What would you do if you knew that Jesus was returning at midnight tonight? How would you spend the next 13 hours and 40 minutes?

What if you knew He would return one week from today? Or one month? How would your life change?

In our journey through Mark we have reached chapter 13, which contains some prophecies about Jesus’ return and the last days. There is much interest in this topic at present; indeed, The Indwelling by Tim Lahaye and Jerry Jenkins -- a fictional account of the years immediately preceding Christ's return -- is now in its second week atop the New York Times bestseller list of hardcover fiction. And whenever we begin to talk about these issues, certain questions come to the forefront: When will the end come? What will be the sequence of events? How will Jesus return?

The disciples show interest in those same questions, as we will see. But although Jesus’ response to their questions is His longest discourse recorded in Mark, He spends very little time responding to their immediate questions. Instead, He warns them and encourages them. He gives them instruction for how to live in the last days, rather than providing them with detailed information on when and how things will happen.

So that will be our emphasis this morning also. There are many puzzles in this chapter – one commentator labels this discourse the most difficult section to interpret in all the gospels. Those puzzles are interesting and of some importance. But we will focus not on the puzzles but on the lessons for living in the last days.

Recall that in our last two sermons in this series (How to Bear Fruit and Fertilizing Fruit Trees), we have focused on lessons for fruitfulness found in chapters 11 and 12. We will see that Jesus emphasizes four of those same lessons here in chapter 13, as especially important in the last days.

For we are living in those days at present. Scripture uses the term "last days" to refer to the entire period of time between Jesus' first and second comings. For example, on the Day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit comes down on the disciples like flames of fire while they are at the temple, and some who are present believe they are drunk. Peter explains what is happening with these words:

Peter says that Joel's prophecy about the last days was fulfilled -- at least in part -- on the Day of Pentecost, almost two thousand years ago. So in this sense, Peter lived in the "last days," Martin Luther lived in the last days, and we live in the last days.

What do we need to know in order to live lives worthy of His calling in these last days? Jesus gives us three commands, three instructions in this chapter:

We will structure the rest of our time together by focusing on each of those commands in turn. Listen for those commands as we read the chapter together:

The passage begins with Jesus' last departure from the temple. The temple in Jerusalem was one of the wonders of the ancient world. Herod the Great had spent a large amount of money rebuilding the temple, and at the time of Jesus it was still not complete. Josephus reports that the stones were indeed massive, with some measuring 12 feet by 18 feet by 42 feet and weighing hundreds of tons. Constructing a building like this two thousand years ago was an engineering marvel.

So the disciples are suitably impressed with the engineering, and ethnically proud of the beauty of their temple. Furthermore, for them and for all sincere Jews, the temple was God's chosen place to meet with His people, the only place they were to conduct sacrifices.

But Jesus says, "This is all going to end; the time when God would reveal himself through this edifice is drawing to a close. For the physical temple is not what is important; it will be destroyed." (Jesus' prophecy came to pass in 70AD when Titus destroyed Jerusalem, leveling the temple.)

This statement astounds the disciples. So as they leave, undoubtedly they ask each other, "What is He talking about?" They climb the Mount of Olives outside Jerusalem, where they have a view of the entire city, with the temple in the foreground. As a result of their discussion, the disciples send the two pairs of brothers -- James and John, Peter and Andrew -- to inquire further. They ask two questions: When will this happen, and what will be the sign that all this is about to be fulfilled. Matthew gives more specifics about the second question, phrasing it, "What will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?"

As is frequently the case, Jesus' answer at first glance does not seem to answer their questions. For Jesus always gives us the answer that we really need to hear, rather than directly giving the us the information we seek. Instead of giving details of when this will happen and the signs of his coming, as we have seen He focuses on how we are to live as we await these events. The first command:

Verses 5, 6, and 21-27 focus on the person of Jesus. In verse 5, Jesus says: "See to it that no one misleads you. Many will come in my name saying, 'I am He!'" He tells us, "There will be many impersonators. Some will even perform signs and wonders. But don't be deceived, don't be drawn away from the truth."

In the immediate aftermath of Jesus' death, there were several people in Palestine who claimed to be the Messiah. Such claims have continued over the centuries even to the present day. For example, Sun Myung Moon of the Unification Church claims that he is the Messiah; Jehovah's Witnesses believe that Jesus returned invisibly in 1914. Many are deceived; more each year are drawn away from the truth by these false claims.

But others who continue to call themselves Christian are also drawn away from the truth into worshiping a false Messiah, through incorrect teaching about the person of Jesus. There are many today in Christian churches who say:

• "Jesus was a good man. He gave wonderful teaching. His morality is exemplary. If only we could live up to his commandments!"
• Or, "Jesus came as an example to us, showing us how to love each other. Now all who sincerely try to live a life of love belong to him, no matter what they might believe."
• Or, "Jesus is a Savior; believing in him offers us one way to God. Surely, however, God will honor all those sincere believers in other religions by bringing them to himself."

