Proper Attitudes Towards Eschatology

The study of Scripture inevitably leads to the formation of doctrines, beliefs upon which we build our lives, a framework through which we view the world. Doctrine-building is good, and God's church has engaged and reengaged with God's word over the centuries in an attempt to rightly understand God, his world, and his plan.

As we study Scripture, some of our conclusions should be written in blood, some in pen, and some in pencil. What I mean is that some doctrines are worth dying for -- blood. The Trinity, the gospel, the inerrancy of Scripture -- these are "blood" doctrines.

Other doctrines should be written in pen. For instance, I believe and defend the doctrines around the present-day gifts of the Holy Spirit. But I can fellowship with someone who doesn't hold my view. It is on the ink level.

And other doctrines should be put in the pencil category because they are hotly contested and without universal support in the church, and also because they are tertiary in importance.

Some of you will put eschatology -- the events of the future -- in the pencil category. Others of you will put it in the pen category. I think it would be unwise for anyone to put it in the blood category. Too much is unknown, and true Christian fellowship does not require the same eschatological grid. In other words, someone who believes in the future pre-tribulation rapture of the church should be able to fellowship with someone who does not believe in a literal millennial reign of Christ. But I digress.

I mention this today as we enter Mark 13 because this passage of Scripture is hotly debated. Some, like myself, believe it communicates the doctrine of future things. Others, many of whom I respect and read, believe the entirety of this chapter has to do with the destruction of the Jewish temple in the first century. And others are in between those two views.

But, regardless of our position on this chapter or other apocalyptic passages in Scripture, we should treat one another with respect, humility, and love.

Respect, because demonization of premillennialists, amillennialists, or postmillennialism is pointless.

Humility, because the nature of discussing future things is bound to be fraught with errors. We can look back on the events of the cross and get it right. We cannot say the same for future events. Some day, we will discover who was right, but we don't know today.

And love, because charity among believers is needed, especially during a time when we absolutely must form, cultivate, and prioritize communities where Jesus is famous. We need each other right now.

With that as an attitudinal backdrop for the next few weeks of teaching in Mark, let's get into this next movement and chapter.

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.”

The Temple Glory

The last few chapters of Mark took place in the temple precincts. Finally, Jesus came out of the temple, and as he did, one of his disciples, we do not know which one, pointed out the majesty and wonder of the stones and structures there (1).

In Jesus' day, the temple and the platform on which it stood had been under construction for nearly fifty years. It was Herod the Great's great obsession. He loved all things grandiose, thinking he could build his way to permanent fame, and the temple mount was his most spectacular triumph. He had enlarged the esplanade of the temple to a 35-acre enclosure -- one-sixth of Old Jerusalem's land area. Twelve football fields could fit within its walls. One corner of this massive patio required a retaining wall fifteen stories high to enable it to hang out over the Kidron Valley.

And the stones they used were massive. We know because some have survived to this day. I've seen stones in that retaining wall the size of a school bus, chiseled and hewn to precise measurements. And those were just the stones on the patio.

The temple and its furnishings were on another level. The records tell us of brass gates 135' high. The temple building itself was hewn from large white stones, polished and brightened and decorated with gold. Yes, gold was everywhere, shining so brightly in the potent Jerusalem sun that one often could not look directly at the temple. Modern scholars have estimated the present-day value of that temple at over one trillion dollars. It was an astounding sight.

The Temple Narrative

So, as they left the temple, one of the' disciples pointed out its beauty to Jesus. They had, after all, spent a fair deal of time at the temple area the previous few days. And Jesus hadn't mentioned anything about its splendor.

He had rebuked the temple, telling them they had made it into a den of thieves when it should have been a house of prayer.

He had rebuked the temple's leadership, telling them they would reject him just like they rejected all the prophets.

He debated those leaders in the temple area, demonstrating to them the truth and his identity as the Son of God.

And he found a rare worshipper in the temple, a poor widow who gave all she had to God.

But he had said nothing about the structure, and now he's leaving. The disciple wanted to point it out to Christ.

Jesus' Perspective

But Jesus burst this disciples' bubble by saying, "Do you see these great buildings? There will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down" (2).

Really, Jesus' reply should not be all that shocking. When we consider the rebuke he laid on the temple in Mark 11, we could expect this type of response. He had called it a den of thieves. The religious leaders had abused this space. Meant for God's glory, they had turned it into a place for man's greed.

In a previous era, Jeremiah foreshadowed this type of response. Through Jeremiah, God told Israel the temple would be destroyed by King Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonians and that it would be abandoned.

Jeremiah 7:11, 14 (ESV)—11 Has this house, which is called by my name, become a den of robbers in your eyes? ...Therefore I will do to the house that is called by my name, and in which you trust, and to the place that I gave to you and to your fathers, as I did to Shiloh.

Shiloh was where God's tabernacle had been in Israel -- for a time. But their disobedience led to God removing his presence. Then in Jeremiah's day, God removed his presence again. And now, in our passage today, we see Jesus promising the same for Herod's temple.

70 A.D.

And, sure enough, just as Jesus had predicted, in the year 70, just a short while after Jesus spoke these words, the Romans invaded Jerusalem. Their general, a man named Titus, ordered the destruction of the temple. They lit it on fire, and the gold melted into the stones' cracks and crevices. Once the fires subsided, each stone had to be toppled over to recover the gold.

It was a brutal period for the Jews -- a foreshadowing of many terrible eras throughout their history. It's estimated that two million died within just a few years.

