Signs of the End

What are the signs we should expect that will let us know that the end of the age is near to question a lot of people are asking today but it's not a new question Jesus disciples asked him the same thing in today on Truth for Life. Alistair Begggest teaching from Mark chapter 13 verses five through 13. He's titled today's message signs of the end is nice and all that other people other than crazy Christians are predicting the end of the universe by what whether it is some kind of biblical prophetic interpretation or un-biblical prediction I what they both have in common is an attempt to disprove what Jesus says clearly in the 32nd verse of this chapter, namely, that concerning that day or that are. No one knows and the fanciful notions that surrounds the question of the return of Jesus and the end of civilization as we know it continue unabated and clearly, that was the case in the context in which Jesus was speaking you will see that there are four individuals with Jesus that are engaged in this dialogue to move them out wrote letters Peter and John and when John wrote, the reason I mention this is because one of the questions that that inevitably comes to mind is, these fellas were there to ask the question Jesus gave them the answers to their question. How then did they apply it when they in turn were the teachers of others.

Did they get off on the same tracks with this material, or did they stay. If you like straight down the middle of the thoroughfare of answer is in first John chapter 3 see what kind of love the Father has given to his rights.

John that we should be called children of God. And so we are the reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him.

Beloved, we are God's children now and what we will be has not yet appeared but we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is not any doubt in his mind is not theoretical. This is absolutely practical and he drives on the implications of it. On this occasion and everyone with escorts in him purifies himself, as he is pure.

When Peter writes his first letter to the scattered Christians of his day here in his introduction to his letter, it is along the same lines.

First Peter chapter 1 in verse three Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. He sets begins with his great exclamation of praise, according to his great mercy he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead to an inheritance that is imperishable and undefiled and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God's power and being guarded through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time anyone on the sick, and in this you rejoice, even though for a little while you may face trials of various kinds in the fight that you know that these trials of cotton to test your faith, so as to prove how genuine it is and you may be in no doubt that this same God who is bringing you through this is guarding you and keeping you and will bring everything to fulfillment to fruition. In other words, the return of Jesus Christ is not a piece of theological lumbar and it comes across clearly than in the way. Peter writes he starts from the fight that God the father has displayed his mercy in the atoning death of his son. This has been applied to the lives of those who believe they have been born again to a living hope that living hope is on account of the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. If he was still in a Palestinian too. There is no but he is not he is risen, he is the ascended king. Therefore, there is an inheritance and inheritance that is not like your retirement package is not like your stock portfolio is not like all your stuff that will eventually going to Gary's sale. It is not like that at all. It is imperishable. It is undefiled and is kept in heaven for you, for those who are awaiting the return of Jesus Christ.

The absolute visible physical glorious definite return of Jesus of Nazareth. So don't let any of us be in any any any confusion concerning this. Nobody is standing back from that which is main and that which is playing Jesus has promised he will return in the Christian lives in expectation of the return of Jesus.

Either he will come for us first, or we will go to meet him by seeing him.

We will and return. He will even as he's promised now.

Not everybody believes this, not even some people apparently profess themselves to be Christians believe this I hear people telling me that the return of Jesus Christ was a spiritual return and that he returned in the hearts and minds of the of his followers. And that's what started them up post resurrection and so on account of futile notion, and liberal scholarship just dismisses Mark chapter 13 just wholesale, and the equivalent passages in 24 of Matthew and 21 of Luke. Just as Jesus didn't say any of the stuff, but as the standard by which liberal scholarship works. We are not starting from their et al. no Jesus in this discourse on the Mount of olives is pastoral in his concern strengthening and sustaining the faith of his followers in the request which we've noted a couple of times now is there in verse four. Tell us, when will these things be and what will be the sign when all these things are about to be accomplished the mind of the disciples cannot conceive of a time without the temple in Jerusalem, and therefore they collate two things.

One, the destruction of the temple and the end of the age when is all this going to unfold and that kind of twofold.

I mention then runs as we've said in a telescopic fashion all the way through the reply of Jesus, so the request is straightforward and the response you will notice begins in verse five, Mark tells us that at that point Jesus began to say to them. First of all, do not be led astray see that no one leads you astray.

