The Sign of the Times! - Mark 13:21-30
The Sign of the Times! - Mark 13:21-30
By Pastor Lee Hemen
January 23, 2011 AM
We have a tendency to think that what happens to us personally should affect everyone else. And while some of the decisions we make can affect a whole lot of folks, compared to the rest of the city you live in, the State you occupy, or where you reside nationally – what you do affects relatively few folks. That is, until you do something so stupid that you garner the media’s attention and gain 15 minutes of fame. However, the Christian is supposed to impact those around them in a good way. Believers are commanded to make a difference in the lives of those they come in contact with. Sadly, too few do. Far too many of us have come to think that it is simply the sign of the times.
The sign of the times can be good or bad depending upon what it depicts or exposes. It can be good if it shows discoveries that benefit society. They can be bad if they are the result of society going haywire. Too many people watch for the sign of the times without really doing anything about what they are observing. The Five Man Electric Band made famous the lyrics, “Sign Sign everywhere a sign, blocking out the scenery breaking my mind! Do this, don’t do that, can’t you read the sign?” Jesus related to his disciples that they were to “read the signs” so-to-speak and understand what was going to happen. Let’s discover what Jesus meant by the sign of the times…
READ: Mark 13:21-30
After Jesus returned to the right hand of God the Father in heaven, those he left behind would need to be aware of approaching danger. Danger so great, that they would need to watch for the sign of the times. Jesus knew that during times of great national stress or worldwide crisis, there are those who try to use the ensuing chaos to further their own agenda. Jesus therefore warns the disciples to watch for…
I. The sign of false Messiahs and prophets! (Vv. 21-23)
1. “Make no mistake, the temple will stand again upon the Temple Mount!” – John Hagee. If it does, it will be paganism pure and simple because Jesus is the final sacrifice. In this section of Mark several ideas are put forth by theologians: 1) Some say Jesus is referencing his death and the aftermath that would occur, 2) some say Jesus is referencing the destruction of Jerusalem, the chaos that did indeed happened, and finally some think 3) that Jesus was only referring to his ultimate return. Jesus may have been referencing all three. However, his main focus is on events that will transpire shortly during the destruction of the temple. Jesus told them “everything ahead of time” because he wanted them to be on their “guard” against “false Christs and false prophets.” These perverts of the gospel would “appear and perform signs and miracles to deceive the elect—if that were possible.” In fact many would evidently be fooled, so if anyone said to them, “Look, here is the Christ!” or, “Look, there he is!” they were not to “believe it.” We know about several false teachers who claimed Messiahship and were killed by the Romans during the rebellion that occurred before Jerusalem fell. Gamaliel, Paul’s mentor, mentions a Theudas who claimed “to be somebody, and about four hundred men rallied to him. He was killed, all his followers were dispersed, and it all came to nothing. After him, Judas the Galilean appeared in the days of the census and led a band of people in revolt. He too was killed, and all his followers were scattered.” (Acts 5:36-37 NIV) Eusebius, an early 2nd century church leader and historian recorded the words of Justin describing a Simon in one of the earliest defenses of Christianity that “after the ascension of our Lord… Simon… performed many magic rites… was considered a god, in your imperial city Rome and was honored by you with a statue as a god… with the superscription in Latin, Simoni Deo Sancto, which is, To Simon the Holy God.” He goes on to tell how early Samaritans and others worshiped him “as the Supreme God.” Josephus, the First Century historian, related that there were so many impostors preying on the gullibility of the people that under the procuratorship of Felix, “many of them were apprehended and killed every day.” He writes that “They seduced great numbers of the people still expecting the Messiah…” and the false prophets that Jesus had “cautioned his disciples about.”
EXAMPLE: There are always those who claim to either know the thoughts of God or who think they speak for God. Charles King began as a newscaster in New York. One evening after running out of news, leaving fifteen minutes of dead airtime, he decided to tell viewers what would happen the next day. He filled the void with a myriad of entertaining adlibs. Everyone enjoyed it so much he was given a small segment each night following the newscasts so he could make a few impromptu and eccentric predictions. It was all done as a lighthearted joke until one night he accidentally predicted a local politician’s death. The public was astounded and the newscaster Charles King became the “Amazing Criswell.” He left the news gig and became one of the most celebrated psychics of his day, even appearing on the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. None of the rest of his prophecies ever came true, but it did not stop him from making them and people believing him. Marcion of Sinope, Joseph Smith, Edgar Cayce, Charles Taze Russell, Ellen G. White, Mary Baker Eddy, David Koresh, Bo and Peep, Tim LaHaye, Dave Hunt or a Constance Cumbey have either made end time predictions or thought they were God’s spokesman. And they have all been proven false prophets! These kinds of people existed in Jesus’ day as well and used the times they lived in to gain acceptance and popularity. The sign of false messiahs and prophets is still with us.
