Bible Study Materials

Mark 13:1-25 (2009)

by Paul Choi   06/24/2009  

Message


PREACH THE GOSPEL IN THE WORLD

Mark 13:1-25

Key Verse: 13:10  “And the gospel must first be preached to all nations.”

  In these days people are very concerned about the future of the earth. They become anxious and fearful when thinking about horrible apocalyptic catastrophes such as the collapse of the Twin Towers in New York, the Indian Ocean tsunami, Hurricane Katrina, the disastrous earthquakes in China and so on. Last week, I watched two shocking documentary films; one is called “Tsunami”, the other “An Inconvenient Truth.”  The tsunami which hit the coasts of the Indian Ocean on December 26, 2004 killed more than 350,000 people in Indonesia, Thailand, India, Bangladesh, and even on the east coast of Africa. In the film “Tsunami”, sea waves around 30 feet high struck houses, buildings, and villages and devastated even whole islands. The numerous children who lost their parents were crying and wandering in hunger and in fear. I was shocked by the fact that huge numbers of human lives were ended in a second by a single natural incident.

  The movie “An Inconvenient Truth” is a story about ‘global warming’.  It was made by Al Gore, who is the former Vice President of the United States and a environmentalist. According to his report, within 50 years, because of an increase in CO2 concentration, the temperature of the earth climate will go up to 122 F (50 C). As the result, all the ice on this earth will melt away and numerous cities and countries will disappear under the water including Beijing in China, the Netherlands, and most of the cities in California. Several years ago, I had a chance to see Greenland in the plane on the way home from Moscow, Russia. From over 30,000 feet high the picture of Greenland in my sight was, surprisingly, quite different from that on a world map. Most parts of the coast of Greenland were not covered with ice, but appeared as land because of global warming. Imagine the future of this earth 50 years from now if the worries of the environmentalists come true. All lives on this earth might disappear in our children’s generation. Is this not scary? So people see the future of the world as pessimistic and fatalistic.

  In this horrible situation, we Christians question how to see the world and how to appreciate the future of this earth. What should we do and how should we prepare for the future? In today’s passage, Jesus answers his disciples who questioned him about the signs of the end of the age. Let’s see how Jesus answered and what we should do at the end of the age to come.

Part 1, the beginning of birth pains (1-8). Look at verse 1. “As he was leaving the temple, one of his disciples said to him, “Look, Teacher! What massive stones! What magnificent buildings!” Jesus’ disciples were fascinated by the beauty and the magnificence of the temple in Jerusalem.  At that time, the temple was built with enormous white marble stones and decorated with pure gold. There was a saying, “Whatever was not overlaid with gold was purest white.” The dimensions of the temple were 90 feet deep, 150 feet high and 150 feet wide. It was a building about 15 stories high. To the eyes of the disciples who were from Galilee, the scene of the temple was spectacular and overwhelming.

  How did Jesus reply to them and how did he see the temple? Look at verse 2. “Do you see all these great buildings?” replied Jesus. “Not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down.” Jesus predicted the complete demolition of the temple. Literally it came true when the Roman army under Titus invaded Jerusalem and burned the temple in AD 70. At that time, the massive stones were pried completely apart by the Roman soldiers who wanted to collect the gold that melted from the roof when the temple was set on fire. Allegorically speaking, Jesus’ prediction of the temple was that of destruction of human culture and civilization. As the magnificent temple was gone, the splendor of human civilization and culture would perish and leave only stones and the dust on the ground.

  Look at verses 3,4. “As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter, James, John and Andrew asked him privately, “Tell us, when will these things happen? And what will be the sign that they are all about to be fulfilled?” Now Jesus’ disciples were surprised again by Jesus’ prediction of the temple’s destruction. They wondered how such a magnificent and holy temple could be destroyed and when. At that time, people believed that the day of destruction of the temple was the day of the end of the age. Jesus’ disciples were eager to know about the signs of the end of the age.

What did Jesus say about the signs of the end of the age? First, the appearance of false messiahs. Look at verses 5,6. “Jesus said to them: “Watch out that no one deceives you. Many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am he,’ and will deceive many.” The more people become anxious and fearful, the more false messiahs and false prophets appear and deceive people, saying that they are the Savior of the world. Sun Myung Moon the founder of Unification Church, Jim Jones who led 983 followers to commit massive suicide in Jonestown in 1978, and David Koresh in Waco Texas, are false messiahs in this generation. Not only religions but also ideologies and doctrines may become false messiahs who have deceived people. They are communism, capitalism, hedonism, mammonism, and so on. These days in the era of post-modernism, so-called plural relativism deceives young generations. This relativism denies the absoluteness of truth and denies all existing moral and human values. 

Second, the occurrence of wars and natural disasters.  Look at verses7,8. “When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places, and famines. These are the beginning of birth pains.” Through the last two world wars, more than ten million people lost their lives. After these two deadly wars, this world faced the Korean War, the Vietnam War, wars in the Middle East, wars in Iraq, and finally a war against the invisible enemies, the war against terrorism. Even this hour while I deliver this message, numerous innocent lives are killed in the wars around the world. Nation rises against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.

A year ago, on May 12, 2008 a strong earthquake hit Shichuan China and killed more than 68,000 people and injured many more. It was the second deadliest earthquake in 20th century in China other than the Tangshan earthquake which killed more than 285,000 Chinese people in 1976. Since the 20th century began, the earthquakes have occurred more frequently and in more place around the world. In 1994, my family also experienced the horrible earthquake in Northridge Los Angeles. At that time, my apartment was at the epicenter of the earthquake. For the first time of my life, I tasted the moment of death.

