Jesus’ Sermon at Olivet

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Well, I remember almost 11 years ago, a random Saturday, that I think my parents were at my house visiting. I lived in Arkansas at the time. And we just sat around and did nothing all day.

And the reason I remember that is because it was the day that one of those radio preachers had announced the world was going to end. And I know people announced that periodically, but this is one that they had taken out millions of dollars in advertising and billboards, and they had even non-believers stirred up that it was going to be that day in May of 2012. I can’t remember the exact day of it.

It’s really not important, because obviously it didn’t happen. He later revised it. When that came and went, he later revised his prediction.

oh, I miscalculated, it’s going to be in October. And as memory serves, I mean, it wasn’t October of 2012 either. And I think people were also a little worked up because that’s the year the Mayan calendar ended.

And that was thousands of years ago. They probably just got bored and quit calculating as far as I’m concerned. But there was all this talk about the world was going to end, the end of days was upon us, And we just kind of sat there and did nothing.

And I remarked on the irony at the time, if this was the last day on earth, we could have done something a little more exciting that day. But we didn’t believe it was going to be the last day on earth, and so we didn’t do much at all. And those days have come and gone over and over and over.

Supposedly, Jesus was going to return in 1914. One denomination taught that. Then what came in 1914 was World War I.

So they said, well, okay, 1925. 1925 came and went. 1975.

1988. The year 2000. Just on and on.

The one thing you can be sure of is when somebody says, this is the date it’s going to happen, the one thing you can be sure of is it’s not that date. Right? Because Jesus even said, no man knows the date or the hour.

Not the angels in heaven, not even the Son, only the Father. And there’s been debate about what he meant, why he would say not the Son. That’s not really my point to go into tonight.

We hear all this teaching about the end times. And we want to be very careful about the end times. I believe what the Bible teaches, but I also know that I am limited by my abilities to interpret what I read there.

And so I don’t want to be too dogmatic about what I see there or get too far afield in the details and tell you things that aren’t true or speculate wildly. Tonight we’re going to look at what Jesus said in Mark chapter 13 about part of the end times in what we call the Olivet Discourse. It’s called that because it was a sermon or a discourse that he preached on the Mount of Olives or Mount Olivet.

Some of you have already asked about a grid. I did not print grids tonight. I think I’ve nearly finished the grid, but I did not print them tonight because depending on how I laid them out, they printed out at either somewhere between 7 and 13 pages apiece.

Not a big deal. I found out recently when we renewed our copy or lease that our color pages cost us $0. 06 apiece, which again is not a problem until you’re looking at 13-page documents that not everybody takes one up. So, I’ll tell you this, I can email them out, and if you want one printed, let us know and we can print you one.

I just wasn’t going to print a whole stack and leave them out, because I thought that might be a little bit wasteful. And the reason why it’s so long is because it covers the entirety of chapter 13 here. In Matthew’s account, he gives more detail.

It covers Matthew 24 and 25. It’s a long section of text, and I could break it up like we’ve broken the parables and this event and that event and look at it a little piece at a time. But I feel like as a single sermon and one that’s in such a tricky area, I mean, obviously it’s a tricky area if this many people are getting it wrong and coming out with dates.

It’s a tricky area. So I feel like it’s best to take it as one big chunk and look at the highlights of it and encourage you to dig a little deeper on your own, but I don’t want to get too bogged down in the details. And you probably know this.

My understanding of what I read in Scripture, I think in my reading of it, the explanation that best fits the end times is a pre-tribulation rapture where the church is removed prior to the beginning of the tribulation, a pre-millennial second coming where Jesus comes back to earth and sets up a millennial kingdom. I’m puzzled by the idea of a post-millennial second coming that we create the kingdom here on earth and have it for a thousand years and then Jesus comes back. I’m puzzled by the logic of that.

I believe those two things. I also know that there are men and women that I respect immensely who have other views on the subject. So I want to give you a loose overview tonight of some things we see in this passage.

I’m not going to have you stand tonight just because it’s a whole chapter. All right. Are you good with that?

I have to stand, but you don’t. All right. So we’re going to go to Mark chapter 13, Mark chapter 13, and we’re going to look at verses one through 37.

And as I said, I won’t be going verse by verse through the whole thing, explaining the whole thing. We’re going to look at highlights tonight, but starting in verse one, it says, then as he went out of the temple, one of the disciples said to him, teacher, see what manner of stones and what buildings are here. And just to explain what’s going on there, Jesus has been teaching some deep, hard truths about the religious leaders.

Things have gotten a little tense. They’ve gotten a little heavy. And I think the disciples here, it sounds to me like they’re just trying to make small talk.

