The Servant's Promise
Book of Mark Chapter 13
What is a promise? We should understand that the Bible itself, is the "word" of promise!
The Bible is a Book of Promises and those promises from our Holy God and His Son!
That word promise includes everything that has respect to the life that is now and the life that is to come.
The Holy Trinity that forms the GODHEAD forms the subject and the substance of this is God's "promise".
God the Father is the promise!
Eze_11:20 That they may walk in my statutes, and keep mine ordinances, and do them: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God.
2Co_6:16 And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
This promise includes the Lord Jesus Christ!
Joh_14:20 At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you.
All the promises of life given by God are in the Lord Jesus Christ!
2Ti 1:1 Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, according to the promise of life which is in Christ Jesus,
2Co 1:19 For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was preached among you by us, even by me and Silvanus and Timotheus, was not yea and nay, but in him was yea.
2Co 1:20 For all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him Amen, unto the glory of God by us.
2Co 1:21 Now he which stablisheth us with you in Christ, and hath anointed us, is God;
2Co 1:22 Who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts.
Notice this passage in Second Corinthians list all the Holy Trinity, The Father, The Son, and the Holy Spirit.
God's promises are real and most important, God never breaks a promise!
*****Mar 13:1 And as he went out of the temple, one of his disciples saith unto him, Master, see what manner of stones and what buildings are here!
At this time, the Temple in Jerusalem was one of the great Wonders of the World.
We can see that the Temple in Jerusalem was still standing when Mark with the aid of the Holy Spirit wrote the Book of Mark.
The Jewish historian Josephus said that the Temple wanted for nothing that the eye and the mind could admire.
The size of those foundation stones was enormous, some being forty-five feet long with five feet in height and six feet broad, made of white marble, a limestone.
This is the same material which many statues are made of.
Marble can be found in shades of pure white which were used in the construction of the Temple, but can also be in shades of grey, brown, black, and green.
Marble is so hard that it can be polished.
The Temple was certainly a beautiful building according to man's standards.
We know that God sees things differently than we do!
Man cannot build to the standards of Heaven so, to the Lord Jesus the Temple of Jerusalem was no great marvel at all.
To Jesus, the Temple was to function as God's house of prayer, but it had been turned into a den of thieves.
Most all the Gospel writers included this quote of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Mat_21:13 And said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves.
Mar_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.
Luk_19:46 Saying unto them, It is written, My house is the house of prayer: but ye have made it a den of thieves.
We could say that the Temple in Jerusalem was nothing great in the eyes of the Lord.
What this Temple stood for was of far greater importance than the way it looked to the world!
This Temple was built and dedicated to the worship of Jehovah!
By the work of the Lord Jesus Christ, each individual Christian is now the Temple of God!
Each individual Temple of God is far greater than any building on this earth could ever be!
1Co 3:16 Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?
1Co 3:17 If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.
1Co 6:19 What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost, which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?
1Co 6:20 For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.
2Co 6:16 And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
2Co 6:17 Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,
2Co 6:18 And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.
As the Lord Jesus walked with His disciples, He showed His disciples that this great Temple in Jerusalem had little importance to the Church and would soon be destroyed.
The Lord Jesus began to deal with the great prophecies of the end times.
*****Mar 13:2 And Jesus answering said unto him, Seest thou these great buildings? there shall not be left one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.
The return of the Jews to Israel and recognized as a nation again, happened on May 14, 1948, and this return to Israel could be considered a sign of the end times.
Isa_66:8 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? for as soon as Zion travailed, she brought forth her children.
The six-day war in 1967 was also a sign of the end times.
The war that is going on in Israel at this time can also be considered a sign of the end times!
The restoration of Israel to its homeland was also prophesied.