In other words, what he saying is there's a real possibility that you could be led astray no reason to say see that you're not led astray.

If there's no chance of being led astray. The means of grace that God is given to us in the reading of the Bible and prayer, and the fellowship of his people in the. The sacraments of baptism and the Lord's supper in the issues of church discipline, and so on. All of these things are to be attended upon so as to ensure that we are not led astray. You neglect your Bible, you may be led astray, you neglect the worship of God's people. You may be led astray. One call taken out of the fire put over by itself will very quickly go out and pick it back up and put it in amongst the rest of the calls and it will be eliminated and give warmth to the house along with the others, so this is not theoretical here on the part of Jesus.

He is passionately concerned for his followers. Remember one of them is going to go astray, one who would've had this discourse as it was re-reported and they didn't do a particularly good job today when everything began to turn against Christ. Now this is an important word does not see that no one leads you astray in any explains why this is presently important because verse six.

Many will come in my name, saying, I am he, and they will lead many astray. They will lead many astray, not obviously that is true of that time, but it is not limited to that time because all of human history is full of charlatans arising generation after generation either miss managing the words of Jesus attempting to portray themselves as Jesus or explaining that Jesus means very little, without their explanation because they actually are the profit that was the one who needed to explain the prophecies that were contained in the Bible. Many will be led astray. Manny will be led astray because they never paid attention to who Jesus is, how Jesus came the eternal nature of his son ship. The fact that the doctrine of the Trinity is not a piece of theological nonsense that it is foundational that there is a radical difference between the coy eternity of father son and Holy Spirit and Jesus, who is a product of our relationship is vastly different. While we like to know by the end of the temple in the world and everything else will let me just say one thing do make sure you not led astray for people will come saying all kinds of things and many will be led astray.

Many will be led astray. Here's a situation where there is no safety in numbers level no safety in numbers as a source direct. Secondly, says, and I do not want you to be led astray, and I do not want you to be alarmed.

I don't want you to be alarmed when you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed by this is a do not be alone because wars and rumors of worms are a basis for and if you throw in famines and earthquakes and in the movement of nations against one another. These are all kinds of things that can unsettle a purse, and at the end of the RC is about the beginning of birth pains.

She would, Jesus and many other things are going to happen to you fellows will will will appear to be signs of the end of the age, but they may not actually even be signs of the imminence of the end of the temple and once again, if you read history, you discover that, of course, there were wars and rumors of wars, of course, there were all these kinds of things. There were athletes and there were famines, but why would we think there wouldn't be because we all have our kind of end of the universe mindset. I never met anybody who thought that the end of the age was actually Russians have never met anybody. Most of you were told by the end of the world.

Coastal animals, like next Tuesday.

I don't have her here in very many people explaining that they think the universe is going to go on for tonight thousand more years we can write a book on that. Nobody, nobody cares what possible relevance does it have no everybody's always on the now now now now now is if this is the first time in the universe. There were famines or earthquakes or wars and rumors of wars, or international peace conferences never lived here, yet without earthquakes or without famines or without international crisis. Does it exhausted prior to 70 course, not once again you have the telescope you got interweaving of these things instead of being troubled or preoccupied by them.

The believer is to recognize that these are just and the metaphor uses is a good one. The birth pains and I summary this week.

I said when's the babies usually save thousands of Judaic questions that were not sure you're not sure make on early May, little late. We don't know he's kicking.

We understand that she's kicking or they're doing the Branson Hicks or whatever those things they do. But whether just the beginning of the birth pains unless we Jesus and say the metaphor is a great metaphor because you see for a Jewish woman without giving birth. Her life was robbed of meaning if you can give birth. She had no goal.

So the beginning of the travail for a Jewish woman and that now the significance of our life was going to be there for all to see.

In the fulfillment of her desire and began with the pains in the pains of the promise that she's going to have what she waits for with longing answer.

