Mark 13:1-8, “Tell us when will this be!”
Today’s scripture lesson comes from Mark 13:1- 8, about the signs and the time of the second coming of Jesus. Anyone serious about believing what is written in the Bible cannot deny that we live in the end times. Yet strangely, the churches do not talk about the end times or study the book of Revelation, preparing their people for what they would sooner or later face.
As I was preparing for this sermon, I was amazed at how almost all the biblical scholars try to say that even if all those signs Jesus listed as signs of birth pang start showing before the final ending, that is not the end time because they argue, Jesus said: “The end is still to come.” How far is it to give birth when a woman starts to have labor pain? Isn’t labor pain the very sign that the birth of a newborn will happen anytime soon, though labor pain might not be equated with the final birth yet?
When we hear wars and rumors of wars, see natural disasters such as earthquakes, famine, and drought, and see nation rising against nation, then we know the birth pain has started. We don’t need to mention the Russia and Ukraine war, Iran threatening Israel with war, or North Korean armed forces mustered around the 38 parallel threatening South Korea.
Great Tribulation is coming, and many churchgoers cannot avoid going through it. The movie “Left Behind” is not biblical in that sense. Even if one believes in Jesus Christ, that will not guarantee one will be raptured. One must be prepared as a bride of Christ. If we study the book of Revelation, those who will be taken away before the Great Tribulation are the ones who were sealed on their foreheads and did not defile themselves with idols, who follow the Lamb wherever he goes (suffering, pain, and crucifixion (dying to the world, sin, and self), and no lie was found in their mouths; they are blameless (Rev. chapter 7 and 14). If you raise your eyebrow in disbelief that only brides of Christ will be taken up, then think about the parable of ten wise virgins and foolish ones. Didn’t foolish virgins believe in Jesus? They believed Him. They had enough faith that the groom would return; they even waited for Him but were denied entry into the wedding banquet because they were supposed to wait with the lamp that was lit but did not have oil. The lamp and oil symbolize the word of God and the Holy Spirit. Also, Revelation 7 mentions the great multitude executed during the Great Tribulation, –the great multitude that no one could count from every nation, tribe, people, and language. “They washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the lamb.” “Robes” here means their unrepented actions/deeds of sin, as opposed to the “white linen” which are worn by brides of Christ, which means “righteous acts of saints” in Rev. 19:8. Do we see here that those believers whose robes are dirty, not wearing the “white linen” of righteousness and holiness are left behind and executed during the Great Tribulation?
Let’s go to our text and learn what the given text tries to teach us today.
In verses 1 and 2, the disciples were astonished to hear what Jesus said about the temple upon which they beheld with such awe and wonder at how massive its size and beautiful. Jesus said, “Not one stone here will be left on another; everyone will be thrown down.” They were in total shock, so Peter, James, John, and Andrew came later to ask questions which can be summed up in two: When will the temple be destroyed, and what will be the signs of the end time, the signs of the world coming to an end.
Jesus answered the first question in verse 30, “This generation will not pass away,” before this happened, and “this” refers to the temple destruction in AD 70. One generation is forty years in the biblical understanding, so what Jesus said about the temple being destroyed was fulfilled. In the rest of chapter 13, Jesus talks (in answering the second question) about the end time signs, the emergence of the Anti-Christ, Tribulation, and the second coming of Christ, consummating human history on earth.
Especially verses 7 to 13 are the end time signs, –hearing rumors of wars, nation rising against nation, kingdom against kingdom, earthquakes in various places, famines, Christians being persecuted, father against son, brother betraying brother.
At this point, I would like to point out that the Rapture will happen before the Great Tribulation. The timeline would first be the end time signs, the rapture before the Great Tribulation, and then the second coming of Christ. We should know that the Rapture and the Second Coming of Christ are not the same event. The Rapture would be a rather secret event only known to the brides of Christ, but the Second Coming of Christ will be known to all people under heaven. No one must be informed of it by spreading the news or watching TV. When Christ comes on the cloud as the judge with his armies on white horses, people on earth instinctively know that Christ the Judge came, and they will fear and tremble greatly, trying to hide themselves from the one who came with great authority and power. Matthew 24:30-31, “Then the Son of Man will appear in heaven. And then all the peoples of the earth will mourn when they see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory. And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.” Do you see here that all the people of the earth will mourn, and the angels will gather God’s people? It will not be a secret event, unlike the Rapture, which will be only known to His brides. After the Rapture, people of the world will try hard to figure out why some people and little children have disappeared.
The Second Coming of Jesus, known to the whole world like a lightening in the sky, takes us to Christ’s warning against the greatest deceiver, the Anti-Christ, who will come in His name as the Messiah, the Prince of Peace, and the Lord of the Millennial Kingdom in verses 5-6. “Watch out that no one deceives you. Many will come in my name, claiming ‘I am he” and will deceive many. Amongst all those deceivers, the Anti-Christ of the end time will be the worst of all.
I want all of us to know that anyone who claims to be the Second Coming of Christ but needs persuasion and coercion, forcing us to believe him, is the Anti-Christ, the deceiver. He will force people to accept the mark of the beast on their foreheads or hands, worshipping him. The spirit of deception will fill the earth during the Great Tribulation, so those who have heard and known about these things will also be deceived if they are not careful, being away from the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
Things mentioned above are recorded in the bible, but many do not believe these things will happen.
The truth is, none of the things prophesied in the bible failed but came to pass or are in the process of realizing those things that are yet to happen, including the Rapture, the great tribulation, and the second coming of Christ. For instance, before 1948, Isaiah chapter 66: 8 was not fulfilled. Regarding modern-day Israel as a nation, God spoke through the prophet Isaiah, “Who hath heard such a thing? Who hath seen such things? Shall the earth be made to bring forth in one day? Or shall a nation be born at once? As soon as Zion travailed, she brought forth her children.” This prophecy was fulfilled on May 14th, 1948. Modern-day Israel as a state was born on the day at a UN gathering that declared that the Jewish State be recognized in Palestine. A nation was born in a day!
Many Christians do not believe in Rapture. But many verses refer to the Rapture in the Bible. 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 and 1 Corinthians 15:50-54. Believers who have died will have their bodies resurrected and, along with believers who are still living, will meet the Lord in the air. This will all happen in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye. Matthew 24:40, “Two men will be in the field, one will be taken, the other will be left…”
It is time for us to watch and be on our guard spiritually. It is time for us to wake up. The day is approaching fast. I was on the journey of being a backpacker about nine years ago, tracing early Christian martyrs in Turkey; God asked me, “I am about to wrap up the salvation history; would you join me in the work?” Then, God called me into parish ministry, pulling me out of teaching. God said God doesn’t have much time, and God made me pray for the great revival coming in this nation to prepare people for the Tribulation time. Many believers will go through the Great Tribulation. I am to teach that, God said. We are not to fear but to trust in the Lord, who will never forsake nor abandon us. The brighter side is that the Great Tribulation is a second chance to purify ourselves, wearing “white linen,” discarding our filthy “robes.”
Let us pray to receive the Holy Spirit, watch and read the time we live in, and be prepared for the day of Rapture. The Holy Spirit leads us to the truth in Jesus Christ, helping us to wear the “wedding garment” prepared by the blood of Jesus shed for us. No one can come to the “Father” except through Jesus. We need to accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, but we also need to walk, talk, and be more like Christ daily, washing our “robes” in the blood of Jesus Christ daily. Amen!