Deu 30:1 And it shall come to pass, when all these things are come upon thee, the blessing and the curse, which I have set before thee, and thou shalt call them to mind among all the nations, whither the LORD thy God hath driven thee,
Deu 30:2 And shalt return unto the LORD thy God, and shalt obey his voice according to all that I command thee this day, thou and thy children, with all thine heart, and with all thy soul;
Deu 30:3 That then the LORD thy God will turn thy captivity, and have compassion upon thee, and will return and gather thee from all the nations, whither the LORD thy God hath scattered thee.
Isa 43:5 Fear not: for I am with thee: I will bring thy seed from the east, and gather thee from the west;
Isa 43:6 I will say to the north, Give up; and to the south, Keep not back: bring my sons from far, and my daughters from the ends of the earth;
Isa 43:7 Even every one that is called by my name: for I have created him for my glory, I have formed him; yea, I have made him.
Isa 43:8 Bring forth the blind people that have eyes, and the deaf that have ears.
Israel is a nation of the people of God.
God Himself says right now the eyes of the children of Israel are blind to the truth of the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ.
They spiritually blind to the truth of their own God, Jehovah!
The true Christians are also the people of God.
Eze 34:11 For thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I, even I, will both search my sheep, and seek them out.
Eze 34:12 As a shepherd seeketh out his flock in the day that he is among his sheep that are scattered; so will I seek out my sheep, and will deliver them out of all places where they have been scattered in the cloudy and dark day.
Eze 34:13 And I will bring them out from the people, and gather them from the countries, and will bring them to their own land, and feed them upon the mountains of Israel by the rivers, and in all the inhabited places of the country.
In order for these things to be true, then Jerusalem and much of the nation of Israel would have to be destroyed and that destruction began in 70 A.D. with the destruction Jerusalem and this Temple, referred to as Herod's Temple.
Many of the Jews had already been scattered throughout the nations by Nebuchadnezzar.
Herod had spent 46 years building this Temple into a showcase in Jerusalem.
How did our Lord Jesus describe this destruction?
Jesus simply said, "see these great buildings there will not be left one stone upon another".
This Temple had so much gold used in its construction that it was destroyed and burnt by those trying to obtain that gold.
The Lord Jesus was comfortable with speaking of doomed things and what happens to a doomed people!
We should understand today that all those who reject the Lord Jesus Christ are doomed people and are condemned to an eternity in the Burning Lake of Fire!
It does not matter what other people say!
It does not matter what religionists say!
It does not matter what philosophers say!
It does not matter what the secular world has to say!
Jesus was not happy talking about these things, it is just the truth!
We cannot sugarcoat the end times, they will be very terrible, beginning with the Tribulation period that will last seven years.
The world as we know it right now, is building up to these days called the end times!
This secular world is a doomed thing!
All the great buildings of this secular world are doomed things.
All social distinctions are doomed things.
All religious systems are doomed things.
We already know that things are already getting worse for the people of God today and this will continue until God removes His Church and the time of doomed things will then begin.
2Ti 3:12 Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.
2Ti 3:13 But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived.
This Second Temple of the Jews had been in existence for more than five hundred years but its time would soon end.
What had the prophets said?
1Ki 9:6 But if ye shall at all turn from following me, ye or your children, and will not keep my commandments and my statutes which I have set before you, but go and serve other gods, and worship them:
1Ki 9:7 Then will I cut off Israel out of the land which I have given them; and this house, which I have hallowed for my name, will I cast out of my sight; and Israel shall be a proverb and a byword among all people:
1Ki 9:8 And at this house, which is high, every one that passeth by it shall be astonished, and shall hiss; and they shall say, Why hath the LORD done thus unto this land, and to this house?
Did God destroy this Second Temple? No, but He did allow it to happen!
These twelve disciples had to be taken aback to hear the Lord Jesus saying such a thing.
The generation that existed in Israel during the days of the Lord Jesus, the true Messiah, and had rejected Him, would see a great destruction and many of them would also die.
Luk 11:49 Therefore also said the wisdom of God, I will send them prophets and apostles, and some of them they shall slay and persecute:
Luk 11:50 That the blood of all the prophets, which was shed from the foundation of the world, may be required of this generation;
Luk 11:51 From the blood of Abel unto the blood of Zacharias, which perished between the altar and the temple: verily I say unto you, It shall be required of this generation.
