Mark 13:9-11
Signs of the Future
We are still peering into the God’s Book of the Future. Jesus,
leaving the temple on Tuesday of the Passion Week, was asked by His
disciples when the temple would be left "without one stone upon
another." \\#Mr 13:1-4\\
I remind you that this was Jewish men talking to the Jewish Messiah
about the Jewish temple while standing in the Jewish capital of the
Jews’ nation, Israel, meaning Jesus’ answer is not to or about the
church and its rapture, but to the Jew’s and their end time
tribulation. While Gentiles will also go through the Tribulation, I
believe the church will be removed BEFORE ALL of these signs are
fulfilled. Some signs may be fulfilled before that—in fact, some
already have—but the church will be raptured before all of these
Jewish signs are fulfilled.
This section of Scripture divides into three sections:
I. \\#Mark 13:5-27\\ Signs
II. \\#Mark 13:28-30\\ Symbols
III. \\#Mark 13:31-37\\ Story
We were talking about the signs last I preached.
I.\\#Mark 13:5-27\\ The signs can also be divided into three
sections:
A. \\#5-13\\ Signs before the Tribulation
1. All of these signs fall into two groups.
a. \\#5-8\\ There were some General Signs - Meaning were
happening even as Jesus spoke them.
(1) They are so general in nature that they were
happening, had happened, and are still happening
to this day.
(2) They are so general, I don’t know why Jesus
mentioned unless it was to tell us that some
things will keep on happening as long as sin
rules on this planet.
b. \\#9-13\\ There were also some Immediate Signs.
(1) These signs prophesied persecution which began as
soon as the church started preaching.
(2) From that day until today, I doubt that there has
been one 24 hour rotation of the earth that a
Christian somewhere has not persecuted—perhaps
even killed—for his faith in Jesus Christ.
2. Please notice two things:
a. Notice there is no specific sign that Jesus is about
to come.
(1) Not for the Jews awaiting their King and not for
the church waiting their Lord.
(2) There are vague, generalized signs; but they do
not really narrow down the time of Jesus’ coming
for the church; and none ever will.
(a) God has made it clear that no man knows the
day or the hour \\#Matt 24:36\\.
(b) If my eschatology is correct, then after the
rapture, millennial saints will be able to
narrow down when the Jewish King will come
to set up His kingdom, but not until then.
(3) That is the way God wants it.
(4) Until Jesus comes for the church, every believer
is to…
a. Live like Jesus will come today.
b. Witness like Jesus will come tomorrow.
c. But plan, prepare, and work like Jesus will
not come in our lifetimes.
b. Notice Jesus’ counsel to the persecuted:
Mark 13:9 But take heed to yourselves: for they
shall deliver you up to councils; and in the
synagogues ye shall be beaten: and ye shall be
brought before rulers and kings for my sake, for
a testimony against them.
10 And the gospel must first be published among
all nations.
11 But when they shall lead you, and deliver you
up, take no thought beforehand what ye shall
speak, neither do ye premeditate: but whatsoever
shall be given you in that hour, that speak ye:
for it is not ye that speak, but the Holy Ghost.
(1) This command is not given to the preachers
regarding sermon preparation.
a. A few preachers believe God does not want
them to study and prepare before they
preach, and for some, it shows.
b. If they would STUDY the Bible, they would
know that is NOT what Jesus said.
(2) No, this not given to preacher regarding
preaching but to saved people about being
persecuted.
(3) When we are persecuted, we are not to prepare a
sermon, a lecture, or a lesson at our trials or
whatever we may be afforded at that time.
(4) We are to empty ourselves and let God the Holy
Spirit speak through us.
a. If He does not give us anything to say then
we say nothing.
b. If He does, let Him speak.
(5) Someone asks, "How do we know if He is giving it
or if it’s us?"
a. I would recommend we start practicing the
emptying of ourselves right now.
b. If we can learn to do that, we will know when
it’s Him and when it isn’t.
B. \\#14-23\\ Signs during the Tribulation
1. \\#14\\ The only sign that is given—that the temple is
about to be left without one stone on another—is in the
first part of verse 14.
Mark 13:14 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,)…
a. The sign is from \\#Dan 9:27\\, and it is when you see
an abomination standing where it should not, one that
desecrates the temple and leaves it desolate, then you
know the time is getting close.
(1) Notice the question was, "When will the temple be
left without one stone left on another?"
(2) The answer is "When you see the temple desecrated
and desolate, it’s getting close and you’d better
know what to do.
b. The Jews don’t even have a temple right now so it can’t
be desecrated.
(1) First, the Jews will have to get the spot on which
to build it.
(2) Then they will have to actually build it.
(3) Then, it makes sense that they might get to use it
at least a little bit.
(4) Then, at some point after those things, it will be
desecrated with some awful abominable act and the
Jews will abandon it.
