The End (Times), pt 2 (Mark 13:14-37) | 12/1/19
Mark 13:14-37 12/1/19 | Will DuVal
This morning is the FIRST Sunday of Advent - the 4 weeks in the church calendar leading up to Christmas - but it is our LAST Sunday in the Gospel of Mark. We have been studying through Mark together since MARCH, but this morning, we come to the End. This message is part 2 of our examination of Mark ch.13, specifically, which - although it is not the end of Mark’s gospel - because we covered chs.14-16 during LENT back in the spring, we will conclude OUR study here with chapter 13, which seems like a fitting ending to me: we end with the end TIMES. Jesus prophesies here, His second coming, at the end of history. And NOT ONLY does ch.13 make for a fitting ending to our study of Mark, but it actually makes for a fitting BEGINNING to our celebration of ADVENT as well. The Latin word adventus means “coming”, and traditionally the church has observed Advent as a season of hopeful, expectant waiting for the coming of the Lord, BOTH Jesus’ BIRTH 2,000 years ago, but ALSO his RETURN in the last days.
So let’s start with a quick recap of last week:
Mark 13 is often referred to as the “Olivet Discourse”, because this exchange between Jesus and his disciples takes place, we hear in v3, on the Mount of Olives, just outside of Jerusalem, on Wednesday of Holy Week, just 2 days before Jesus’ death.
I pointed out that ANY passage of Scripture, or theological doctrine, can basically be categorized into 1 of 4 tiers of centrality, biblically: there are CORE doctrines and passages, that point explicitly to the GOSPEL. The good news about Jesus – who he is and what he has done, to rescue sinners like you and me, and reconcile us back to a perfect, holy God. Then there are passages of CLEAR importance and clear interpretation, on which orthodox believers will agree. Then there are CONTESTED passages on which we’ll DIS-agree, not because they’re unimportant, but simply because the Bible is less than perfectly clear; it can be interpreted in multiple ways. And finally, the INCONSEQUENTIAL. Not super important. And THIS passage – Mark 13 – and this topic – eschatology, the study of the end times – fits SQUARELY within the CONTESTED circle.
I had a lengthier conversation this week with one of you, who self-identifies as a “partial preterist”. Partial preterists believe that MOST of Mark 13, and most of the Book of Revelation, refers to God’s judgment of the nation of Israel within one literal generation of Jesus’ lifetime, and thus, his prophecies here have already been fulfilled in the destruction of the Jewish Temple in the year AD 70. In contrast, I believe, for reasons I outlined last week, that only vv1-2 of Mark 13 foretell the destruction of the Temple, and that the REST of vv3-37 here prophesy a coming time of Great Tribulation, followed by Christ’s glorious RETURN, all PRECEDED by the Rapture of God’s elect into Heaven. So we agree to disagree. And I’m so thankful that West Hills is a church that majors on the majors and minors on the minors. A place where dispensationalists and partial preterists can worship side-by-side. Where those with the spiritual gift of speaking in tongues and cessationists who think those people are CRAZY can still love and respect one another and worship together. Where mature Christians who’ve walked with the Lord for longer than I’ve been ALIVE can worship alongside UN-believers, who are still just dipping a toe in the water, and checking out church for the first time – West Hills is TRULY a place where ALL are welcomed! We love you enough to welcome you no matter WHERE you’re at; AND we love you enough not to let you stay there. We want to PUSH you, challenge you, GROW you, in your pursuit of the Lord. And that means not just wading in the shallows week after week, but venturing together into the DEEP END. Passages like Mark 13.
So last week we covered vv1 and 2, the End of the Jewish Temple, and we spent MOST of our time in vv3-13, where Jesus prophesies the End of the PRESENT AGE. The Gospel of Matthew records the FULL question to which Jesus is responding here, from his disciples: ““Tell us, when will these things happen, and what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?”” (24:3) They want to know when Jesus is going to RETURN, this time not as a Suffering Servant on a CROSS, but as a CONQUERING KING on a white stallion. And in vv3-13, Jesus highlights for them some of the SIGNS of the End of the Age: vv5-6, false teachers, fake messiahs; vv7-8, an increase in WAR; v8: an uptick in natural disasters – earthquakes, famines; and ESPECIALLY, vv9-13: an escalation of PERSECUTION; true followers of Christ will be HATED by all, for Jesus’ name’s sake. ALL of this, he warns us in v8, is but the BEGINNING of the birth pains. Things are gonna get WAY worse, before they get WAY better. But take HEART, he comforts us, in v13: “the one who endures to the end will be saved”.