Those that reject the Lord Jesus Christ have no defense from the wrath of God and no way to escape the vengeance of God!
The disciples of the Lord wanted more answers because they now had many more questions.
*****Mar 13:3 And as he sat upon the mount of Olives over against the temple, Peter and James and John and Andrew asked him privately,
Mar 13:4 Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign when all these things shall be fulfilled?
Mar 13:5 And Jesus answering them began to say, Take heed lest any man deceive you:
It is a fact that God's concealment of our future is a great blessing!
Those that know the Lord Jesus Christ as their Savior, should have no concern for an exact date for the return of Jesus Christ.
We must understand that God knows what He is doing and His act of sending the Lord Jesus to die for our sins, show us that He has our best interest in mind!
We must not be led astray by false teachers and we must listen to what the Lord Jesus has to say on this topic!
There is always a danger of being led astray by the sermons we hear!
This is also true of the Bible we use, other books that we read, and others who we may listen to, who seem sincere.
This is why it is so important to go to a Bible believing church with Pastors who preach the truth of the Gospel.
Jesus says to take heed that we are led astray by no man, in doctrine, in morals, in false standards of conduct, or in the false interpretation of God's Word.
This is exactly what is happening today!
Just so we are clear, there is absolutely no such thing as a Progressive Church nor a Progressive Christian!
Pro_24:21 My son, fear thou the LORD and the king: and meddle not with them that are given to change:
Mal_3:6 For I am the LORD, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.
We must guard against being deceived!
We can be easily deceived when dealing with end-time prophecies!
We can be easily deceived when facing end-time events!
We can be easily deceived into thinking that certain cataclysmic events are infallible signs that the end is at hand.
We must place all our trust in the true Word of God!
God has no reason to deceive us, because it is His wish that all people be saved!
1Ti 2:3 For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour;
1Ti 2:4 Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.
1Ti 2:5 For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;
1Ti 2:6 Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.
It is just as clear that God will sometimes save many people from catastrophic calamities, and then destroy them because they reject the Lord Jesus.
Jud_1:5 I will therefore put you in remembrance, though ye once knew this, how that the Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed them that believed not.
Just as we stated the other week, it is not God's love that should be questioned in these events!
It is God's holiness that provides the need for all people to be holy.
God's vengeance will be upon all those who refuse to be holy!
Our example is still the Lord Jesus Christ without whom we will see and feel the wrath of God on unbelievers.
*****Mar 13:6 For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.
Jesus said there would not a few but many false Messiahs come and that they would deceive many.
We know that this is true and it was occurring before the time of Christ and has continued after the time of Christ.
Act 5:36 For before these days rose up Theudas, boasting himself to be somebody; to whom a number of men, about four hundred, joined themselves: who was slain; and all, as many as obeyed him, were scattered, and brought to nought.
Act 5:37 After this man rose up Judas of Galilee in the days of the taxing, and drew away much people after him: he also perished; and all, even as many as obeyed him, were dispersed.
Act 8:9 But there was a certain man, called Simon, which beforetime in the same city used sorcery, and bewitched the people of Samaria, giving out that himself was some great one:
Act 8:10 To whom they all gave heed, from the least to the greatest, saying, This man is the great power of God.
We know of many more in our own lifetime.
Many claim to be the One who can lead the world to a utopian state, who are all liars!
Rom 16:17 Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them.
Rom 16:18 For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple.
Our president is one amongst many politicians and religionists whose promises point to them, as the personal answer to our hopes, our dreams, and our problems.
They are all liars!
All these have the God syndrome and they are powerless to do the things they say they will do.
They are deceivers.
2Jn 1:6 And this is love, that we walk after his commandments. This is the commandment, That, as ye have heard from the beginning, ye should walk in it.
2Jn 1:7 For many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist.