Oh, look at the pretty buildings. They’re trying to, let’s talk about anything else. Look at the beautiful temple that’s here.

Verse 2, and Jesus answered and said to him, Do you see these great buildings? Not one stone shall be left upon another that shall not be thrown down. So they’re trying to distract and talk about the temple buildings, and Jesus says, yeah, see all the pretty buildings?

Yeah, they’re going to be obliterated. So Jesus is not letting them off the hook. Now as he sat on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter, James, John, and Andrew asked him privately, Tell us, when will these things be?

And what will be the sign when all these things will be fulfilled? And Jesus answering them began to say, Take heed that no one deceives you, for many will come in my name, saying, I am he, and will deceive many. but when you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be troubled for such things must happen but the end is not yet.

For nation, that’s basically him saying it’s only going to get worse. I forget what it’s come up multiple times in the last week but Benjamin will say something I’ll say have we learned nothing from Russian history? It only gets worse from here.

Anyway, that’s his approach here. You’ll hear of the wars and rumors of wars but wait, there’s more. it gets worse.

For nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be earthquakes in various places, and there will be famines and troubles. These are the beginnings of sorrows. But watch out for yourselves, for they will deliver you up to councils.

You will be beaten in the synagogues. You will be brought before rulers and kings for my sake, for testimony to them. And the gospel must first be preached to all nations.

But when they arrest you and deliver you up, do not worry beforehand or premeditate what you will speak. But whatever is given to you in that hour, speak that. For it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit.

Now, brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child. And children will rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death. And you will be hated by all for my name’s sake.

But he who endures to the end shall be saved. And I don’t necessarily look at that as saying we earn our salvation by enduring to the end, but I think it’s a reassurance that we can endure to the end knowing what waits for us on the other side of that endurance. So we come to verse 14, and it says, So when you see the abomination of desolation spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing where it ought not, let the reader understand.

Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let him who is on the housetop not go into the house, nor enter to take anything out of his house. And let him who is in the field not go back and get his clothes.

But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days. And pray that your flight may not be in winter. For in those days there will be tribulation such as has not been since the beginning of creation, which God created until this time, nor ever shall be.

And unless the Lord had shortened those days, no flesh would be saved, meaning no one would be left alive. But for the elect’s sake, whom he chose, he shortened the days. Now he’s saying here things are going to get so bad that people are going to run and flee.

Pray that it’s not in the winter so that there are provisions for you as you’re fleeing. It’s going to be really rough if you’re having to drag children with you. But don’t go back.

Don’t go back to your house and try to get anything. Just get out of Dodge. I want to point out one other thing too here.

When he says, when he’s talking about the elect being deceived. I think many times in Scripture, maybe not every time, but many times in Scripture when he talks about the elect, he’s referring to Israel. And there’s this idea in the end times prophecies that there’s going to be a remnant of Israel that’s going to turn to Messiah.

But he says things are going to get so bad that if it were not for the intervention of the Lord, even Israel would be drawn astray after this abomination of desolation, this antichrist or this false prophet. Then if anyone says to you, look, here is the Christ, or look, he is there. And do not believe it, for false Christs or false messiahs and false prophets will rise and show signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.

But take heed, see I have told you all things beforehand. But in those days after that tribulation, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light. The stars of heaven will fall, the powers in the heavens will be shaken.

Then they will see the Son of Man coming in the clouds with great power and glory. and then he will send his angels and gather together his elect from the far winds and from the farthest part of the earth to the farthest part of heaven. Now learn this parable from the fig tree.

When its branch has already become tender and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near. So you also, when you see these things happening, know that it is near at the doors. Assuredly, I say to you that this generation will by no means pass away until all these things take place.

Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will by no means pass away. And one thing I want to explain there in verse 30, that’s often trotted out this idea of this generation not passing away until all these things have been fulfilled. And people will look at that and they’ll either say, what does that mean?

I don’t understand what that means. Or we’ve now been 2,000 years since Jesus said these words. That generation is long gone and these things haven’t happened.

Isn’t that a failed prophecy of Jesus? I don’t think he’s looking at his disciples and saying, this generation will not pass away. He’s talking about those who are seeing the beginning of these things will not pass away before they come to completion.

And we’ll talk about that in just a moment. But I think what he’s talking about here is once these events start to tick off on the prophetic timeline, it’s just going to go boom, boom, boom, one after another until it’s all done. And you’re not going to have to wait thousands of years to see the fulfillment.

