Hated for Christ (Part A)

Do you see these great buildings. He repeats what they said to him, perhaps gesturing, not one stone shall be left upon another, that shall not be on going down to get 36 years.

From this moment when he says these words. The Romans were ransacked Jerusalem and the Temple Mount will kill over million Jews demolished the temple filling this prophecy, not one stone that they are now looking at when they asked him is going to be the this is cross reference radio with our pastor and teacher Rick Gaston. Rick is the pastor of Calvary Chapel Mechanicsville. Pastor Rick is currently teaching through the book of Mark, please stay with us after today's message to hear more information about cross reference radio. Specifically, you can get a free copy of this teaching.

Now here's Pastor Rick with a brand-new study called hated Christ in Mark chapter 13 we are in the gospel according to Mark chapter 13. This begins the chapter of end time studies for a lease for me in teaching on end time studies it's really challenging because there's so much information, how much do you include how much do you take out try to keep the rhythm going and tension on the subject and also to preach to lives matter, things that matter right now so I'm going to start off with two possible titles because I don't know how far going to get. If we get to the end of the two chapter 13 and the title is hated for Christ if we don't then it's going to be something simple like the end's beginning or the beginning of the end. I do want to introduce this subject of persecution that belongs to the end times with two men Paul and Jeremiah.

Their ministries were characterized by persecution they were pierced, persecuted for preaching Christ while Jeremiah for upholding Yahweh and Paul for preaching Christ.

Paul chose his battles, he would say let's go here and let's go there. Jeremiah really had no way out. He was there in Jerusalem and wherever he went he wasn't in Jerusalem they would find him. Paul could escape his persecutions but he couldn't escape his persecutions because of his love for Christ. He writes to the Corinthians, he says, for if I preach the gospel. I have nothing to boast of when necessity is laid upon me. Woe is me. If I do not preach the gospel and that since he couldn't choose his battles. He had to preach it. The truth in love laid necessity on Paul as it did with Jeremiah. No matter the persecution they were going to preach and they did preach and we have the record of their preaching. As an example as a model is something to take him to great consideration. Jeremiah at one point got so frustrated with God, he said. Then I said I will not make mention of him nor speak anymore in his name but his word was in my heart like a burning fire shut up in my bones. I was weary of holding it back and I could not. Woe is me. Necessity is laid upon me. I have to preach the gospel.

I have to preach the truth when they were telling Paul the Ephesians were telling Paul. Don't go to Jerusalem if you go to Jerusalem, the going to arrest you and of interest to the likely going to kill you. Don't go in it. Again, weeping, and Paul responds he answered. Luke tells us what do you mean by weeping and breaking my heart where I am ready not only to be bound, but also to diet Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. It's a very, while the timing is excellent for us to consider persecution. Is it not a growing persecution shouldn't be so surprised that what's happening. It's disappointing it it sometimes you know you have to fight the flesh. Don't get angry because lawlessness will abound in love of many will grow cold, but not the love of any not the love of those who love Christ rose we can't get a job done effectively for him. Paul and Jeremiah. They were ready to die anywhere for God and this characterizes the last days and that is what we're going to look at now Mark's gospel chapter 1. I'm shooting for verse 13, some going to read all the way there beginning at verse one.

Then as he went out of the temple, one of his disciples said to him, teacher see what manner of stones and what buildings are here. Jesus answered and said to him do you see these great buildings, not one stone shall be left upon another, that shall not be thrown down. Now, as he sat on the Mount of olives opposite the temple, Peter, James, John and Andrew asked him privately tell us, when will these things be and what will be the sign when all these things will be fulfilled in Jesus answering them began to say, take heed that no one deceive you.

For many will come in my name, saying, I am he, and will deceive many. When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be troubled for such must happen, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be earthquakes in various places and there will be famines and troubles. These are the beginnings of sorrows. But watch out for yourselves. They will deliver you up to councils and you will be beaten in the synagogues, you will be brought before rulers and kings for my sake, for a testimony to them.