2Jn 1:8 Look to yourselves, that we lose not those things which we have wrought, but that we receive a full reward.
They greatest deceiver of all will be the Antichrist!
Mere men have no such power!
Only the true Messiah has this power!
As far as the Church is concerned, we have no reason to listen to any of them, because we already have the promise of the Rapture and we will not be on earth unless we return with Jesus the true Messiah.
The Rapture is the next important thing on God's timeline along with the beginning of the signs of the end times which are being seen today and for several years.
Israel at war is just another of the sign that the rapture of the Church is very near.
These things are important to the Jews because they will go through the Tribulation period along with our children and family and friends if we have not reached them with the Gospel truth.
The Jews will survive but few if any Gentiles will survive those seven years.
*****Mar 13:7 And when ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars, be ye not troubled: for such things must needs be; but the end shall not be yet.
Mar 13:8 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be earthquakes in divers places, and there shall be famines and troubles: these are the beginnings of sorrows.
There should be no doubt that these things are going on today.
War is almost worldwide today and the next world war could begin at any moment now!
We are to expect troublous times!
We are to expect the many disturbances in our own nation, as we see today. Divided more than we have ever been.
We are to expect international disturbances just as we see today in this carnal and immoral world.
We used to be a nation against terrorism but now many in America get on the side of brutal, wicked, and evil terrorism.
Many innocent people get caught up in these things and are harmed or killed.
It is a very rare occasion to see any good news today and even if there were some good news it would still not be good news to the Christian.
News sources print or broadcast lies and even when they know they are wrong, they refuse to correct their statements or broadcasts.
We also know that there are earthquakes in places where they have never occurred before and many of them are really strong and devastating.
We know that many people are suffering from famine and the world sits by without helping because some rich and powerful men say the world has too many people to feed them all, which has never been true.
We know there are people having troubles all over this world and the world does not try to help or does not care to help.
The Lord Jesus says that these are just the beginning of sorrows, things are going to get much worse, but the Lord also says for His children not to worry about these things.
We know that Christian unfaithfulness is growing because many in the Church have abandoned the Word of God and allowed the world to come into the Church and the mighty ship of Zion is sinking in many places.
God says do not let these things trouble us, for there is nothing we can do about them, and all these things are in His hands.
As Christians, we get overly affected by the news of world affairs and turmoil.
Even though it is interesting and captivating, we cannot allow it to dominate our lives.
Most of the news we get is not the whole truth to begin with!
Many have allowed these things to be more important than the Word of God!
The dark side of mankind will always come to the forefront on the world scene!
None of these things mean the end is near according to our Savior!
Luk 21:33 Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away.
Luk 21:34 And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares.
Luk 21:35 For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth.
Luk 21:36 Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.
Natural disasters are going to happen and even as technology has improved there are still far too many places who are not warned before these things take place, where that information is available and far too many perish uncalled for.
Famine is going to become worse as the rich and the brutal horde the commodities and keep them from the poor.
We see people every day leave behind all the things they have collected all their lives and seek to live in a better place because their own governments will not meet their needs and do not care to do so.
They become easy targets for those who will abuse them in many ways!
We now see how the Church has come under attack because the Church that sticks to the never changing Word of God, now becomes the enemy of these governments because we stick to the truth and Jesus says this is also a sign of the end drawing near.
*****Mar 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.
Mar 13:10 And the gospel must first be published among all nations.
Do we want to see a true sign of the end times then it is in these two verses.
This is much more than just persecution!
It was less than fifty days after Christ had returned to Heaven, that the Apostles began to suffer major persecution.
In other words, the government and the religious leaders tried their best to silence the message of the Lord Jesus Christ before it even got off to a good start.
Religion is deadly to the Christian but the Church where the Lord Jesus is the Head cannot be stopped!
We know that James the Apostle was slain with a sword, murdered for preaching Jesus Christ shortly after His death.
We know of the many times they went after Peter and others of the Apostles were sentenced to death in a short amount of time.
The Book of Martyrs can explain these things better then I.