You see how important it is to be careful about our language? Each of these claims includes some truth, then twists that truth. It may look minor, but the difference is the difference between heaven and hell.

• Of course Jesus was a good man. But He also is God incarnate, and to leave that out is to miss the central message of the New Testament.
• Of course Jesus provides us with an example. But the Jesus of the Bible is an indwelling Savior, not an external, glorified role model.
• Jesus is not only a Savior, He is the Savior: "I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life; no one comes to the Father but through Me." (John 14:6).

Jesus tells us not to be led astray by false claims about himself. How do we guard ourselves against these false teachings?

In this passage He provides us with two answers:

(1) The Method of His Return

When He returns, He will not come back as the babe in the manger. This time, as stated in verse 26, He will come in the clouds with great power and glory. The book of Revelation reiterates this:

No imitation Christs will come like this! They may be able to produce minor miracles, but when Jesus Himself returns, there will be no doubt. We will all know -- and either welcome Him as the One we have longed for, or cower before Him, knowing destruction is imminent.

(2) Depend on His Word

In verse 31 Jesus says, "Heaven and Earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away." So in order not to be deceived by false Messiahs or false teaching about Jesus, we need to depend on His word, the Bible. We must love it, delight in it, feed on it, let it dwell richly within us; we must desire it as a newborn baby desires mother's milk.

For any teaching which is not in accord with the whole counsel of the Bible is a false teaching.

• No matter how intellectually appealing,
• no matter how politically correct,
• no matter how emotionally moving,
• no matter how sincere its adherents,
• no matter how many signs and wonders its leaders perform

If a teaching is not biblical, we must reject it.

So do not be deceived about Jesus or His word! As we saw in past weeks, the fruitbearer must acknowledge Jesus as God, and the fruitbearer must love the Word of God.

Now look again at verses 7-20. What is described here?

• Wars, earthquakes, and famines;
• Arrests and beatings;
• Betrayals by family members;
• Hatred from everyone;
• More trouble than the world has ever seen before.

Are these God's promises to us? Are these His promises to His people? Jesus' approach is rather different here from those who would have us use secular marketing techniques to build the church. Can you imagine the 30-second spot on television: "Come, follow me! And look what you'll get! Arrests, beatings, and hatred from everyone! Come one, come all!"

Why does Jesus describe all these terrible events? He will leave His disciples very shortly; shouldn't He encourage them?

He is encouraging them! He is encouraging us! Look at verse 23: "Take heed; behold, I have told you everything in advance." Jesus tells His disciples -- and us -- about the persecutions and hatred that will be ours, so that when they come we will not be surprised. We will not think that God has made some mistake. When we are being hated because of Him, when we are betrayed or persecuted, we can look back on Jesus' words and say, "Yes, He told me this would happen; I can still trust Him in the midst of this trial."

But Jesus does more than simply warn us that these things will happen; He tells us part of the reason why they must happen. In verse 8 He says that the wars, earthquakes, and famines "are merely the beginnings of birth pangs." Now, I have never given birth, but I have been at six births -- well, actually seven including my own, but I don't remember much from that one. I have noticed that the process of giving birth includes some pain. But once true labor begins, everyone knows that the end result will be great joy: the birth of this baby you have been anticipating for the last nine months. So, yes, there is pain -- but the pain will produce great joy in the end.

Just so with our persecution and suffering. Jesus says, "You will stand before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them, and the gospel must first be preached to all the nations." (verses 9-10). God has always planned to use our arrests, persecutions, sufferings, and martyrdom as a primary means for spreading the gospel. Persecution and martyrdom are not mistakes. They are not the result of evil forces frustrating God's plan. What men intend for evil, God intends for good -- and He uses the evil decisions of men for His own glory and our good. And through His Spirit, He gives us even the words to say in those extreme circumstances.

So when Stephen is stoned and Saul begins to persecute the Jerusalem church severely, the scattered Christians preach the Word everywhere they go, spreading the gospel (Acts 8:4). When Paul is in prison, he preaches to kings and emperors -- and also spreads the good news to the guards and servants around him (Philippians 1:12-14). In 1555, when about to be burned at the stake in Oxford, Hugh Latimer said to his friend and fellow martyr Nicholas Ridley, "Be of good cheer, Master Ridley, and play the man, for we shall this day light such a candle in England as I trust by God's grace shall never be put out." And England in the next century had a massive revival, and produced some of the greatest leaders the church has ever seen.

Jesus' command is found in verse 9. Literally, this reads: "You all take heed to yourselves." The Greek is quite emphatic here, and not quite captured the usual translation, "Be on your guard." Jesus says to look after ourselves -- our thoughts, our reactions, our worries. We must guard ourselves, to make sure we understand that God is indeed sovereign, even when external events make things appear otherwise.