Verse 24, but in those days, I’m sorry. Verse 32, thank you. coming suddenly he find you sleeping and what I say to you I say to all watch aren’t you glad you didn’t have to stand for the whole thing there’s three major things that I see in this passage that I want to that I want to bring out tonight as I said it’s it’s very easy to get hung up in the details and there are people who could teach those details to you better than I could I’ve been very open about the end times not being my my strong suit because we haven’t seen them yet and and it’s even clearer to me there than anywhere else how easy it would be for me to be wrong.

So I want to talk to you in generalities tonight, and three major things that I think we need to see here. First is that God is not finished with Israel. I had a friend ask me about this the other day in discussions with somebody at their church about how God deals with Israel, because there are different ways of looking at how God deals with Israel in Scripture, And some act like because the church is here, God is just done with Israel.

Others almost combine Israel and the church. And I think we could go off into extremes either way. I see that God has plans for Israel.

God still has plans for Israel. God is still at work among the people of Israel. God also has plans for the church.

And they are not necessarily the same plans. But I do see where it’s taught in Scripture that one day there will be a unity between the believing Gentiles, what we call the church, and the remnant of Israel that returns to the Messiah and will be gathered as one people, but not yet. That’s not the case yet.

But it’s a mistake to write Israel off and say, well, God’s just done with them. Once the church came, God has no more plans for them. Israel is all over this.

The men that he’s speaking to when he’s giving this message, Peter, Andrew, James, and John, they are Jews. They are part of Israel. And he’s talking to them about themes and ideas that Israel would understand.

He refers them to the prophet Daniel and talks about the abomination of desolation. This is a time when the temple in Jerusalem will be defiled. And there are different explanations for what this could mean.

There was the time, if you were in my Wednesday night class when we talked about the period between the Testaments, there was the time when Antiochus IV Epiphanes came in and had the pigs slaughtered on the altar in the temple in Jerusalem as the greatest offense he could perpetrate against the Jewish people. Some people referred to that as the abomination of desolation. Then there’s after this, Jesus is speaking in about 33 AD, there’s the year 70 where the Romans come in and destroy the temple.

and they tear it apart. Each of these we could say is a picture of the abomination of desolation, but it’s probably not the ultimate and final fulfillment of the abomination of desolation. There are things spoken of in Revelation that seem to indicate at a point in the future that those working for the Antichrist are going to try to set up false worship in a restored temple.

But it’s this idea that there are things going on in the temple. And he says, he speaks to those who are in Judea and says to them to flee to the mountains. So he’s dealing with Israel.

You read the timeline of things in Daniel. It’s talking about the purification of his people. That’s Israel.

So there’s this plan that involves the the nation of Israel that God, because of his faithfulness and because of his promises, he did not completely write off the nation of Israel, even as we have Jesus talking about taking the vineyard and giving it to another, to the Gentiles, he has not completely written off Israel because God’s plan is to restore a remnant who will turn to the Messiah through this tribulation. And so that’s why he’s talking about the temple, that’s why he’s talking about the people in Judea specifically. It’s a worldwide tribulation, but he’s focused on what the people in Judea need to do in fleeing to the mountains.

He’s also talking about this idea of a Messiah coming and false messiahs when we see in verses 21 and 22 he’s talking about the christ he’s not talking about himself just like we saw last week when he uses the term christ we have applied that to him as his name because he is the messiah but when he uses it here they’re talking about christ as the title for messiah so when he says false christ he’s not saying people are going to come pretending to be jesus he’s saying people are going to come pretending to be the messiah and if possible they’re going to deceive even the elect. And I mentioned to you that I believe here the elect means Israel.

And I think the picture he’s painting here in verses 21 and 22 is he talks about the elect possibly being deceived because the delusion is so strong, and yet it’s the intervention of God that comes in and stops this, that there’s going to be a battle, a spiritual battle for the nation of Israel as God is at work among them, and the forces of darkness try to draw them astray and away from him. So that it says in verse 20, unless the Lord had shortened those days, no flesh would be saved, meaning nobody would be left alive. But for the elect’s sake, whom he chose, the nation of Israel, he shortened the days.

This time of tribulation, we look at the way he describes it and says, if God didn’t step in and put a stop to it, nobody would be left alive. It’s going to be a time of tribulation, unlike anything that we have seen in human history, but God is going to intervene to preserve Israel from destruction just like he’s done every time. And I think understanding the fact that he’s talking about his relationship with Israel and his plans for Israel and his continued love for Israel and desire to bring Israel back to him is key to understanding this.