(5) And sometime after that, it will be utterly
destroyed, without one stone left upon another.
2. Daniel 9:27 actually tells us when the temple will be
desecrated.
Dan 9:27 And he (the anti-Christ) shall confirm
the covenant with many for one week (that week is
the seven years which we call the Tribulation):
and in the midst (that word means "middle") of
the week he (the anti-Christ) shall cause the
sacrifice and the oblation (gifts) to cease, and
for the overspreading of abominations he shall
make it (the temple) desolate, even until the
consummation, (the end of the covenant) and that
determined shall be poured upon the desolate.
a. So the anti-Christ must come.
b. He must make a covenant with Israel for seven
somethings (I believe for seven years).
c. And in the middle of that seven years, the anti-Christ
will spread abominations through the temple and make
it desolate.
d. Sometime after that, not one stone will be left upon
another.
e. This is the only sign given in this text that answers
the question the disciples asked, but even it does
not tell us exactly when the temple will be torn a
part and gives us no sign today of when the events
of tomorrow may happen.
(1) You and I are not looking for signs.
(2) We are looking for the Son!
3. \\#14-23\\ The remainder of those verses is a message
from Jesus to the saints of that day.
a. Jesus told them what to do. What?
(1) \\#14\\ Flee to the mountains. Get out of Judah.
Mark 13:14 …then let them that be in Judaea
flee to the mountains:
(2) Don’t pack. Don’t wait. Just run.
Mark 13:15 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:
16 And let him that is in the field not turn
back again for to take up his garment.
(3) Two things will make this day even harder.
(a) It will be harder on those with children.
Mark 13:17 But woe to them that are with child,
and to them that give suck in those days!
(b) And it will be harder if it happens in the
winter.
Mark 13:18 And pray ye that your flight be not
in the winter.
b. How bad will it be?
(1) The worst since time began.
Mark 13:19 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.
(2) So bad that if God did not limit the time, no one
should survive.
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.
c. And apparently, even during the Tribulation, more
jaspers will rise to deceive the people.
Mark 13:21 And then if any man shall say to you,
Lo, here is Christ; or, lo, he is there; believe
him not:
22 For false Christs and false prophets shall
rise, and shall shew signs and wonders, to seduce,
if it were possible, even the elect.
(1) The words for "false christs" and "false
prophets" is plural meaning more than one.
(2) I would not think anybody would be fool enough
to make that claim after the anti-Christ claims
to be god, but maybe they will.
d. And then Jesus tells those to whom this message was
written, the millennial saints, to read and be
careful.
Mark 13:23 But take ye heed: behold, I have
foretold you all things.
(1) The Holy Spirit will speak directly to and
through that generation of Christians, and I
will show them many passages written to them,
passages which we did not understand or thought
we understood.
(2) But this passage and this message is for them.
(a) "Take heed." Be careful. Do what I say.
(b) "I have foretold you ALL things. Just like
every other generation of believers, all
you need to know is in this Book.
C. \\#24-27\\ Signs after the Tribulation
Mark 13:24 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.
1. The question was "When will the temple be left without one
stone upon another?"
a. So we are AFTER the seven-years of Tribulation now.
b. I believe we are also AFTER the temple has been left
without one stone upon another.
2. If we want to call these signs, there are two signs that
the Tribulation is FINISHED.
a. \\#24-25\\ The stars fall from heaven, the sun and
moon cease to give their light.
b. \\#26-27\\ Jesus, the Jewish Messiah, returns to set up
His kingdom.
3. This first sign, I believe has confused some people.
a. There is no doubt that this happens AFTER the
Tribulation because that is clearly what the Bible
says.
b. However, I think this event gets confused with a
similar event recorded in Rev 6:12-17
Rev 6:12 And I beheld when he had opened the
sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great
earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth
of hair, and the moon became as blood;
13 And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth,
even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs,
when she is shaken of a mighty wind.
14 And the heaven departed as a scroll when it
is rolled together; and every mountain and
island were moved out of their places.
c. I believe people read this and think it is the same
event that Mark was telling us about in Mark 13.
(1) That seems to cause some to think the Book of
Revelation is written out of order.
(2) That leads to people trying to rearrange the
events prophesied in Revelation.
d. I do not see a need for that.
(1) If God can do something once, why can’t He do it
twice?
(2) And besides, if you will read the verses closely,
you will see it is not the SAME EXACT event in
both places.
(3) I believe this similar events are book ends.
(a) One, Revelation 6, occurs near the beginning
of the Tribulation.
(b) The other, Mark 13, happens after the
Tribulation.
(4) This is simplest way to read the Bible, and it
is the only way to keep men from changing the
order God gave the Bible.
So Jesus answered the disciples question. When? He reached up onto
the bookshelf of eternity and pulled down the volume, The Future;
but He is not finished yet. There is still the symbol and the story.
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