The gospel must first be preached to all nations, but when they arrest you and deliver you up, do not worry beforehand or premeditate what you will speak whatever is given you in that hour speak, for it is not you who speak with the Holy Spirit brother will betray brother to death, and father his child and children will rise up against parents, and cause them to be put to death and you will be hated by all for my namesake, but he who endures to the end shall be saved. All now you see why went to this whole thing with the persecution been nice if I'd gotten up front. Verse one.

Then he went out to the temple, one of his disciples said to him, teacher see what manner of stones and what buildings are here. What word says anyone on the temple. It had been a day a day of teaching a day of clobbering the religious cartel that ran Jerusalem. He clobbered them over the head with truth. The indisputable truths from their own Scripture were any of them converted. We know the last scribe that confronted Jesus said that he was a not far from the kingdom. I do believe there were many that love of that were there. Those in those days that will be in heaven a week nor two of them at least.

Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea continues in verse one.

One of his disciples the teacher see what manner of stones and what buildings are here buildings is plural, not just the temple.

Are they speaking of it was a magnificent complex that if Herodotus, the historian, admin is able to see Jerusalem, he would've listed it as one of the wonders of the world. One of the seven wonders of the world as it eventually became known it was just a credibly impressive Josephus writes a little, enough about it. I'm not going to read it because just takes up too much time, but when he says buildings here when they say do you see these buildings. They are including structures the precincts the colonnaded walkways the courtyards and the stairways. There was a entranceway on the Southwest wall that was the highest arch bridge at that time in the world to get into the city and that's go with him to get back to that in a in a moment, but the most prominent 35 acres in Israel was right here where that where he's leaving the temple, having dealt with those who challenged him and haven't having taught those who were eager to hear what he had to say and so the disciples were very impressed. They were proud of their temple and understandably so. It'd taken 85 years to complete and is still wasn't finished at the time that this exchange was taking place.

The work was ongoing six or eight years after it is finally finished. The Romans were completely destroyed verse two and Jesus answered and said do you see these great buildings, not one stone shall be left upon another, that shall not be thrown down. He pounced on their remark so they leaving the temple's Lord what you think of this place is me look at the Stalinists is beautiful. NNTP doesn't just ignore it or say it is nice. He pounces on that remark, not on them is not going after them.

He just going to give them the prophecy, the history that surrounds these things, which is has been already fulfilled. Incidentally, this is going to be over as he unfolds it. What we have here the greatest end time sermon of all the course until we get to the revelation which gives us more detail about the Rev. the end time the great tribulation. Where will we be if these men did not ask him this question is known as the Olivet discourse, but he's going to sit on the Mount of olives, which is just east right across to Kidron Valley from Jerusalem. He could see the city.

It's right there almost reach out and touch it today is the cemetery that still down in that valley because the Jews know that the prophet said messiahs going to come from the East. He's going to come from the Mount of olives and they want to be resurrected.

First, kind of a messed up.

Theology is some truth to it is all theologies that are messed up. Are there some truth doing a lot of wackiness included. Do you see these great buildings. He repeats what they said to him, perhaps gesturing, not one stone shall be left upon another, that shall not be throwing thrown down and again 36 years.

From this moment when he says these words. The Romans were ransacked Jerusalem and the temple mount. They will kill over a million Jews demolished the temple filling this prophecy, not one stone that they are now looking at when they asked him is going to be there because the Romans of 12 Josephus tells us that the façade of the temple. As you enter the Temple had heavy plates of gold on it and when the sun would rise since it was facing the east. It would be so bright that from a distance.

You thought was a whitecapped mountain and as you got closer, you could stare at it was, so the reflection was so intense. Romans when they burn the temple down. It was a brutal fight. The Jews fought all matter was just told days and days. The legions in the Jews when added, until finally the Romans defeated them and when they took the burn the building down. They sifted through the rubble and whatever stones may still have been on top of each other and he threw them down to looking for. The goal the detail all of it fulfill the rubble after was sifted on the southwestern side with that archway is that I mentioned earlier, it's about 100 foot drop and you can go there today in Jerusalem and see this is part of the Western Wall and there are a pile of stones large stone size of trucks, pickup trucks, those of the stone step. Some of the parts of the temple and the other structures they just threw them down.