Because one thing I hear from time to time, well, Jesus never mentions the rapture in the Olivet Discourse. It’s because the Olivet Discourse is about Israel. God’s Holy Spirit reveals the stuff about the rapture to Paul later on when you’re dealing with the church.

But we haven’t seen the fullness of what the church is at this point. Jesus is talking to people who are still very much part of Israel and explaining his plans for Israel. And the tribulation being for the purification of Israel.

And we could look at this and say these are frightening plans. But I think we also need to see that in the midst of these frightening plans, This is, all the things that go wrong in our world are not because we’re following God’s rules and God’s law. They’re coming because we have disobeyed Him.

The effects of sin are always because of our disobedience. So we could look at this and say how horrifying this is. We kind of brought this on ourselves.

Instead, we ought to look at it as a reminder that God keeps His promises and God is faithful to do what He says He’ll do. Because God talked about His love for Israel and His everlasting covenant with Israel. And here are all the times that they have rejected him, even when Jesus is saying they are in the process of rejecting me.

They’re about to put me on a cross, yet God’s plans for Israel are not finished. God is going to make one last-ditch effort to draw Israel back to him through the Messiah. I think it’s important for us to understand that God’s not finished with Israel.

It’s also important for us to understand that God’s plans will begin suddenly and unexpectedly. And again, this is where I don’t know the timeline exactly. What I outlined for you about a premillennial second coming and a pre-tribulation rapture, to me is the idea that best explains it.

But I’ve always said I’m open to somebody showing me a better understanding from Scripture. I just haven’t been convinced of anything else yet. He compares the onset of the tribulation to childbirth.

And it’s easy to miss looking at it in English, but look at what he says here again in verses 6-8. Many will come in my name saying, I am he and will deceive many. But when you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be troubled.

For such things must happen, but the end is not yet. So he’s saying there’s going to be a ramp up here. For nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom.

And there will be earthquakes in various places and there will be famines and troubles. These are the beginnings of sorrows. When he says the beginnings of sorrows, those words there are a Greek idiom for childbirth, labor pains.

that come on somebody suddenly. Now, I have never experienced labor pains myself and don’t plan to, okay? But I know you can’t plan for them, can you?

The baby’s going to come when the baby’s going to come. And you can try, I mean, they can try to induce a baby. They can try to delay a baby.

We’re really just trying to speed up or delay the inevitable. It’s going to happen. I mean, there’s a point when it becomes irrevocable.

It just comes on you, right? You can’t decide, I’m just going to cross my legs and hold the baby in. Those labor pains come on suddenly.

Hopefully that’s not too graphic. Those labor pains come on suddenly and there’s not a whole lot you can do to stop it. You also don’t plan them to come at that exact moment.

And it’s going to come, the beginning of the end will come on without warning. And it’s going to be inescapable once it has. I don’t tell people that to scare them.

And I hear all the time, we’re in the last days, we’re in the end times. Maybe. I don’t know.

People have been saying that for 2,000 years. I know sometime when people say that, it’s going to be true. Is it today?

I don’t know. What is it I’ve seen on Facebook, we’re not on the planning committee, we’re just on the welcoming committee. I was not consulted on the timing here.

The Lord could come back right now. That would have been cool. Or he could come back 2,000 years from now.

That’s not up to me to decide. And all the arguments, well, there’s war, there’s rumors of wars, there’s famines. Do you know human history?

It’s pretty horrible. I mean, as a species, we’re just not nice, okay? I think that’s the deep theological term for it.

We’re just not nice. There’s been a lot of suffering throughout history. And as far as people growing worse and worse and being worse than they’ve ever been, I typically refer people’s attention back to the days of Noah when it says, every thought of everyone’s heart was only evil all the time continually.

We might be close to that, but we’re not quite there, I don’t think. So the idea that, well, because of the way things are today, it has to be, I don’t know. And I’m not even going to speculate that we’re in the season.

I know that might be disappointing for some, but it’s okay to say, I don’t know. And when I tell you, I don’t know, that should help you to believe me when I tell you, I do know, because I’m going to be honest with you if I don’t. I don’t know if we’re, if we’re, I don’t know how close we are to the end of the road, but once it becomes clear, there’s a, there’s a point of no return where, where it’s going to begin to happen suddenly.

And Jesus compares his return to the coming of summer and the tribulation to the budding of the fig tree. There’s a little parable in here in verses 28 through 30. He says, now learn this parable from the fig tree.

When its branch has already become tender and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near. So it says there’s a time when the fig tree has started to bud, and from that you know that you’re about to be in this season. Because the fig tree has already budded.

You can’t do anything about it. You can’t stop the fig tree from budding. You can’t speed it up.