So let’s pick up right where we left off, in v14 of Mark ch.13, and read all the way to v37. Would you stand with me as you’re able - it’s a longer passage, but SO important; I’ll read from the ESV and you can follow along in your Bibles, or on the screen in front:
SCRIPTURE:
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.
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.
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.
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.[a] 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[b] 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,[c] 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.”” This is the word of the Lord... Let’s pray...
vv.14-23 describe the End of the TRIBULATION, and we begin in v14: “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.”
Now, this phrase “abomination of desolation” comes straight from the 6th c. BC OT book of Daniel, ch11, v31, where Daniel prophesied the desecration of the temple by the Seleucid ruler, Antiochus IV, almost 4 centuries later in the year 167 BC. But as commentator John MacArthur notes, “the desecration of the temple by Antiochus was only a foreshadowing of the Antichrist’s future perversion.” (926)
Now, who is the ANTICHRIST? All bad jokes and misguided speculations aside, the antichrist is NOT the pope, or Hitler, it’s not Barack Obama OR Donald Trump; no, the antichrist is a very specific, unique historical figure who is still yet to come in the end days, just after the Rapture of the saints, and just before Christ’s return, who will usher in the most SEVERE years of tribulation by his OWN “abomination of desolation”, as predicted elsewhere in Daniel, ch.9 v27 and ch12, v11, As well as in the NT: 1 Jn 2:18 but ESPECIALLY, 2 Thess 2:3-10; let’s read that passage: “[the day of the Lord] will not come, unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of lawlessness[b] is revealed, the son of destruction,[c] 4 who opposes and exalts himself against every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God... the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will kill with the breath of his mouth and bring to nothing by the appearance of his coming. 9 The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders, 10 and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved.”
So, MacArthur explains: “Whereas Antiochus erected an idol of Zeus in the temple, the final Antichrist will exalt himself as God and demand the worship of all people on earth. His blasphemous religion will be promoted by the ultimate false prophet, who will perform great miracles through Satan’s power in order to deceive the world.” (926) That’s all predicted in Revelation 13.
And right in the MIDDLE of prophesying this coming Antichrist, Jesus subtly drops in this parenthetical exhortation: “let the reader understand”. Why?
Well, for one thing, as I mentioned LAST week, I think Jesus knows we have a tendency to be LAZY, don’t we? It’s a lot easier to turn on the TV than read a book at the end of a long day, isn’t it? To order take out than to cook a healthier, more cost-effective meal on your own? And most of us are LAZY about our Bible study too. IF we study at all, there are PLENTY of easier passages of Scripture to try and wrap our heads around, than Mark 13. It’s not for the lazy. So I think Jesus’ exhortation here is, in part, intended to ENCOURAGE us to spend the time required to study and GRASP these complex but WEIGHTY truths concerning the end times. These are IMPORTANT matters, WORTHY of our time and attention. And God didn’t write his word to CONFUSE us; he WANTS us to understand.
But I think “let the reader understand” ALSO offers us a CLUE that Jesus’ words here in Mark 13 weren’t intended primarily for the 12 disciples, but rather, for much later believers who would need to discern the signs of the end times. The disciples weren’t READING this. Jesus didn’t say “let he who has EARS hear”; he’s speaking not to his LISTENERS, but to his later READERS; the Book of Revelation wasn’t even written by the apostle John until the turn of the 2nd c. AD. So this is apocalyptic, end-times stuff that Jesus is talking about here.