It was a it was a marketplace like a strip mall. There, and when the Romans will raise the city that's with a through much of the debris. Some of the role of the rubble and stones went into the Kidron Valley. So today again you go to Israel.

You can look at doses of those are stones that Jesus saw their not part of the foundation of some of the remaining stones are part of the foundation they want visible.

He was talking about the visible structure in Matthew 23 Jesus lamenting over the city said your house.

You see, your house is left to you desolate. And that was prophetic, and spiritually. It was desolate and then physically it would be human beings. Of course, have accomplished great things compared to human beings. The temple was one of those the temple you look at as well since got something like this. It wasn't a remarkable but only because God has made the resources and the knowledge available for most of history, there is not a man had not harnessed electricity is not very far back before you know the man was able to harness electricity and have what we have now.

But before then everything was run by Euler above the lights were.

For example, kerosene lanterns, etc. and you have to look at that and say God is the one that released the knowledge without him pulling back the veil men would never have the technology we have now and are we glad because the world cannot survive men using technology.

We were watching were watching the planet be dismantled with too much wrong information by impenitent, wicked and humanistic, secularly humanistic people would put secular on that because we are all human monistic in the sense we look out for the wood. We have this human experience together. And when we don't want to harm others, but secular humanism has blocked God out of that and tends to want to manage humanity. According to their own ways their own knowledge as the prophet said is not in man to govern himself.

He can and cannot do a good job well who is ready to believe that the skyscrapers of the world now, and they're all over the world. I mean in China and Southeast Asia. Indonesia Arab world and the Middle East.

Skyscrapers are everywhere these giant cities that got these large swimming pools in a way up there. They even have roller coaster world amusement rides on them. Unlike who is ready to believe that the bulk of them, if not all of them going to end in rubble Revelation 18 verse 10 standing at a distance for fear of her torment, saying, alas, alas, that great city, Babylon, that mighty city for in one hour your judgment has come. I lean more and more to believing that such a verse is not only to deal with the city of Babylon. But the great centers of humanity against God. The point is if you take this to say this was is going to be this tremendous city on earth that God is going to flatten in an hour. Whether you take it literally or with the symbols. Either way, you end up with the hand of God saying to man if I don't want to stand and there's a reason why it's not random. Nothing is random with God. God executes judgments. He is totally justified in man is not. We are hated by God to find demons and humans for daring to share and to repeat the prophecies and the teachings of Jesus Christ. What I like about this section. When Jesus says you see these buildings. These large stones and they were enormous how they got them, and there's a incredible and have a lot of talk trying to bring these things and how they got them in place is incredible. Anyway, when they said when he when they hear him say, then I can remain, they don't scoff, they believe him. I just want to know more information you have to be impressed with that because so often prohibited. Missed you know they were unpleasant smartest guys around it, but in earlier stages with addictive developing that there they know that he knows what he's talking about and so today there are any undisturbed stones from this original work or foundational stones.

One of them 40' x 12' x 12', 40 feet long 12 feet high 12 feet wide and what's the tonnage on that and how they can do is quarry this thing in and remove it from the quarry to Jerusalem uphill is just quite remarkable.

As I've mentioned, and all of this to be in piles of verse three now now as he sat on the Mount of olives opposite the Temple Peter, James, John and Andrew asked him privately, so the disciples moved to the Mount of olives just outside the city, and he is going to turn it into his pulpit.

This, here are two sets of brothers Peter and and Andrew brothers and John and James are brothers. The other disciples are part of the initial conversation but Matthew gives us more information than midmarket Luke as an eyewitness, and you have to believe at some point the others came in with Jesus wouldn't say get away. Does this leave for guys that would expand so Zechariah this Mount of olives that he is now sitting on. Zechariah says that this is going to be the sandals on the ground for Christ when he returns when he returns with the armies of heaven, and will be with him.

