Jesus Prepared His Followers for Tribulation Through the Olivet Discourse (Mark 13:5-13)

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.

Jesus began his teaching on the Mount of Olives warning about the tendency to be led astray (5). He knew some would come and lead many astray, so he sought to bolster his followers by telling them to see to it that they were not led astray (5). And many will come in Jesus' name, he said, even declaring themselves to be the Christ, and will deceive many. Ideologies, movements, and individuals will always arise, declaring themselves to be the savior the world needs. Fortunately, we can protect ourselves from this deception by connecting to the teaching of historic Christianity in Scripture. The church has passed down a treasure of instruction and doctrine, and as we learn the word, our roots grow deep. And rootedness protects us when spiritual deception arises. We can know the truth because the truth has been known. Of course, we know Jesus' return will be visible:

Revelation 1:7 (ESV)—7 Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him, and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of him. Even so. Amen. But Jesus went on:

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.

Calamities

Here, Jesus warned about the coming of various calamities. Wars, earthquakes, and famines. Luke's account of this teaching records one more -- pestilences (Luke 21:11). We certainly have our fair share of each. We no longer war against only neighboring tribes but have the capacity to bomb nations on the other side of the globe. Earthquakes and other disasters induced by the brokenness and decay of our planet are increasing. Famine, even after all our technological advances, always exists, not because of overpopulation but because of human greed, selfishness, and dysfunction. And pestilences -- OK, Covid.

Birth Pains

Jesus' point was that these events must occur, but the end is not yet (7). These signs are not the end. Jesus said they are but the beginning of the birth pains (8). Once birth pains begin, they steadily increase in frequency and intensity. This seems to be the course of the events Jesus pointed out -- rising in frequency and intensity, getting us closer to the birth of a new world. Remember the mindset of so many in the Old Testament era. They thought of childlessness as a disgrace. Birth rectified the problem of barrenness. So when our world goes through the birth pains Jesus mentioned, you can imagine it readying itself to rectify a problem. It is broken, decaying, and full of sin, but something good is coming!

Don't Be Alarmed

But, again, the end is not yet (7). And because the end is not yet when these events occur, Jesus commanded his followers: Do not be alarmed (7). Rather than get rattled and shaken by wars, rumors of wars, calamities in the natural world, famines, and disease, the disciple is meant to see them as the inevitable birth pains required to get us to the new world. Jesus is coming! And we should not be shaken when uproarious events unfold before our eyes. Instead, Jesus said:

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.

Persecution

Jesus warned them about coming persecution. He often prepared them with statements like this one -- the gospels are littered with words of caution about impending hatred. And this portion of Jesus' prophecy has also clearly come to pass. The church has experienced waves of persecution for 2,000 years. And our modern world is no exception. Believers all over the world are being persecuted today. Open Doors ministry recently released its 2023 World Watch List of the top fifty countries where it's most difficult to follow Jesus and the source of persecution in each country. North Korea, Somalia, Yemen, Eritrea, and Libya round out the top five. But the West will also become a bastion of different types of persecution in the years to come. It's not hard to imagine religious freedoms reduced to only what you do in your own home or church. But many corporations and professional fields will be off-limits to a biblical thinker in the years to come. Many will have little tolerance for someone with a biblical worldview.

Gospel Focus

But how should we respond? Jesus said, "Be on your guard" and that "the gospel must first be proclaimed to all nations" (9, 10). We aren't meant to pine for the day we can escape the planet. We aren't meant for endless conjecture on when Christ might return. Instead, we are meant to soberly move forward with the gospel. It is the message humanity needs. So how do we proclaim the glorious message of Jesus - his death, burial, resurrection, and all its implications? We receive it. We ingest it. We study it. We live by it. And we say it to others. But Jesus went on:

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.

The Ministry of the Spirit

Here, Jesus told us of the ministry of the Spirit in times of persecution. They are helpful words because many believers worry they won't represent Jesus well if a time of persecution ever arises in their lives. Jesus wants us, though, to trust the Spirit in those moments. We can know that he'll give us the words when pressed. By his power, we'll be able to testify loudly of the work of the gospel in our lives. So keep growing, learning, and abiding in Christ. And if hostility arises against you for Jesus' name, lean into his Spirit. He will help you speak. And don't click "send" until you're sure it's the Spirit speaking through you.

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.”

Brother / Father / Children

This brand of hostility because of Jesus -- brother against brother, father against child, and children against parents -- is not uncommon. Some communities, cultures, and countries have created such barriers to Christ that converting to him will ostracize you from those you love. You might even be marked for death in some cases. And this level of vitriol isn't reserved only for families. Jesus said, "You will be hated by all for my name's sake" (13). These disciples were getting the truth. They, and many after them, were bound to suffer. All kinds of peoples have hated the church of Christ through the centuries. But Jesus knew it would happen. It was for his "name's sake" (13). For all this, what word does Jesus give? "Endure!" "The one who endures to the end will be saved" (13). To endure means "to remain under" – to have all this crazy heaped upon you and keep plugging away because your hope is in Christ and his kingdom.

Dangers

In closing, I want to warn you of some dangerous conclusions many believers have come to as a result of passages like the one we just studied. First, we forget people are made in God's image. Because doctrines about mankind's sinful nature or the persecution of the world exist in Scripture, some believers have concluded the non-believing world is incapable of any good. But we are all made in God's image, so we should expect broken people to do good things. Second, we forget about common grace. You see, God made this world and everything in it. Though broken by sin, God has given common grace to our world. So, we should expect scientific breakthroughs, wisdom in society building, and beauty in culture to come from an unconverted world. Third, we label everything religious persecution, when it's not. Sometimes, Daniel was thrown in the lion's den -- that's persecution. But sometimes, he was just different than everyone else in Babylon -- that's living in exile. And sometimes God's people have to live in exile. (Welcome to California!)