:38:54.800 --> 00:38:59.400 Stuart Townend wrote a song called There is a Hope. I just want to read this second verse to you before we finish. 00:38:59.820 --> 00:39:02.880 He said, there is a hope that lifts my weary head. 00:39:02.880 --> 00:39:07.260 A consolation strong against despair. 00:39:07.260 --> 00:39:17.380 That when the world has plunged me in its deepest pit, I find the Savior there. 00:39:18.640 --> 00:39:27.019 So through present sufferings and future's fear, he whispers courage in my ear. 00:39:27.019 --> 00:39:32.000 For I am safe in everlasting arms. 00:39:32.659 --> 00:39:36.039 And they will lead me home. 00:39:37.579 --> 00:39:38.900 Unprecedented tribulation. 00:39:39.320 --> 00:39:40.840 Can you bear it? Of course. 00:39:41.380 --> 00:39:41.659 Why? 00:39:42.159 --> 00:39:43.579 Because you have a great Savior. 00:39:44.079 --> 00:39:50.199 That is showing his restraining grace and his securing grace in your life now and forever. 00:39:51.539 --> 00:39:52.960 Quickly, the last point. 00:39:53.420 --> 00:39:54.360 Eternal salvation. 00:39:55.199 --> 00:39:56.139 Eternal salvation. 00:39:56.139 --> 00:39:57.279 Verse 24. 00:39:58.759 --> 00:40:01.659 But in those days after that tribulation, the sun will be darkened. 00:40:01.739 --> 00:40:03.039 The moon will not give its light. 00:40:03.859 --> 00:40:05.519 The stars will be falling from heaven. 00:40:06.059 --> 00:40:08.179 The powers in the heavens will be shaken. 00:40:10.000 --> 00:40:12.279 Then they will see the Son of Man coming. 00:40:13.879 --> 00:40:16.239 He will come in the clouds with great power and glory. 00:40:16.379 --> 00:40:20.460 And then he will send out the angels and gather his elect from the four winds, 00:40:20.759 --> 00:40:23.859 from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven. 00:40:23.860 --> 00:40:28.980 And not one person that belongs to Christ will be left behind. 00:40:28.980 --> 00:40:38.579 And everyone from the four winds from across all of the earth and all of the heavens will be gathered to their Savior at the moment of his return. 00:40:38.579 --> 00:40:43.759 And do you remember the illustration Jesus gave about giving birth? 00:40:43.759 --> 00:40:46.099 It was back in verse 8. 00:40:46.099 --> 00:40:53.380 Just as a woman's contractions grow in intensity and frequency before the final moment of birth, 00:40:53.380 --> 00:41:04.360 So do all the events in verses 5 through 23 grow in intensity and frequency as we near the return of Christ. 00:41:04.360 --> 00:41:08.000 And using this Old Testament imagery, 00:41:09.320 --> 00:41:11.519 Jesus declared that at the end of time, 00:41:12.680 --> 00:41:15.180 When all of God's plans have run their course, 00:41:16.240 --> 00:41:19.519 And all of God's people have been saved, 00:41:20.480 --> 00:41:25.019 He will return with great power and glory. 00:41:25.019 --> 00:41:27.619 As Charles Wesley wrote, 00:41:28.259 --> 00:41:29.599 Today's the day for hymns, I guess. 00:41:30.699 --> 00:41:33.119 Low he comes with clouds descending, 00:41:33.679 --> 00:41:36.539 Once for favored sinners slain, 00:41:37.119 --> 00:41:39.599 Thousand thousand saints attending, 00:41:40.739 --> 00:41:42.780 Swell the triumph of his train, 00:41:43.719 --> 00:41:44.619 Alleluia, 00:41:45.039 --> 00:41:47.900 God appears on earth to reign. 00:41:47.900 --> 00:41:52.380 This will be the great day of the Lord. 00:41:53.280 --> 00:41:54.840 Jesus will return for his own, 00:41:55.500 --> 00:41:57.000 And he will judge the wicked, 00:41:57.559 --> 00:41:58.800 Who did not repent, 00:41:59.619 --> 00:42:00.920 Or turn to him in faith. 00:42:03.059 --> 00:42:05.220 He will finally destroy Satan, 00:42:05.539 --> 00:42:09.180 And he will restore the world to its purpose in creation. 00:42:10.260 --> 00:42:13.639 The snake crusher of Genesis 3.15 00:42:13.639 --> 00:42:16.019 Will bring us back to the garden, 00:42:16.019 --> 00:42:18.679 That is the new heavens and the new earth. 