And what does he instruct those future readers to DO? In vv14-16, when the Antichrist props himself up as God in those last days? v14: “flee to the mountains”. Get out of town! Because according to the prophet Zechariah, only 1/3 of those left in Judea will survive the Antichrist’s persecution at that time (13:8-9).
vv15-16: it’s gonna be SO bad and happen SO QUICKLY that believers in the last days won’t even have time to run inside and grab a coat. That’s PART of the reason, v18, that they’re supposed to pray it doesn’t happen in WINTER.
v17: Good luck if you’re PREGNANT, or NURSING at that time, when the Antichrist begins his reign of terror. Because:
v.19: “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.”
This Tribulation had been prophesied all the way back in Daniel 12:1 “There shall be a time of trouble, such as never has been since there was a nation till that time. But at that time your people shall be delivered, everyone whose name shall be found written in the book.”
MacArthur exposits: “In Revelation chapters 6–16, the apostle John denotes the unparalleled horrors that will characterize the very end, as God’s wrath is poured out on the whole earth. The judgments that mark the latter half of the tribulation period include the following: a great earthquake will devastate the earth (Rev. 6:12–17); hail and fire will consume a third of earth’s vegetation (8:6–7); a third of the ocean will be turned to blood (8:8–9); a third of freshwater will be poisoned (8:10–11); a third of the sun, moon, and stars will be darkened (8:12); countless demons will be released from bondage to terrorize mankind (9:1–12); a third of earth’s population will be killed (9:13–21); another great earthquake will kill seven thousand people (11:13); incurable sores will cause people great pain (16:2); the entire sea will turn to blood and all sea creatures will die (16:3); the rivers will turn to blood (16:4); the earth will experience extreme heat (16:8–9); darkness will engulf the world (16:10–11); the Euphrates River will dry up (16:12); and a final, global earthquake will cause massive changes to earth’s appearance (16:17-21).” (930)
The siege of Jerusalem in 70 AD was bad, but not THAT bad. Not “worse than Noah’s flood” bad. Not end of the WORLD bad.
In fact, Jesus says in v20, it’s gonna be SO bad that “if the Lord had not cut short the days, no human being would be saved.” If God hadn’t pre-determined to allow this Tribulation to last for only 3 ½ years AFTER the abomination of desolation, before sending Christ to return and rescue His elect, then NO ONE would be spared.
Worst of ALL, even worse than the PHYSICAL horrors, are the SPIRITUAL ones: the continued presence, vv21-22, of these “false christs and false prophets” attempting to “lead astray” God’s elect. Which of course, they will be unable to do. We know BIBLICALLY that God KEEPS those he calls; one cannot LOSE salvation any more than you can be UN-born. If you’ve TRULY been born again, then your name has been written, past tense, in the Lamb’s Book of Life, and God promises you, Revelation 3:5, that “I will never blot his name out of the book of life.” God doesn’t write in pencil, cuz He doesn’t make mistakes; he writes in PEN.
And yet, just like in OUR OWN day, where we see SO MANY notable “Christians” falling away from the faith, left and right, in those end times, in the furnace of persecution, these apostate teachers will lead many FAKE Christians astray. The apostle JOHN saw it in HIS OWN day: those who “went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us. But they went out, that it might become plain that they all are not of us.” (1 John 2:19) If someone truly walks away from the faith, they prove they never TRULY had it in the first place.
And MANY will do so in the last days, just as we’re experiencing ALREADY all around us in this country. Once-professing Christians leaving the faith, as church attendance continues its steady decline. In a recent survey right here in our beloved St. Louis, those who self-identify religiously as “NONE / No religion” now for the first time ever outnumber self-identifying Christians. Self-identifying Christians! That’s everyone who still FANCIES themself a Christian; you ask if they’ve attended church, or opened their Bible, or said a prayer in the past year, and that number PLUMMETS.
But here’s the thing: we can BEMOAN this fact, and ROMANTICIZE about the good ole days when no one ran kids’ sports leagues on Sundays because it was just EXPECTED that everyone was in church; but let’s get real, friends: all that’s REALLY happening today is a separating of the wheat and the chaff. It’s probably NOT the case that there are fewer ACTUAL Christians today than there were 50 years ago; there are just fewer FAKERS these days, as atheism, agnosticism, and just plain apatheism – I’m too bored or distracted to even CARE about God; THAT’S the dominant religion of our day – have all become more socially acceptable. We see MANY pretenders “going out FROM us”, thereby proving they were never truly OF us.
