Focus:
kjv@Revelation:14:12 @ Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.
(
FaithOfJesus thread begun by r
RandyP )
Today's Verse:
kjv@Mark:13:1-31
kjv@Mark: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!
kjv@Mark: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.
kjv@Mark: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,
kjv@Mark:13:4 @ Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign when all these things shall be fulfilled?
kjv@Mark:13:5 @ And Jesus answering them began to say, Take heed lest any man deceive you:
kjv@Mark:13:6 @ For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.
kjv@Mark: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.
kjv@Mark: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.
kjv@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.
kjv@Mark:13:10 @ And the gospel must first be published among all nations.
kjv@Mark: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.
kjv@Mark: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.
kjv@Mark: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.
kjv@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,) then let them that be in Judaea flee to the mountains:
kjv@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:
kjv@Mark:13:16 @ And let him that is in the field not turn back again for to take up his garment.
kjv@Mark:13:17 @ But woe to them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days!
kjv@Mark:13:18 @ And pray ye that your flight be not in the winter.
kjv@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.
kjv@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.
kjv@Mark:13:21 @ And then if any man shall say to you, Lo, here is Christ; or, lo, he is there; believe him not:
kjv@Mark:13:22 @ For false Christs and false prophets shall rise, and shall shew signs and wonders, to seduce, if it were possible, even the elect.
kjv@Mark:13:23 @ But take ye heed: behold, I have foretold you all things.
kjv@Mark:13:24 @ But in those days, after that tribulation, the sunshall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light,
kjv@Mark:13:25 @ And the stars of heaven shall fall, and the powers that are in heaven shall be shaken.
kjv@Mark:13:26 @ And then shall they see the Son of man coming in the clouds with great power and glory.
kjv@Mark:13:27 @ 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.
kjv@Mark:13:28 @ Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When her branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is near:
kjv@Mark:13:29 @ So ye in like manner, when ye shall see these things come to pass, know that it is nigh, even at the doors.
kjv@Mark:13:30 @ Verily I say unto you, that this generation shall not pass, till all these things be done.
kjv@Mark:13:31 @ Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away.
Today's notes:
Context:
- Before - Widow with two mites
- After - That hour knoweth no man
Key Concepts:
What is God's righteousness observed doing?:
- Waiting for the question from the disciples before fully explaining.
- Foretelling the signs of the fulfillment, the end of this generation of mankind and the ushering in the next that has long been promised.
- Foretelling the sharing of a portion of the pain and rejection HE is receiving from men with HIS elect. Warning them of what will be and how to respond. Urging them to take heed to themselves in advance of the signs.
What does this tell us about God's righteousness?:
- Part of the mastery of the teacher is to know when to divulge information unsolicited and when have the pupil earnestly seek and draw the information from you. The later seems to take hold while the former seems to spill off to the ground and evaporate. If a person is looking for understanding and is engaged in finding it, they are more likely to hold tight to it.
- We look at it as a sad and fearful thing because it is the end of things as we sinfully want them, when rather it is a time of great fulfillment. From the time of Adam this present world could have easily ended on it's own by corruption, but for the grace of God to extend it enough to draw enough redeemed survivors from it's wreckage. How long should we think proper for God to hold the iron gates of the adamic curse open?
- It is good for the children to know some of what the Father has long suffered from the hearts of man. Enemies are being made HIS Son's footstool and the enemies are none to pleased by it. In the end the only outlet for their frantic desperation is the remaining messianic elect.
How is man reacting?:
- Hostility to the elect and desperation gives rise to false Christs and prophets. Those who have not prepared nor taken heed are easily fooled. The momentum becomes so strong that even those prepared are tempted.
- Until that time men are splitting the words of Jesus into disjointed pieces in an effort to explain the fulfillment away as either symbolic or as having already happened.
Notes:
kjv@Luke:21:34 the day can sneak up unawares
kjv@Daniel:8:13 kjv@Daniel:9:27 kjv@Daniel:12:11
The fact that this is told privately to certain disciples complicates matters as this destruction of the temple topic became a major charge against Jesus in His mockery trial. Not that it would have changed the outcome, but there would have been the larger context of final fulfillment of all prophecy to consider it within. That they did not inquire from Jesus as did the disciples becomes a further indictment as to their intellectual sincerity and proof of the opposite of at least four. It is one thing to take offense at the matter after entertaining all of the context and fact, another just to take offense at the very notion from the outset and shutdown any further inquiry.
If to consider this prophecy as fulfilled at the destruction of Jerusalem 70 AD one must explain certain pieces confusing the evidences. The gospel published among all nations is perhaps the biggest question; affliction such as the world will ever see, such as no flesh would survive the other. Add to this stars of heaven falling and the cloud of glory with great power and the Son of man being witnessed by all. There are no such evidences given in this general theory. If the evidences could be shown then where in the revelation are we presently? There are modifications to the general theory which can make it more reasonable, and there are also arguments surround a complete yet future fulfillment (namely "this generation"). To my logic questions over the one article is more palatable than questions over all of the articles except for the one. Find away to prove a double fulfillment or a gradual fulfillment that still hold true to the given sequence and you might have something.
Here is the thing about God's righteousness in this regard, He has forewarned us and told us to take heed to ourselves and the times, for us to do anything other that is simply foolish on our part and to teach others the same is unrighteousness. If you honestly believe that the fulfillment is either symbolic or fulfilled 70 AD fine then that is your decision. If you are wrong however your safest position in the judgment to come is to have kept your conclusion to yourself, to have remained prepared for any possibility and taken heed to the current signs and times regardless.
The fact that this fulfillment is surrounded by such questions should not be understood as an error of omission on God's part, but rather that it needs be so and in fact is good and righteous at this point for it to be so. Better that men/women hunger and thirst, seek and question and heed (even debate if needed) as proof of their personal intellectual sincerity than fall into the trap of the Scribe and Pharisee who thought they knew what there was to know or the simpleminded fool who didn't want to know and didn't believe for his hardness. What difference is there between the cloud/veil of mystery ahead of Jesus regarding messianic fulfillment and this end time fulfillment? We now know what they only knew in part but hungered for of old just as we only know in part what they will one day future know at His coming. Has the process of sanctifying faith somehow become something different for us that it was not for them?
Key Messages:
What does this say about our present condition?
- Many Gentiles and non-Hebrew Semitics take the meaning of "the elect" as meaning themselves, their lineage, their denomination or their cult and not Israel. God's covenant with Abraham was unconditional based upon God's promise to Abraham and nothing else. Satan has long fought against this pact and by disturbing it's fulfillment thus seeking to destroy God's credibility with mankind. For Satan's concern, God obviously cannot be destroyed, but the perception of God's promise and credibility as it effects others and their salvation can at least in their own minds. Any interpretation other than this essential covenant is us playing Satan's hand.
- Why does our fear of the end of one thing outweigh the anticipated beginning of another. We read this passage and are drawn to all the dreadful things man will bring upon himself once left unchecked, the oh no what am I going to do, instead of the holding to the mention of The One - the Son of man coming on clouds of power and glory not realizing the smile and gleeful tears it will bring to Abraham and Sarah's faces.
Further Resources:
Comment Board:Mark:13:1-31
index:FAITHOFJESUSDEVOTION - Devotional Index
strkjv@Mark:13:1-31 rwp@Mark:13:1-31 mhcc@Mark:13:1-31
FaithOfJesus2 - Devotion Index
![[pBiblx2]](/img/pbiblx2_logo3.png){kind=logo}