00:42:19.179 --> 00:42:21.460 There will sin be no more. 00:42:22.159 --> 00:42:24.099 There will be no more death. 00:42:24.460 --> 00:42:25.699 There will be no more disease. 00:42:26.179 --> 00:42:27.599 There will be no more deception. 00:42:28.340 --> 00:42:30.619 All the righteous will enter eternal glory. 00:42:31.420 --> 00:42:34.320 All the wicked will enter eternal death. 00:42:37.019 --> 00:42:40.599 Now there's varying opinions about how all of these events will unfold. 00:42:41.539 --> 00:42:43.079 The bottom line is this. 00:42:44.119 --> 00:42:45.579 Jesus is coming back. 00:42:46.679 --> 00:42:48.099 He's going to redeem his own. 00:42:48.940 --> 00:42:50.340 And he's going to judge the world. 00:42:52.440 --> 00:42:54.159 You say, well what am I supposed to do with that? 00:42:56.340 --> 00:42:58.219 The only way for you to be counted righteous, 00:42:58.400 --> 00:43:00.219 As we discussed in our groups last Sunday, 00:43:01.179 --> 00:43:03.059 Is by faith in Jesus Christ. 00:43:04.880 --> 00:43:07.119 It's not that he redeems those who are not wicked. 00:43:07.559 --> 00:43:10.099 It's that he redeems those who are not counted wicked. 00:43:10.099 --> 00:43:15.219 Because they have come to faith in the only righteous one. 00:43:15.219 --> 00:43:17.779 The son of God, Jesus Christ. 00:43:18.519 --> 00:43:20.480 If you'd like to escape the judgment, 00:43:21.079 --> 00:43:22.519 You can only do it through him. 00:43:22.519 --> 00:43:25.980 It's a warning for us. 00:43:26.739 --> 00:43:30.039 It's a call to faith for us. 00:43:30.780 --> 00:43:33.659 To turn our hope to our God. 00:43:33.659 --> 00:43:36.440 James Edwards said, 00:43:36.440 --> 00:43:41.399 It's equally important to note what this glorious vision of the future does not affirm. 00:43:41.400 --> 00:43:44.280 There's no mention of a millennium. 00:43:44.880 --> 00:43:46.220 No new Jerusalem. 00:43:46.860 --> 00:43:48.300 No rebuilt temple. 00:43:48.820 --> 00:43:51.740 No restoration of Israel or the state of Israel. 00:43:52.000 --> 00:43:53.180 No battle of Armageddon. 00:43:53.700 --> 00:43:56.220 No hints how and when Christ will return. 00:43:56.219 --> 00:44:00.359 About all these things the text is silent. 00:44:00.459 --> 00:44:01.439 That is Mark 13. 00:44:03.199 --> 00:44:09.039 This preview of the future ought not to lure us to calculate when Christ will return, 00:44:09.239 --> 00:44:11.299 Nor to fear what will happen, 00:44:11.759 --> 00:44:15.480 But to know that he will come to claim his own. 00:44:16.539 --> 00:44:18.959 His coming is his promise, 00:44:19.619 --> 00:44:24.179 And the gathering of believers to him is our hope. 00:44:24.179 --> 00:44:27.079 What do we take from this passage? 00:44:27.859 --> 00:44:29.299 I hope you take hope. 00:44:31.099 --> 00:44:34.179 Hope that as this world does descend into chaos, 00:44:34.779 --> 00:44:36.399 Do not be alarmed. 00:44:37.480 --> 00:44:38.179 Take heart. 00:44:39.259 --> 00:44:40.719 I have overcome this world. 00:44:42.639 --> 00:44:45.819 Through many tribulations you must enter the kingdom of God. 00:44:47.699 --> 00:44:50.980 Set your sights on that day that John saw. 00:44:50.980 --> 00:44:56.219 That vision of an incalculable amount of people 00:44:56.219 --> 00:45:01.039 In white robes from every nation and tribe and tongue. 00:45:01.880 --> 00:45:04.320 Standing before the throne of God and the Lamb. 00:45:05.099 --> 00:45:06.619 Singing out their praise. 00:45:07.039 --> 00:45:09.400 Those who have come through great tribulation. 00:45:10.079 --> 00:45:13.639 Who have washed their robes in the blood of the Lamb. 00:45:13.719 --> 00:45:14.219 Who is that? 00:45:14.719 --> 00:45:15.440 That's you. 00:45:15.960 --> 00:45:16.840 That's me. 00:45:16.840 --> 00:45:19.440 That's the church. 00:45:20.220 --> 00:45:22.900 That is all of God's people through all of time. 00:45:23.519 --> 00:45:27.260 That have been redeemed by his precious son. 00:45:28.940 --> 00:45:30.760 Hope is what we get from this.