How can we be sure when Jesus will return? The truth is we cannot be sure. However we are to watch and be ready for his return at any time. When would the temple be destroyed? What would occur and what about the Messiah? The inquiring minds of the disciples wanted to know. Jesus tells his followers to watch for…
II. The heavenly sign of God’s power! (Vv. 24-27)
1. “The signs strongly indicate that the end of the world will be begin no later than 1988!” – Hal Lindsey. The signs of the times mentioned by Jesus in Mark are often seen as the end of the world, but he did not mean them to be taken that way. Again we find Jesus using terminology that his listeners would immediately understand. In fact most teaching by the early church concerning these verses saw Jesus as referring to the nation of Israel, its leadership, and its subjugation. Using the same kind of language the author of Judges describes the conflicts of the confederacy of Canaanite city-states under Jabin of Hazor by stating, “From the heavens the stars fought, from their courses they fought against Sisera.” (Judges 5:20 NIV) Joseph’s family becomes angered at him after he relates to them his dream of his parents and brothers all bowing down to him, “I had another dream, and this time the sun and moon and eleven stars were bowing down to me.” (Genesis 37:9-11) Later, the Book of Revelation uses the same kind imagery to relate the nation Israel and the birth of Jesus, the Messiah, “A great and wondrous sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars on her head. She was pregnant and cried out in pain as she was about to give birth.” (Revelation 12:1-2 NIV) So when Jesus tells his disciples, “But in those days, following that distress, ‘the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.’”(Mark 13:24-25 NIV) he is echoing Isaiah’s words concerning God’s judgment of Israel by the Assyrians, “The stars of heaven and their constellations will not show their light. The rising sun will be darkened and the moon will not give its light” (Isaiah 13:10 NIV) and Joel, “I will show wonders in the heavens and on the earth, blood and fire and billows of smoke. The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD” (Joel 2:30-31 NIV), by the Babylonians. Israel’s destruction by the Romans would be just a cataclysmic to the Jews of Jesus’ day. In relating, “At that time men will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. And he will send his angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of the heavens.” Jesus is reminding them of the promise of God to bring all nations under the banner of his chosen One. (Daniel 7:13-14) Jesus was reminding them of the heavenly sign of God’s power!
EXAMPLE: How sad that so many people put so much emphasis on the awful things that might happen before Jesus returns, rather than focusing on the steadfastness of the Lord. The words of Hebrews remind us that “we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our ‘God is a consuming fire.’” (Hebrews 12:28-29) Jesus was not consumed about what may or may not happen several thousands of years later but rather in what was going to occur with a few short decades following his ascension. Amos’ warning should remind us that we should not long for the day when God judges this world, “Woe to you who long for the day of the LORD! Why do you long for the day of the LORD? That day will be darkness, not light.” (Amos 5:18 NIV) Paul reminds us that our salvation in Christ is an “incomparably great power for us who believe.” He continues by stating, “That power is like the working of his mighty strength, which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come.” (Ephesians 1:19-21 NIV) The day of the Lord would be the heavenly sign of God’s power.
We would all like to know when something awful was about to occur in our lives. Some say that if you watch animals their actions can sense if an earthquake is going to happen. But what actions tell us exactly and are there ones that tell us where it will happen? Sadly, just as we cannot look to animals to tell us when something is going to happen or where, we cannot depend on people and their plethora of predictions and charts either concerning Jesus' return. Curiously Jesus states that we need to watch for…
III. The sign of “the fig tree”! (Vv. 28-30)
1. “From my understanding of biblical prophecies, I’m convinced that the Lord is coming for His Church before the end of 1981!” – Chuck Smith. The disciples’ first question (Mark 13:4) was, “When will these things happen?” Jesus tells them, “Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near.” Interestingly, in the parallel passage of Luke he said, “Look at the fig tree and all the trees.” So he is not referring to Israel here as he did in cursing the fig tree earlier (Mark 11:14) It would have been natural for Jesus to use the analogy of the fig tree since they were meeting together on the Mt. of Olives where there were dozens of trees growing! Before Jesus entered the temple area, drove out the moneychangers, and after he is rebuked by the Pharisees in the crowd as he was entering Jerusalem, he states that, “If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace--but now it is hidden from your eyes. The days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment against you and encircle you and hem you in on every side. They will dash you to the ground, you and the children within your walls. They will not leave one stone on another, because you did not recognize the time of God's coming to you.” (Luke 19:42-44 NIV) And here as they sit in the garden he looks up and tells his followers that the sign when these things would occur. “Now learn this lesson from the fig tree,” he tells them, “As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near.” And just as trees give off new leaves in the spring, “Even so, when you see these things happening, you know that it is near, right at the door.” Jesus also gives the timing. He states, “I tell you the truth, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened.” When would all of what he had just told them would occur? Within the generation of the disciples. In fact, Jesus emphatically reminds them, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.” It was going to happen and it would happen soon. They were warned, they were given his answer, and it was all he could do at the time. If they remained alert and aware of the sign of “the fig tree” they would see it happen soon.