But on the FLIP side, friends, I’m not so naïve as to think that even TODAY, every one of you is “OF us” just because you’re here AMONGST us. Listen: we are so THRILLED that you’re here at West Hills. Maybe you got BURNED at a previous church; many of you have shared with me that you’re just coming back to church for the first time in DECADES, maybe your entire LIFE. We’re thrilled. But please know this; this might be the most important thing you’ll hear all day: your being here does not punch your ticket. The West Hills attendance roster is NOT the Lamb’s Book of Life. Your baptism as an infant AT that church that you walked away from, DID NOT punch your ticket. The ONLY thing, that punches your ticket, Ephesians 2, Romans 3 – is genuine repentance and sincere faith: you must acknowledge that you have sinned against God and stand in DESPERATE need of His forgiveness, and you must TRUST that He has provided it for you, GRACE and MERCY for you, freely, through the atoning death of His son Jesus on the cross in your place. If you’ve done that, and entrusted your life and your eternal fate to Jesus, then God will NEVER blot your name out. If you have NOT surrendered your life to Him, then forget EVERYTHING else I’ve said about the end times; all YOU need to focus on is TODAY. The PRESENT. Get right with God TODAY. You may not have tomorrow. And even if you DO, your tomorrow will be INFINITELY better WITH God, than WITHOUT Him.
For those of us who are IN Christ, vv24-27 of Mark 13 describe the most glorious event we could ever dream of, and pray for, and HOPE to see with our own two eyes. Titus 2:13 calls it “our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ”. Jesus clearly describes his visible return as an earth-SHATTERING, cosmos-ALTERING, history-DEFINING event: “in those days, after the 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.” This is the glorious day the prophets of OLD had longed to see:
Isa 13:9-10; 24:1–6, 23; 34:1–6 Joel 2:10–11, 31; Daniel 7:13-14; Ezek. 38:19–23; Hag. 2:6–7; Zeph. 1:14–18; Zech 14:6;
We don’t have TIME to look at all of them; because THIS is the day that EVERYONE has been waiting for, for centuries before Jesus even came the FIRST time; the day when Christ will RETURN.
Friends: JESUS IS COMING BACK FOR HIS BRIDE, THE CHURCH.
And here’s what we know about that day (from Strauss, p.598):
v32: No one knows day or hour; not even JESUS, who in his Incarnated humanity, voluntary abdicated His divine omniscience; only the FATHER knows the appointed time (Mt 25:13; Mk 13:32; 1 Ths 5:2)
His return will be bodily and visible (Ac 1:11; cf. Mt 24:26-27; Lk 17:24; 1 Ths 4:16; Rev 1:7)
He’ll be accompanied by the resurrection of those who have “died in Christ” (1 Cor 15:22-23; 1 Ths 4:16) into glorified, imperishable bodies (1 Cor 15:42-44, 51-54; Col 3:4)
He will deliver his people from suffering (2 Ths 1:6-7; 1 Pt 4:13) and rescue us from wrath (1 Ths 1:10)
He will reward those who have persevered (Mt 16:27; 2 Tim 4:8; Heb 9:28)
And this will be but the BEGINNING, of the permanent dwelling of Christ with his people for the rest of eternity (Jn 14:2-3; 1 Ths 4:17; 2 Ths 2:1)
Here’s how JOHN envisions that day, in Revelation 19:11-16 “Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war. 12 His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are many diadems... He is clothed in a robe dipped in[b] blood, and the name by which he is called is The Word of God. 14 And the armies of heaven, arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, were following him on white horses. 15 From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule[c] them with a rod of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty. 16 On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords.”
And the story only gets better in the Bible’s last 3 chapters! After his triumphant return, his regathering of the elect, and his judgment of the wicked, Jesus will
[return triumphantly (Rev 19:11)
regather the elect (Mk 13:27; Isa 11:11; Jer 23:3; Dt 30:4; Zc 2:6)
judge the wicked (19:15-20:15; cf. Mt 13:40-41; 25:31-46)]
vindicate the righteous (Rev 20:4-6)
resurrect the dead (20:4-6, 12-13)
reign as king for 1,000 years (20:4-7)
cast Satan into the Lake of Fire (20:10)
and FINALLY, he will re-make a new heaven and new earth (Rev 21-22), where we will reign WITH him, and worship him, for the rest of eternity.