Here's where he is going to touch down I believe is going to dispatch us to different places.

Maui is where I've already submitted my application so only if the restaurants are still operating rig. Other than that, this is kind of the speech is out, and everywhere else anyway. This good theology lap it up verse Zechariah 14 for and in that day his feet will stand on the Mount of olives, which faces Jerusalem on the east and the Mount of olives shall be split into from east to west making a very large valley half of the mountain shall move forward move toward the north and half of it toward the south. So that's going to be quite a dramatic return for everyone.

Verse four. Tell us, when will these things be and what will be the sign when all these things will be fulfilled.

I should pause here to say if you don't really have an end times perspective and in you going to be getting one. Don't worry about what you're not getting from the first session we got separately the ball into the end of this chapter. Several weeks of going over the end times. I would encourage you to try to build a timeline if you don't know where things are.

Most of what Christ is going to tell them has to do with after the rapture of the church and for good reason. There was no such thing as the church at this point the church was not yet burned. There were synagogues, assembly places, but it was not the churches.

As we understand it, that will come later and so will the teachings on that from the apostle Paul would get the one in little bit. But tell us, when will these things be, and you have to applaud that they want to know they didn't just say wow that that's going to be something.

This is a crossed the Kidron Valley their wheels were turning in "what is he talking about this place going to be wiped out so they did. Asked how could they not, not one stone left thrown down.

Glad as they said they asked and they asked when and what, what, when is it going to happen. One of them to be the signs is good question. These lessons that come from him will come with warnings take heed, watch out.

And you can't miss it when you read this if you are one. The highlight in your Bible, and especially if you now with with tablets electronic devices you can highlight very without making a mess. You just highlight take heed, watch and you you you understand the Holy Spirit is saying to you. I am emphasizing this and he does not waste an emphasis verse five and Jesus answering them began to say, take heed that no one deceives you. So he begins his lesson on the end time with a warning about being deceived and tricked the Satan is working you know if you have a problem with someone. Another Christian particular and you know you you can maybe feel resentment coming up maybe would help. This is helped me. Maybe it will help to recognize the Satan is messing with the situation that Heather he is getting the upper hand on the other one was getting it on.

You will both certainly trying on both and when you begin to see it that way then some of the maybe the resentment and the hurt feelings begin to to to move down to the bottom and the spirit gets gets up over the flesh. Why do Christians do some of the stuff they do.

Satan is targeting them and now I can look at them and with love and say you know that their victim see no matter what they've done to me. It's a something I again practice and have found it helpful otherwise. After years of serving you can become jaded and and just, you know better.

The confusion and that's not that's not what God wants anyway. He begins with a warning that will automatically make them pay attention.

Watch out, take heed that sound so you know academic reading it in the English take heed what really if I translated it. It would've been something like you better watch out. Anyway, that no one deceives you. So foremost again. There is Paul will write to the church about the end times and he says desolate second Thessalonians chapter 2, speaking about when Antichrist there is coming a central figure that unlike all the other people who have been against Jesus Christ.

This one's going to be just an exaggerated figure against Christ and he will be empowered by Satan unlike any other human being we've ever heard of.

And when the lawless one will be revealed whom the Lord will consume with the breath of his mouth and destroy with the brightness of his coming will I like that Paula single before you panic understand he loses, but before he loses there going to be other losers.

Those who side with him move. Thanks for tuning in to cross reference radio for this study in the book of Mark cross reference radio is the teaching ministry of Pastor Rick Gaston of Calvary Chapel Mechanicsville in Virginia to learn more information about this ministry. Visit our website cross reference radio.com once you're there you'll find additional teachings from Pastor Rick. We encourage you to subscribe to our podcast. When you subscribe will be notified of each new edition of cross reference radio.

You can search for cross reference radio on your favorite podcast that that's all we have time for today, but we hope you'll join us next time. As Pastor Rick continues to teach through the book of Mark right here on cross reference radio