You can’t slow it down. The approach of summer, you can’t do anything about it. You can’t stop it.

You can’t speed it up. You can’t slow it down. All we can do is observe what God is doing through those things.

And he compares it in the same way. So we look at what has happened or is happening. And there’s going to be a point when it’s just clear.

And the observer will have no control over the fig tree or the summer’s approach. And the observer will have no control over the events of the tribulation or the timing of Jesus’ return. Once the signs begin, the chain of events is inevitable.

And why does that matter to us? Why do we need to know that it’s going to come on us so suddenly and it’s going to be inescapable? Is that for us to live in doom and gloom?

I think that should take some pressure off of us. You don’t have to worry about it because what’s going to happen is going to happen. The Lord’s in control of it.

That’s why ultimately I’ve told you what my position is on the end times, that I’m pro-millennial. Whatever God’s going to do, I’m in favor of. I heard an old preacher tell me he was a pan-millennial. I said, what in the world is that? He said it’s all going to pan out in the end.

I think there’s a lot of wisdom in that. It’s for us to be aware of because there is this sense in which God will deal with sin. God will establish justice.

He will right all the wrongs, and we need to be prepared in light of that. But it’s for us to be aware of, but not for us to stress over. We just watch.

And that’s what brings me to the third thing we need to understand tonight. God’s people should live in anticipation of Christ’s return. I want you to see how many times he deals with the concept of preparation in this chapter.

And by the way, preparation is not get your packages from my patriot supply and build you a bunker in the backyard, that kind of thing. It’s talking about our spiritual preparation and what we are doing as far as serving him and taking him seriously. But he says in verse 5, take heed, which means pay attention.

He says in verse 9, watch out. Tells us in verse 11, do not worry. Verse 18, pray.

Verse 21, don’t believe lies. Verse 23, take heed again. Verse 28, learn.

Verse 29, no. Verse 33, take heed. Verse 33, watch. Verse 33, pray.

Verse 35, watch. Verse 37, watch. Are you noticing a pattern there?

He doesn’t tell us to worry about it. He doesn’t tell us to fear. He just tells us to pay attention.

And he gives us the picture toward the end of this in verses 32 through 37. But of that day and hour, no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Take heed, watch, and pray, for you do not know when the time is.

So in other words, just be busy. Just do what you’re supposed to. Go on doing what you’re supposed to, knowing that he could come back at any time, but just focus on what he’s given you to do in the meantime.

It’s like a man going to a far country who left his house and gave authority to his servants and to each his work and commanded the doorkeeper to watch. Watch therefore, for you do not know when the master of the house is coming in the evening at midnight at the crowing of the rooster or in the morning, lest coming suddenly he find you sleeping. And it reminds me of when I was a kid and we finally got to where we were old enough to stay at the house when mom went out and ran errands.

And she might say, when I come back, I want the dishwasher unloaded and I want the the carpet vacuumed and I want you know give us two or three things at that time unlike today when you can everybody in the family can track each other on the phone we didn’t know we had no idea when mom was coming back what we should have done was just work diligently and do those things but instead we’d try to be lazy and and sit there as long as we could and take a break and you know it’d be one show and eventually it’d bleed over into two shows and then next thing we know, uh-oh, mom could be home anytime and we’re rushing trying to get stuff done. That never worked out because she could always tell. His return is like that.

Instead of focusing on trying to figure out when he’s coming back and how all this is going to work out so that we can, I don’t know, in some cases do what we want up until the last minute, instead just do what he’s given us to do. Just pay attention. Just remember that he could come back at any time, not to keep us panicked but to keep our focus where it’s supposed to be here and now because if we lose sight of the fact that he’s coming back we’ll begin to drift and we’ll begin to take a break and just sit around and watch our shows all day whereas if we remember he’s coming back at any time and that any moment this could all be we’re going to be more serious and going to be more committed to what he’s given us to do and so we should we should live every day as though he could return today?

Because he could. And that’s what he wants us to understand here. Because he tells those four disciples, what I say to you, I say to everyone, watch.

And it’s not a panicked, you know, sell everything you own and sit around on a mountaintop and wait for him to come back. It’s go do what I told you to do and pay attention because I could come back at any moment. So if you’re disappointed that I didn’t get deeper into the details and validate what you think about the end times.

Sorry. It’s easy to get off track. I think those are the three major themes we need to understand about this.

It deals primarily with Israel and God’s fulfillment of his promises. God not giving up on Israel even into the last minute of his return being sudden and unexpected. We can’t do anything about it.

All we can do is watch and prepare and do what we’re supposed to do to be faithful until he returns.