Famine is a widespread shortage of food caused by drought, crop failure, wars, epidemic diseases and so on. According to statistics, more than 70 million across the world died from famines during the 20th century. Even today famines in Africa, in China, in North Korea, and in other parts of this earth continue to take away numerous lives of infants, children and women through malnutrition, starvation and epidemic diseases.

 St. Matthew and St. Mark did not mention about pestilence, but St. Luke, who was a medical doctor, added pestilence to the signs of the end of the age.(Lk 21:11) It is reported that in the year of 2005, more than 2.8 million died of AIDS around the world, 2.0 million in Africa only. AIDS spreads rapidly around the world as one of the most destructive epidemic diseases in the age of the new millennium. Not long after confronting the peril of Asian bird flu, this year many people died of swine flu. Whenever new flu epidemics appear, people in this world became anxious, fearful and angry. As Jesus had predicted, the size and speed of these natural disasters and wars has increased rapidly and widely. So the view of people is mostly pessimistic. These days global warming and nuclear wars are monstrous threats to human life.

Then, how did Jesus see all these signs of the ages? Did he become anxious and pessimistic? Not at all! Please read the last part of verse 8. “…These are the beginning of birth pains.” Jesus saw all these signs of the end of the age as the beginning of birth pains. Generally a pregnant woman has to go through the most extreme pain which she has ever experienced when she delivers a baby. But, after delivering the baby, her pain turns into unutterable joy. She completely forgets birth pains the moment she holds her newborn baby at her bosom. In the same way, all these catastrophic wars, diseases, and natural disasters are nothing but birth pains to Christians. As a pregnant woman endures birth pains while expecting her newborn baby, so we Christians endure all hardships and sufferings by expecting a new life, a new world, and a new heaven when Jesus comes again to this world.

Just before the second coming of Jesus, persecutions on Christians will be severe. Look at verse 9. “You must be on your guard. You will be handed over to the local councils, and flogged in the synagogues. On account of me you will stand before governors and kings as witnesses.” Look at verse 12. “Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child. Children will rebel against their parents and have them put to death…” It is reported that numerous Christians are still being persecuted and murdered by the Muslims in Indonesia, in the Middle East, and in other Muslim countries. Even in America many Christians suffer from peer pressure, discrimination, and persecution in an unbelieving atmosphere through ungodly people. Then, what did Jesus ask Christians to do in the end of the age? 

Part 2, the gospel must first be preached to all nations. (10) Let us read verse 10 all together. “And the gospel must first be preached to all nations.” Jesus urged us to preach the gospel to all nations as of the first importance. Jesus wanted us to put the future of this earth into God’s hands and encouraged us to preach the good news of Jesus Christ to all peoples of all nations.  What is, then, the gospel? The gospel is the good news of Jesus Christ, who died for our sins and rose again from the dead for eternal life in the kingdom of God. At the initial stage of his ministry, Jesus preached the good news saying, “The time has come. The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!” (Mk 1:15) This world is filled with bad news, discouraging reports and dreadful stories. But, there is the good news of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. The good news is written in John 3:16 which says, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” People expect quick economic recovery, better health care, a better environment, a decrease in crime and terror and so on. However, to their dismay the situation of the world is getting worse and history seems to be going nowhere. But, according to the Bible, history is going toward to the second coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. So the view of Christians to see the world is optimistic. There is no hope on this earth without Jesus. There is no solution without the help of God.  Once, Jesus answered to those who were seeking for the way. He said, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (Jn 14:6) Jesus is the way for world salvation. Jesus is the way to enter the kingdom of God, our eternal dwelling place. Jesus is the way for sinners to restore paradise on this earth. Many people think that America is their promised land. But, America is not a paradise to their dismay. After experiencing the horrible Northridge earthquake, my family moved to Chicago, the earthquake-free zone. But, in Chicago we confronted severe coldness and much snow in wintertime. Then we moved to St. Louis. In St. Louis we suffer from threat of tornadoes and floods. There is no safe place on this earth. We have a hope only in the kingdom of God. Amen.

In the end of the age, what else did Jesus ask the believers to do? Jesus urged us to be on our guard. Look at verse 9a. “You must be on your guard…” Verse 23 continues, “So be on your guard; I have told you everything ahead of time.”  The words, “Be on your guard” means “You must watch and pray.” The believers must watch and pray not to be deceived by false messiahs. We must watch and pray in order to endure all persecutions. We must stand firm on gospel faith in the midst of wars, natural disasters, and global warming.  Jesus promised in verse 7. “Such things must happen, but the end is still to come.” He meant that he would protect Christians absolutely even in the middle of the catastrophes. Jesus promised that the end of the earth would not come until the gospel of Jesus Christ be preached to all nations.  Jesus also promised to protect the believers in verse 20. Let us read verse 20. “If the Lord had not cut short those days, no one would survive. But for the sake of the elect, whom he has chosen, he has shortened them.”  Who are the elect? You are the elect if you repent and accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior. Amen.

In today’s passage we learned the urgency and priority of preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ. The gospel must first be preached to all nations. Then, Jesus will come again to save his people. In the movie, ‘An Inconvenient Truth,’ Al Gore traveled around the world and gave more than 1,000 lectures in order to warn people about the seriousness of global warming. We, Christians , should work harder than Al Gore. We must warn them the seriousness of sin and teach them the importance of salvation through Bible study. We must preach the good news of Jesus Christ and bring them to church to worship him. May Jesus come again soon. Amen.


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