Now, at this point, the end of v27, I imagine Jesus pausing, as a good teacher does, to check for the disciples’ understanding. And I imagine them looking BACK at him, with typically BLANK, DUMB-founded expressions on their faces that make it ABUNDANTLY clear, as usual, even MORE SO than usual, they have absolutely NO idea what he’s talking about. How COULD they? They didn’t even understand back in chs. 10, 11, and 12 when Jesus plainly predicted his death and resurrection later that WEEK, much less this enigmatic prophecy of his second coming a few millennia later! But remember, this discourse isn’t primarily FOR them; it’s for later readers who will need to be on the LOOKOUT for these signs. So what does Jesus do? When he wants to obscure a spiritual truth from those it is NOT intended for, while simultaneously illuminating it for those he desires to teach? Jesus tells a PARABLE.
vv28-29: “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.”
And then in v30, Jesus utters the most potentially PROBLEMATIC portion of this entire prophecy – “Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place.”
Now, the preterist, who denies that Mark 13 has much or ANYTHING to do with the end times, will argue from v30 that interpreting this as an eschatological prophecy amounts to calling Jesus a LIAR. Obviously the generation Jesus was talking to DID pass away before His end times return.
But there’s a different way to read v30; MacArthur explains: “Obviously, such cosmic events [vv24-27] have not yet taken place. When they do, Jesus warned that those alive at that time should recognize that He is about to return (v. 29). As He explained, the generation that experiences those end-time events will be the same generation that is alive at the second coming (v. 30), meaning that all of the final cataclysms on earth will occur within the span of a single generation.” (909)
So Jesus offers his FUTURE readers the assurance here that their tribulation won’t last forever.
And then JUST as assuredly, he announces in v31 that “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.”
It’s IRONIC that Jesus will say in the very next verse, “I don’t even know when all this is going to happen, and YET, in the same breath, he declared unequivocally: “But it WILL happen. More certain than death OR taxes,” Jesus says, “is my return.”
MacArthur notes that “Jesus highlights here [v31] two fundamental theological realities—namely, that this world is temporary and that His Word is infallible.” (945) The Bible is clear that this earth is fleeting:
2 Peter 3:10-13 “But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies[b] will be burned up and dissolved... and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn! 13 But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.”
Likewise, Revelation 20:11 “Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat upon it, from whose presence earth and heaven fled away, and no place was found for them.”
and Revelation 21:1 “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more.”
But just as sure as the world’s passing, is the WORD’s permanence
Isa 40:8 “The grass withers, the flower fades,
but the word of our God will stand forever.”Matt 5:18 “Truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished”
Therefore, BECAUSE God’s word cannot be broken, BECAUSE Jesus “predicting” it means it’s as good as DONE already, how ought we to live? You and I, today. Let’s bring all this home. Try and make it practical, tangible, relevant, APPLY the text. How are you and I supposed to LIVE DIFFERENTLY, in light of Mark 13?
Well, Jesus GIVES us our application point, right there in vv33-37 at the end; notice all the imperative verbs, the COMMANDS here: “Be on guard” (33), “keep awake” (33), “stay awake” (34), “stay awake” again in v35, and just in case you missed you, v37: “what I say to you I say to all: Stay awake.” But how do we DO that? What does it MEAN to “stay awake”? Let me end by commending to you FIVE WAYS that you and I can “stay awake”:
Study this stuff. Know the signs of the times. Pay attention. Seek to understand. That means getting in your Bible, regularly. Not just the milk, but the MEAT. The deep end.
Don’t speculate. Study, but don’t speculate. Ironically, if you COULD know the day and the hour of the Lord’s return, you wouldn’t HAVE to stay awake, would you? You’d just set an alarm to wake up just before then. But you don’t know, you CAN’T know, so don’t get SO caught up in end times theology, so heaven-minded that you become no earthly good, as the expression goes.