EXAMPLE: According to the ancient philosopher Aristotle, “Nature abhors a vacuum.” Aristotle based his conclusion on the observation that nature requires every space to be filled with something, even if that something is colorless, odorless air. This insight can be applied to our theology as well, especially where end time predictions are concerned. Far too many have hitched their millennial wagon to a faulty set of manmade precepts instead of the Word of God. And the space has been filled with nothing of consequence. We would do well in reminding ourselves of how Jesus finishes his answer to the disciples. (We will go deeper into what he meant next week.) Jesus looks at them and succinctly tells them a wonderful spiritual truth that we all need to hitch our theological horses to, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.” Jesus’ words, his teachings stand the test of time and outlive any end time prognosticators. He will return when God sends him again. Believers need to be ready and watch for the sign of “the fig tree.”
Conclusion:
In today’s passage we discovered the sign of the times. Jesus tells us about several: 1) The sign of false Messiahs and prophets! 2) The heavenly sign of God’s power! And, 3) the sign of “the fig tree”!
----
Pastor Lee Hemen has been the outspoken pastor of the same church for 25 years in Vancouver, WA. He writes regularly on spirituality and conservative causes and maintains several web blogs. This article is copyrighted © 2011 by Lee Hemen and is the sole property of Lee Hemen, and may not be used unless you quote the entire article and have my permission.
By Pastor Lee Hemen
January 23, 2011 AM
We have a tendency to think that what happens to us personally should affect everyone else. And while some of the decisions we make can affect a whole lot of folks, compared to the rest of the city you live in, the State you occupy, or where you reside nationally – what you do affects relatively few folks. That is, until you do something so stupid that you garner the media’s attention and gain 15 minutes of fame. However, the Christian is supposed to impact those around them in a good way. Believers are commanded to make a difference in the lives of those they come in contact with. Sadly, too few do. Far too many of us have come to think that it is simply the sign of the times.
The sign of the times can be good or bad depending upon what it depicts or exposes. It can be good if it shows discoveries that benefit society. They can be bad if they are the result of society going haywire. Too many people watch for the sign of the times without really doing anything about what they are observing. The Five Man Electric Band made famous the lyrics, “Sign Sign everywhere a sign, blocking out the scenery breaking my mind! Do this, don’t do that, can’t you read the sign?” Jesus related to his disciples that they were to “read the signs” so-to-speak and understand what was going to happen. Let’s discover what Jesus meant by the sign of the times…
READ: Mark 13:21-30
After Jesus returned to the right hand of God the Father in heaven, those he left behind would need to be aware of approaching danger. Danger so great, that they would need to watch for the sign of the times. Jesus knew that during times of great national stress or worldwide crisis, there are those who try to use the ensuing chaos to further their own agenda. Jesus therefore warns the disciples to watch for…
I. The sign of false Messiahs and prophets! (Vv. 21-23)
1. “Make no mistake, the temple will stand again upon the Temple Mount!” – John Hagee. If it does, it will be paganism pure and simple because Jesus is the final sacrifice. In this section of Mark several ideas are put forth by theologians: 1) Some say Jesus is referencing his death and the aftermath that would occur, 2) some say Jesus is referencing the destruction of Jerusalem, the chaos that did indeed happened, and finally some think 3) that Jesus was only referring to his ultimate return. Jesus may have been referencing all three. However, his main focus is on events that will transpire shortly during the destruction of the temple. Jesus told them “everything ahead of time” because he wanted them to be on their “guard” against “false Christs and false prophets.” These perverts of the gospel would “appear and perform signs and miracles to deceive the elect—if that were possible.” In fact many would evidently be fooled, so if anyone said to them, “Look, here is the Christ!” or, “Look, there he is!” they were not to “believe it.” We know about several false teachers who claimed Messiahship and were killed by the Romans during the rebellion that occurred before Jerusalem fell. Gamaliel, Paul’s mentor, mentions a Theudas who claimed “to be somebody, and about four hundred men rallied to him. He was killed, all his followers were dispersed, and it all came to nothing. After him, Judas the Galilean appeared in the days of the census and led a band of people in revolt. He too was killed, and all his followers were