And the destruction on the temple mount was so complete that future visitors were not able to discern where the temple had been. The temple patio still exists today, but scholars are unsure about the precise location of that old temple. It was so thoroughly deleted from existence.

The word of Christ came to pass.

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?”

The Setting

Shell-shocked, Peter, James, John, and Andrew, men who formed Jesus' first tier of leadership, joined Jesus on the Mount of Olives (3). It overlooks the temple area and is the place Zechariah said the Lord would come to in glory.

Zechariah 14:4, 8-9 (ESV)—4 On that day his feet shall stand on the Mount of Olives that lies before Jerusalem on the east, and the Mount of Olives shall be split in two from east to west by a very wide valley, so that one half of the Mount shall move northward, and the other half southward. 8 On that day living waters shall flow out from Jerusalem, half of them to the eastern sea and half of them to the western sea. It shall continue in summer as in winter. 9 And the Lord will be king over all the earth. On that day the Lord will be one and his name one.

Yes, one day, Jesus will return to the Mount of Olives and usher in everlasting peace and an everlasting kingdom. But I am getting ahead of myself.

There, on that mount, these four disciples asked him when these things would happen. And, since they thought the destruction of the temple would precipitate the new Messianic era, they asked when all these things would be accomplished (4).

How To Interpret The Olivet Discourse

Matthew and Luke also recorded this teaching from Jesus. And Matthew's recording of the disciples' question gives us a fuller sense of what they wondered about.

Matthew 24:3 (ESV)—3 “Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?”

So they wanted to know about the timing of the temple's destruction. But they also wanted to know about his coming and the end of the age. In his response, Jesus will deal with all three -- (1) the temple's original destruction, (2) the rebuilt temple's eventual destruction, (3) the sign of his return, and the end of this age.

In saying it this way, it should be obvious I believe the events that follow are future events. And I think this way for various reasons. Here are a few:

First, I am closely tied to a literal interpretation of the Bible when at all possible. It is too difficult to accept his descriptions of his coming (lightning flash, sun-darkened, stars fall, appear in heaven, mourning tribes, coming on the clouds) as merely symbolic and spiritual.

Second, because of the Old Testament promises. I will demonstrate this in coming weeks, but many Old Testament promises will be fulfilled in a future millennial age when Jesus will rule and reign and fulfill his promises to Israel.

Third, it is hard to ignore the labor pains of wars, famines, and earthquakes in our modern era, while also being difficult to force these events before 70AD.

Fourth, it is hard to imagine God would give a 3-fold record in his word for all future generations that only had an application for the 20-30 years before 70AD.

Fifth, because telescoped prophecies were part of the Old Testament as well, so it makes sense Jesus could speak about the destruction of that old temple while prophesying about the destruction of a future temple as well.

Sixth, if Jesus is only talking about the calamity of the events at 70AD in this passage, it would mean the kingdom did not come until after that time. Either the kingdom is here now, spiritually, or is coming in the future, literally, but I cannot believe it came spiritually at 70AD. That it did not come literally at 70AD should be obvious.

Seventh, I believe the evidence shows Revelation was written by John long after the events of 70AD. So Revelation must also be about future events, not just a prediction about an event in 70AD.

Eighth, Jesus said the tribulation he'll describe in this passage is greater than any that has come before or will come after (13:19). I take this to mean the pain the earth will experience before Christ's second coming will be more severe than the flood, the Holocaust, or the Bubonic plague.

I have other reasons, but those are some of my main reasons for concluding the events Jesus spoke of in this passage have not yet come to pass.

Our Outline

So, as I said, I believe the events Jesus taught about in this passage are yet future. Though some of his statements apply to their first-century context, I believe they cannot be appropriately understood only by that generation and that they have ultimate fulfillment in the future.

So our study of this chapter will be rather simple. Jesus will describe future troubles on earth. Then he will describe a period of great tribulation. Then he will describe his return. And then, he will describe how he wants us to act today.

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.

Led Astray

Jesus began his teaching by 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 are not led astray (5).

False Messiahs

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 as found 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 (insert earlier).

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). And 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 human greed, selfishness, and dysfunction. And pestilences -- OK, Covid.

Birth Pains

But Jesus' point was that these events must take place, 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).

If you don't know about how birth pains work, let me mansplain them to you. Once they begin, they steadily increase in frequency and intensity. This seems to be the course of the events Jesus pointed out -- increasing 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 and 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, the disciple is meant to see wars, rumors of wars, calamities in the natural world, famines, and disease 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.

For example:

John 15:19 (ESV)—19 If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.

And this portion of Jesus' prophesy 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 just released their 2020 World Watch List of the top fifty countries where it's most difficult to follow Jesus (https://www.opendoorsusa.org/christian-persecution/world-watch-list/). North Korea, Afghanistan, Somalia, Libya, and Pakistan round out the top five. They also include the source of persecution in each country -- communist oppression, clan oppression, Islamic oppression, religious nationalism, denominational protectionism, dictatorial paranoia, and organized crime are the culprits in each nation where persecution abounds.

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 world view.

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.

The gospel is what must be proclaimed. 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 in accordance with 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 when 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. We will testify!

So just keep growing, learning, 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.

Hated By All For My Name's Sake

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, we're 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).

Endure!

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

Now, 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. These conclusions aren't the fault of the Scripture -- it is without error -- but are errors of our own making. Let me mention three.

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. dd

Third, we label everything religious persecution. 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.