So Jesus tells us, "Expect trials and persecutions. I have told you ahead of time; don't be surprised when they come. But know that I am in control, I am sovereign over the affairs of men; you may die, but not one hair of your head will be harmed. I will use your sufferings for your good and my glory, by spreading the gospel through your faithfulness even to death. I will even give you the words to say in these circumstances. So be faithful!"

A wonderful example of this advice is contained in a letter from Martin Luther to Philip Melanchthon, dated June 27, 1530. Melanchthon was worried that the cause of the Reformation seemed to rest on so few shoulders, and that all that God had accomplished since the publication of the 95 Theses could go for naught. Luther writes:

Do you see Luther's confidence? God is sovereign, He is in control. Satan may kill us -- and if so God will raise up others to advance His cause. It is His cause after all, not ours.

Luther is not telling Melanchthon to take his responsibilities lightly, but to rest knowing that God is in control, that Jesus prophesied that there would be opposition, and that we should not expect an easy time. Our task is to trust and to be faithful, and to leave the results to God.

In verse 30, Jesus emphasizes that opposition to the gospel will continue until the very end: "Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place."

This statement is one of the puzzles in the chapter; some people claim Jesus thought he would return before all his listeners died; others claim he is referring to the Jewish race. But we will best understand Jesus' use of the word translated "generation" if we look at the way He uses it elsewhere. Every time Jesus uses the word other than in Mark 13 and its parallel passages, He clearly uses this Greek word to refer to the kind of people who oppose Him and His message. For example, here are all the other appearances of this word in Mark:

In Luke 16:8, in the parable of the unjust steward, Jesus clearly uses this word not in the sense of a period of time but as a category of people:

Here "the children of the world in their generation" are contrasted with "the children of light." Similarly, Peter refers to the church as "a chosen race" in 1 Peter 2, using a word parallel to the one translated "generation."

So when Jesus says "this generation will not pass away until all these things take place," He is saying something similar to John 16:33: "In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world." The trials and troubles and tribulations will not end -- don't expect them to end. But Jesus is in control. Trust Him.

Once again, two of our lessons for fruitfulness come into play here:

• Believe in God's power over death, and
• Speak the truth, regardless of the consequences.

Our final command -- Be alert! -- appears three times in the concluding six verses of the chapter. Here Jesus addresses the question of "when" that the disciples posed. But He doesn't give the answer they expect. Instead He says, "You will not know when -- so stay alert always! Don't be lazy! Don't be lackadaisical! Don't be uncaring! Fulfill your calling, act in obedience by My power, and stay alert!"

To encourage constant diligence, Jesus tells the parable of the doorkeeper. The master goes on his journey, assigning a task to each of his servants, and asking the doorkeeper to guard the entrance. Ray Stedman says this concerning the parable:

Let's return to our original question: What would you do if you knew that Jesus would return at midnight?

This chapter tells us you will never know that. Furthermore, anyone who says He will return by a particular date is completely unscriptural. Jesus might return very soon -- maybe by midnight tonight. He might wait another 1000 years. We do not know.

But we can say more than this. For each one of us will meet Jesus at the moment of our death -- and either be embraced by Him as His precious bride, or rejected by Him, sent to our eternal punishment. When will that happen? A lot sooner than 1000 years for all of us! Maybe today; maybe this year; certainly within a decade for some of us here this morning, certainly within 110 years for everyone here.

So let's rephrase our question:

What will you do, knowing with certainty that you will meet Jesus soon -- within the next decade or century?

Jesus' warnings in this chapter are for each of us, right now:

• Do not be deceived about Me! Jesus is God and Lord! He died for you! Don't be led astray by pseudo-Christs and false teaching, but hold fast to the truths revealed in His word!
• You all take heed to yourselves! Prepare for persecution and opposition, yet don't worry. Have confidence that Jesus is in control. Endure to the end, and He will take you to Himself.
• Be alert! There's a war going on, and you are a sentry, a soldier. Do your work diligently, and let your commanding officer find you doing it when he returns. Watch out, so that you may protect yourself and others from every evil attack.

You will meet Jesus; most likely you will have no advance warning. Are you ready?

This sermon was preached at Community Bible Church in Williamstown, MA on 7/2/00. The Luther quote is taken from the excellent compilation Luther: Letters of Spiritual Counsel, edited by Theodore Tappert and published by Westminster Press in 1955. I read this book after hearing Al Mohler use this quote and others in his excellent, second address to the Bethlehem Conference for Pastors in February, 2000. Tapes are available through Desiring God Ministries. The phrase "Luther is not telling Melanchthon to take his responsibilities lightly" is Mohler's. The Ray Stedman quote is taken from his sermon on this passage.

This data file may not be copied in part, edited, revised, copied for resale or incorporated in any products offered for sale, without the written permission of Thomas C. Pinckney, tpinckney@williams.edu, c/o Community Bible Church, 45 Harrison Ave, Williamstown, MA 01267.