scattered.” (Acts 5:36-37 NIV) Eusebius, an early 2nd century church leader and historian recorded the words of Justin describing a Simon in one of the earliest defenses of Christianity that “after the ascension of our Lord… Simon… performed many magic rites… was considered a god, in your imperial city Rome and was honored by you with a statue as a god… with the superscription in Latin, Simoni Deo Sancto, which is, To Simon the Holy God.” He goes on to tell how early Samaritans and others worshiped him “as the Supreme God.” Josephus, the First Century historian, related that there were so many impostors preying on the gullibility of the people that under the procuratorship of Felix, “many of them were apprehended and killed every day.” He writes that “They seduced great numbers of the people still expecting the Messiah…” and the false prophets that Jesus had “cautioned his disciples about.”
EXAMPLE: There are always those who claim to either know the thoughts of God or who think they speak for God. Charles King began as a newscaster in New York. One evening after running out of news, leaving fifteen minutes of dead airtime, he decided to tell viewers what would happen the next day. He filled the void with a myriad of entertaining adlibs. Everyone enjoyed it so much he was given a small segment each night following the newscasts so he could make a few impromptu and eccentric predictions. It was all done as a lighthearted joke until one night he accidentally predicted a local politician’s death. The public was astounded and the newscaster Charles King became the “Amazing Criswell.” He left the news gig and became one of the most celebrated psychics of his day, even appearing on the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. None of the rest of his prophecies ever came true, but it did not stop him from making them and people believing him. Marcion of Sinope, Joseph Smith, Edgar Cayce, Charles Taze Russell, Ellen G. White, Mary Baker Eddy, David Koresh, Bo and Peep, Tim LaHaye, Dave Hunt or a Constance Cumbey have either made end time predictions or thought they were God’s spokesman. And they have all been proven false prophets! These kinds of people existed in Jesus’ day as well and used the times they lived in to gain acceptance and popularity. The sign of false messiahs and prophets is still with us.
How can we be sure when Jesus will return? The truth is we cannot be sure. However we are to watch and be ready for his return at any time. When would the temple be destroyed? What would occur and what about the Messiah? The inquiring minds of the disciples wanted to know. Jesus tells his followers to watch for…
II. The heavenly sign of God’s power! (Vv. 24-27)
1. “The signs strongly indicate that the end of the world will be begin no later than 1988!” – Hal Lindsey. The signs of the times mentioned by Jesus in Mark are often seen as the end of the world, but he did not mean them to be taken that way. Again we find Jesus using terminology that his listeners would immediately understand. In fact most teaching by the early church concerning these verses saw Jesus as referring to the nation of Israel, its leadership, and its subjugation. Using the same kind of language the author of Judges describes the conflicts of the confederacy of Canaanite city-states under Jabin of Hazor by stating, “From the heavens the stars fought, from their courses they fought against Sisera.” (Judges 5:20 NIV) Joseph’s family becomes angered at him after he relates to them his dream of his parents and brothers all bowing down to him, “I had another dream, and this time the sun and moon and eleven stars were bowing down to me.” (Genesis 37:9-11) Later, the Book of Revelation uses the same kind imagery to relate the nation Israel and the birth of Jesus, the Messiah, “A great and wondrous sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars on her head. She was pregnant and cried out in pain as she was about to give birth.” (Revelation 12:1-2 NIV) So when Jesus tells his disciples, “But in those days, following that distress, ‘the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.’”(Mark 13:24-25 NIV) he is echoing Isaiah’s words concerning God’s judgment of Israel by the Assyrians, “The stars of heaven and their constellations will not show their light. The rising sun will be darkened and the moon will not give its light” (Isaiah 13:10 NIV) and Joel, “I will show wonders in the heavens and on the earth, blood and fire and billows of smoke. The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD” (Joel 2:30-31 NIV), by the Babylonians. Israel’s destruction by the Romans would be just a cataclysmic to the Jews of Jesus’ day. In relating, “At that time men will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. And he will send his angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of the heavens.” Jesus is reminding them of the promise of God to bring all nations under the banner of his chosen One. (Daniel 7:13-14) Jesus was reminding them of the heavenly sign of God’s power!
