No-one knows when the Lord Jesus will return, but He tells us some of the events that will occur when He does.
Mark 13: Jesus Foretells Destruction of the Temple
1 And as he came out of the temple, one of his disciples said to him, "Look, Teacher, what wonderful stones and what wonderful buildings!"
2 And Jesus said to him, "Do you see these great buildings? There will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down."
Signs of the Close of the Age
3 And as he sat on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter and James and John and Andrew asked him privately,
4 "Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign when all these things are about to be accomplished?"
5 And Jesus began to say to them, "See that no one leads you astray.
6 Many will come in my name, saying, 'I am he!' and they will lead many astray.
7 And when you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed. This must take place, but the end is not yet.
8 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places; there will be famines. These are but the beginning of the birth pains.
9 "But be on your guard. For they will deliver you over to councils, and you will be beaten in synagogues, and you will stand before governors and kings for my sake, to bear witness before them.
10 And the gospel must first be proclaimed to all nations.
11 And when they bring you to trial and deliver you over, do not be anxious beforehand what you are to say, but say whatever is given you in that hour, for it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit.
12 And brother will deliver brother over to death, and the father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death.
13 And you will be hated by all for my name's sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.
The Abomination of Desolation
14 "But when you see the abomination of desolation standing where he ought not to be (let the reader understand), then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.
15 Let the one who is on the housetop not go down, nor enter his house, to take anything out,
16 and let the one who is in the field not turn back to take his cloak.
17 And alas for women who are pregnant and for those who are nursing infants in those days!
18 Pray that it may not happen in winter.
19 For in those days there will be such tribulation as has not been from the beginning of the creation that God created until now, and never will be.
20 And if the Lord had not cut short the days, no human being would be saved. But for the sake of the elect, whom he chose, he shortened the days.
21 And then if anyone says to you, 'Look, here is the Christ!' or 'Look, there he is!' do not believe it.
22 For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform signs and wonders, to lead astray, if possible, the elect.
23 But be on guard; I have told you all things beforehand.
The Coming of the Son of Man
24 "But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light,
25 and the stars will be falling from heaven, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken.
26 And then they will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory.
27 And then he will send out the angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven.
The Lesson of the Fig Tree
28 "From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts out its leaves, you know that summer is near.
29 So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that he is near, at the very gates.
30 Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place.
31 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.
No One Knows That Day or Hour
32 "But concerning that day or that hour, no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.
33 Be on guard, keep awake. For you do not know when the time will come.
34 It is like a man going on a journey, when he leaves home and puts his servants in charge, each with his work, and commands the doorkeeper to stay awake.
35 Therefore stay awake---for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or in the morning---
36 lest he come suddenly and find you asleep.
37 And what I say to you I say to all: Stay awake."
Things to think about…
1. In Mark 13:4 there are actually two questions that the disciples ask Jesus. The first is when the temple (which was standing at the time of writing) would be destroyed and the second is when Jesus would come back. Matt 24:2 confirms that the disciples not only asked about the immediate temple but also about Christ’s return. Jesus confirms not one stone would be upon another – which literally happened at the conquest of Titus and the Roman army in AD70. A good marker to verify that this passage refers to Christ’s return is vs 10 – the gospel must first be proclaimed to all nations. This has not happened yet. There are still many people groups who have not heard the gospel. Wycliffe Bible Translators record that there are about 2000 languages without the gospel. These languages will at least have the gospel of John by 2025.The Joshua Project believe just over 40% of the world’s population are still unreached http://www.joshuaproject.net/great-commission-statistics.php . The same site records Australia as having 15% as unreached. You can decide whether this stat is accurate, but it does say we still have a huge task ahead of us with unsaved family, friends, workmates and neighbours.
2. In Mark 13:14-23 Jesus speaks about the ‘Abomination of Desolation’ spoken of by the prophet Daniel. The Apostle Paul also speaks of the antichrist or man of lawlessness standing in the temple proclaiming himself to be Christ, 2Thess 2:2-4 – just as Jesus says will occur in this passage in Mark 13:21, 22. It cannot refer to AD70 because this first temple was destroyed. There will be another temple built where the antichrist will proclaim himself to be the Messiah – this is, ‘the abomination that causes desolation’, vs 14. At this point the Jewish people will wake up to the fact that they have believed in a false messiah. Zechariah calls him a worthless shepherd, Zech 11:17.
3. There has been much debate about what ‘this generation’ means in Mark 13:30. It cannot mean those who were standing there at the time or even those who would live until AD70 because the context is when He returns with is angels to gather in the elect, Mark 13:24-27. My understanding is that it refers to the Jewish people – those who have a significant tie to the land of Israel. The original Greek in which the gospel of Mark was written allows for this interpretation as well.These are the ones who will accept the false Messiah and afterward many will realise they have worshiped a false god and many will repent and seek after Christ fulfilling Paul’s words more fully in Rom 11:26. More specifically others make a good case that it refers to the taking of Jerusalem again in 1967. This final generation will not pass away. If true, the time is short.
4. Even though we will know the season of Christ’s return, just like we can observe the season of a fig tree, Mark 13:28, 29, no-one will know the hour and the day of Christ’s return. We are simply exhorted to ‘stay awake’, vs 37. Making sure that we are in the faith and doing our Lord’s work is part of this staying awake.
Vision statement for CBC
CBC’s Vision :- To be a growing biblical church community, significantly influencing our city and beyond, through intentional outreach, fulfilling our mission.
Sermon:-“Dealing with demons” – Mark 5
a. Discuss Sunday’s sermon and your understanding of Satan’s work in the life of believers and his influence in the world.
b. What should our response be to these situations?
c. How do we use the influence of Satan in sharing the gospel with unbelievers?
d. Pray for our witness with our friends, workmates, family and neighbours who are outside of Christ.
Prayer Points
1. That we be bold in our witnessing for Christ. Pray for a heart to see those around you saved..
2. Pray for Kids@church and our Youth group.
3. Pray for Chuwar Youth and Jarrod’s ministry. Pray as he meets with youth at Westside, this week as well as the growing young adults ministry.
4. How you can serve in ministry this year.
5. Growth, conversions, joy in the Word and Spirit to remain and increase.
Praise Points
1. More visitors on Sunday – Pray this continues and they get involved in the life of the church.
2. Young adults ministry is growing – keep praying as Jarrod develops this ministry.
3. Kids@Church and Youth ministries are a great blessing. Pray for Rosie and Jarrod as they start out for term 2.
4. Joy, peace and grace we see at CBC. Thankyou Lord
Announcements
1. Chuwar Youth and Kids@Church have started back.
2. Mother’s Day High Tea. Sat 10am Church. Speaker and pampering, 13th May RSVP Suzanne 1/5/2023. Ph:- 0418 889 683.
3. Remember to check your duty rosters for term 2.
4. Church bank details bsb:- 704 913 and Acc number:- 4000 4388 1
5. Tune in again this week on our youtube page. Subscribe to the CBC channel Chuwar Baptist YouTube channel.
Catechism questions for April...
Q. 7. In how many persons does this one God exist? A. In three persons.