Pray for Christ’s return. When was the last time you actively PRAYED that Jesus would come make all things new? If his return really is our “blessed hope”, if it really is the climax, the telos – the intended goal and end, the fulfillment of ALL of history, and if it means he’ll wipe away every tear from our eyes, and there will no longer be any sickness or death or suffering, and we’ll get to dwell with him FOREVER, in our brand new RESURRECTION bodies – I see some of y’all hobbling around here on Sundays; I must have tweaked my elbow last week playing basketball and it’s STILL sore. A few years ago I wouldn’t have even NOTICED it; now I’m ready for my resurrection body. And some of y’all are twice my age – I KNOW you’re ready! Brothers and sisters, we ought to be asking, BEGGING the Lord, to return and make all things new. “Your kingdom come... on earth as it is in heaven”; Revelation 22:20 – “Come, Lord Jesus, Come!”
Live a life of obedience. Here’s Peter’s application point, from the passage we read earlier: “the heavenly bodies[b] will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed. 11 Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness, 12 waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God” (2 Pet 3:10-12). We AWAIT that glorious day, with holiness and godliness. Why? As JOHN exhorts us, we “abide in him, so that when he appears we may have confidence and not shrink from him in shame at his coming.” (1 Jn 2:28) You ever hear that saying, some of us, back when we were teenage boys, “Don’t do anything you wouldn’t do if your GRANDMOTHER was in the room watching.” Which come to think of it, may be why middle school boys have such a problem with HYGIENE, and never shower – maybe we should stop saying that one. The BETTER advice is “don’t do anything you wouldn’t want to be caught in the middle of when JESUS returned!” Now THAT’LL preach! If all the works done on earth will truly be exposed, then we ought to live lives of holiness such that we will not shrink back from Jesus in SHAME when he returns, but rather, run CONFIDENTLY into his arms.
Finally, tell everyone you know about Him. Did you catch what Peter slipped in there, that you and I can actually “HASTEN” the coming of the day of God, SPEED UP His coming. Yes, it is true, Acts 1:7, that God the Father in his providence has “FIXED” the day of Christ’s return; that Acts 17:31 “God has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness”. So in what sense can you and I HASTEN Jesus’ return? From God’s perspective, of course, we can’t. The day and hour is fixed. Written in ink. But since Romans 11:34 – no one can know the mind of the Lord – all we are left to go off of is what He’s made plain to us here, in His word. And here’s what he’s made plain to us, friends:
1) God’s as excited as ANYONE for Christ’s return.
2) But there are certain prophecies that MUST take place before he returns.
3) Every other prophecy Jesus makes in Mark 13, and elsewhere, has arguably been fulfilled, except for one. And that is
4) Mark 13:10 – “the gospel must first be proclaimed to all nations.” Why? Because Ezekiel 19:23 “I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, declares the Lord God, but rather that he should turn from his way and live.” Because 1 Tim 2:4 God “desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” Because 2 Peter 3:9 “The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you,[a] not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.” God isn’t arbitrarily dragging his feet. Just waiting for the perfect moment to surprise everyone like a thief in the night. He’s waiting for the full number of the elect to reach repentance and faith, so He can include as MANY as possible in His glorious eternal kingdom.
And because it’s not for you and I to know who HAS been chosen, because only GOD can accomplish gospel growth in a person’s heart, and bring a person to repentance and faith, it’s not for us to speculate about who’s in and who’s out, but rather, to simply 2 Timothy 4:2, to “preach the word” in season AND out of season, at ALL times. Because Romans 10:13 “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” What a beautiful promise! But Romans 10:14 – “How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard?[c] And how are they to hear without someone preaching?”
This is what it means to “stay awake”. v34: “It is like a man going on a journey, when he leaves home and puts his servants[b] in charge, each with his work.” Jesus has left us with a JOB to do, until he returns. Mark 16:15 “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation.”
So yes, the day is fixed in the mind of the Lord. But from OUR earthly perspective, we await that day and HASTEN it, by telling everyone we can about Jesus, because the sooner they know, the sooner he might just return and make all things new. Amen.
Let’s pray.