EXAMPLE: How sad that so many people put so much emphasis on the awful things that might happen before Jesus returns, rather than focusing on the steadfastness of the Lord. The words of Hebrews remind us that “we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our ‘God is a consuming fire.’” (Hebrews 12:28-29) Jesus was not consumed about what may or may not happen several thousands of years later but rather in what was going to occur with a few short decades following his ascension. Amos’ warning should remind us that we should not long for the day when God judges this world, “Woe to you who long for the day of the LORD! Why do you long for the day of the LORD? That day will be darkness, not light.” (Amos 5:18 NIV) Paul reminds us that our salvation in Christ is an “incomparably great power for us who believe.” He continues by stating, “That power is like the working of his mighty strength, which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come.” (Ephesians 1:19-21 NIV) The day of the Lord would be the heavenly sign of God’s power.
We would all like to know when something awful was about to occur in our lives. Some say that if you watch animals their actions can sense if an earthquake is going to happen. But what actions tell us exactly and are there ones that tell us where it will happen? Sadly, just as we cannot look to animals to tell us when something is going to happen or where, we cannot depend on people and their plethora of predictions and charts either concerning Jesus' return. Curiously Jesus states that we need to watch for…
III. The sign of “the fig tree”! (Vv. 28-30)
1. “From my understanding of biblical prophecies, I’m convinced that the Lord is coming for His Church before the end of 1981!” – Chuck Smith. The disciples’ first question (Mark 13:4) was, “When will these things happen?” Jesus tells them, “Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near.” Interestingly, in the parallel passage of Luke he said, “Look at the fig tree and all the trees.” So he is not referring to Israel here as he did in cursing the fig tree earlier (Mark 11:14) It would have been natural for Jesus to use the analogy of the fig tree since they were meeting together on the Mt. of Olives where there were dozens of trees growing! Before Jesus entered the temple area, drove out the moneychangers, and after he is rebuked by the Pharisees in the crowd as he was entering Jerusalem, he states that, “If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace--but now it is hidden from your eyes. The days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment against you and encircle you and hem you in on every side. They will dash you to the ground, you and the children within your walls. They will not leave one stone on another, because you did not recognize the time of God's coming to you.” (Luke 19:42-44 NIV) And here as they sit in the garden he looks up and tells his followers that the sign when these things would occur. “Now learn this lesson from the fig tree,” he tells them, “As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near.” And just as trees give off new leaves in the spring, “Even so, when you see these things happening, you know that it is near, right at the door.” Jesus also gives the timing. He states, “I tell you the truth, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened.” When would all of what he had just told them would occur? Within the generation of the disciples. In fact, Jesus emphatically reminds them, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.” It was going to happen and it would happen soon. They were warned, they were given his answer, and it was all he could do at the time. If they remained alert and aware of the sign of “the fig tree” they would see it happen soon.
EXAMPLE: According to the ancient philosopher Aristotle, “Nature abhors a vacuum.” Aristotle based his conclusion on the observation that nature requires every space to be filled with something, even if that something is colorless, odorless air. This insight can be applied to our theology as well, especially where end time predictions are concerned. Far too many have hitched their millennial wagon to a faulty set of manmade precepts instead of the Word of God. And the space has been filled with nothing of consequence. We would do well in reminding ourselves of how Jesus finishes his answer to the disciples. (We will go deeper into what he meant next week.) Jesus looks at them and succinctly tells them a wonderful spiritual truth that we all need to hitch our theological horses to, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.” Jesus’ words, his teachings stand the test of time and outlive any end time prognosticators. He will return when God sends him again. Believers need to be ready and watch for the sign of “the fig tree.”
Conclusion:
In today’s passage we discovered the sign of the times. Jesus tells us about several: 1) The sign of false Messiahs and prophets! 2) The heavenly sign of God’s power! And, 3) the sign of “the fig tree”!
----
Pastor Lee Hemen has been the outspoken pastor of the same church for 25 years in Vancouver, WA. He writes regularly on spirituality and conservative causes and maintains several web blogs. This article is copyrighted © 2011 by Lee Hemen and is the sole property of Lee Hemen, and may not be used unless you quote the entire article and have my permission.
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