Jesus had explained these things to His Apostles, but what is going on today is what the Lord Jesus was speaking of.
Paul wrote:
2Co 11:23 Are they ministers of Christ? (I speak as a fool) I am more; in labours more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequent, in deaths oft.
2Co 11:24 Of the Jews five times received I forty stripes save one.
2Co 11:25 Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I have been in the deep;
2Co 11:26 In journeyings often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils by mine own countrymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren;
2Co 11:27 In weariness and painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness.
2Co 11:28 Beside those things that are without, that which cometh upon me daily, the care of all the churches.
Luke wrote that these things that happened to the Apostles would happen before the signs we are to look for today.
Luk 21:12 But before all these, they shall lay their hands on you, and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues, and into prisons, being brought before kings and rulers for my name's sake.
Luk 21:13 And it shall turn to you for a testimony.
Luk 21:14 Settle it therefore in your hearts, not to meditate before what ye shall answer:
Luk 21:15 For I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which all your adversaries shall not be able to gainsay nor resist.
These things are just examples of what we are seeing today as the world tries to stop the message of the Lord Jesus Christ.
These are the things that will get worse for the Church so, we must not fail the Lord Jesus Christ!
We are very close to the return of our Lord and Savior!
You see since the invention of the computer and Wi-Fi and as some say, "the cloud", evangelism has just about been published all around this world.
Of course the Gideons have helped, and the many missionaries, and the many churches all those who give their testimonies and the changed lives because of the power of the Gospel.
This is one of the "must" signs and it is very near to completion, if not complete today.
This proves that everyone will get to hear the Gospel message so they cannot stand at the White Throne Judgment and tell the Lord they had never heard of Jesus the Messiah.
Some say this promise was fulfilled in the First Century but I do not think so.
All nations of the world will hear the Gospel Message before the return of Jesus Christ!
*****Mar 13:11 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.
This is also one of the signs that the return of Christ is near.
Those who are called before the government heads and the religious heads will speak as supernatural witnesses.
Believers will never be left alone during these things!
We will not have to worry about what to say in defense of ourselves or of our testimony!
Mat 10:19 But when they deliver you up, take no thought how or what ye shall speak: for it shall be given you in that same hour what ye shall speak.
Mat 10:20 For it is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of your Father which speaketh in you.
If God is your Father, then your Father will speak for Himself!
Luk 21:15 For I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which all your adversaries shall not be able to gainsay nor resist.
We may feel incapable of defending ourselves, but our Heavenly Father speaks with the voice of thunder.
We need to trust God here in this passage, for it is also a promise!
Only God will know the hearts of the persecutors so, He alone knows what needs to be said that will touch their hearts and however they react will serve as their own testimony in their time of judgment.
This does not mean we should not be praying and thinking if this happens to us, but we are to be assured that God will do the speaking!
Some of our own family members may also persecute us.
*****Mar 13:12 Now the brother shall betray the brother to death, and the father the son; and children shall rise up against their parents, and shall cause them to be put to death.
Mar 13:13 And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake: but he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.
We had better understand that these things can happen and it will also be a sign of the return of Jesus Christ.
Remember, Jesus is talking to His disciples and we should know He is speaking to all His disciples because those with Him on this day knew that they would be dead and gone before He returned.
He had not left at this time but the cross was just a few days away.
We must not miss the fact that we need to bear up under these things.
If we have not reached our friends and family with the Gospel by now, we need to ask for help from some of the Church as time certainly grows short.
We have a tough time imagining things getting this bad, but the Lord Jesus would not say these things if they were not important and if they were not true.
We do not have to consider these things as a test from the Lord, but we must still stand firm on the Word of God even if it leads to our death.
We know the day of our death is the first day we go to Heaven for an eternity.
We do not have to fear death anymore!
Jas 1:12 Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.
1Pe 2:9 But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:
1Pe 2:10 Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.
2Co_5:6 Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord:
2Co_5:8 We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.
Amen