Jesus says when these pains come the sufferings that come along with them will be an indication of the fact that there is a day coming that will give meaning to your life's as well. Thoroughly, verse nine. I want you to be on your guard in a way does this seasonal and lead you astray. Let me tell you why, because many people will be involved. Charlatans then we hear about wars and rumors of wars and stuff. Do not be alarmed because it is not the end is just the beginning of the birth pains and there's no guarantee that about the time that there is that exist between all of that movement towards and and and stop the actual arrival. Thirdly be on your guard, why more because they're going to deliver your councils and beat you in the synagogues and you stand before governors and kings for my sake I'm in when's the last time you were at any thought of being taken into a synagogue and given a jolly good meeting and it hasn't been a king around here for a couple hundred years at least. And even if he showed up would probably give him a beating, rather than he gave us a beating so that there is there is little other little application.

There is not immediately, not immediately, and you will notice that the reason for the suffering that are going to face is according to just three words there in the verse nine form. I say, for my sake, and then down again in verse 13, you will be hated by all for my namesake for my namesake is that these people are disruptive in the culture standing out in the street with signs and whatnot, not necessarily normal.

Now, there's just that the people hate the Jews hated them because of what they said concerning the Messiah ship of Jesus and the Gentiles. I hated them as well. These strange people who were cannibalistic so they thought.

Why else would they be gathering in places and eating and eating the body and blood of their Messiah Jesus of Nazareth. Now you don't have to read into the acts of the apostles for very long before you realize that what Jesus says here Takes Pl., Peter and John are imprisoned there release their arrested they are beaten.

Stephen is stoned James is killed by King Herod so Jesus says this is what is going to unfold for you is going to give you an opportunity to tell the truth about who I am and about what I have done and interestingly you will see that verse 10 is one little sentence nestles in there between verse nine and verse 11, which I recognize is where you would expect verse 10 what I the point I'm making is that the phrase over which there's a lot of ink spilled in a lot of coffee spilled as well and a lot of horn here used since in between the bearing of witness for the name of Jesus and suffering before governors and so on. And then when they bring you to trial and deliver you over in the prospect of that and in the middle of that and the gospel must be proved first proclaimed to all the nations, so anything that's really about coming in in in that context, what would you think he said what what is it. Was he telling me said how did this start. This is quite a place. Jesus did you see these buildings Jesus as you see those buildings they're going without me. It meant this, that no longer work. People going to encounter God in a dark room of an ancient building in the Middle East because he was no longer inhabiting that temple, his followers are now the dwelling place of God.

Those followers are going out into all the ends of their with this good news they are going to get a hammering for this in Jerusalem and in Judea and when they go to the ends of the air, and as soon as they go out there with that news, it will become apparent that this message that is being conveyed through the Jewish people has come to an end and that this message now is for all the nations for the Jews and for the Gentiles, for those from Macedonia from those from Greece and so on and in the post Pentecostal experience you have this very thing taking place.

The gospel is being proclaimed to all the nations is anomalous in the damp and we can hear the gospel being proclaimed in our own tongue now does not exhaust the notion of the loss will be improvement. All the nations no, there is every indication that the expansive die mention of that speaks to the fact that God's patience is such that he is allowing his voice to go to the ends of the earth, so that all the nations of the world will have the opportunity of the gospel by think about what all nations meant in the minds of Peter, James and Andrew and John did any thought about United States. They couldn't didn't exist. Great Britain.

These nations did not exist. So he says the ghost was going around to all the nations he speaking to a group of followers who said to them, tell us when this all happened and what will the signs be says this was going to happen the hall you in the give your doing.

Remember the gospel as well as all the nations and when they do make sure that you are on your guard. In fact, he says, looking verse 12 brother will deliver brother over the death and the fatherless child and the children will rise against their parents and have them put to death. In other words, the, the familial relationships that time men and women to one another will eventually be broken down under the impact of the gospel. What this means for us today is different from what it means to our brothers and sisters in the Sudan and Afghanistan and in Pakistan and many other places.

But why would this strike us when Jesus has already said if anyone wants to become my follower issued take up his cross and follow me. Let me first go and bury my father led the dead.

The day but I have got a business.

I got a field forget you feel you have no family ties. Forget your family life. You see, unless those umbilical cords are severed in the core of a person, however, will we would we ever be able meant to face the challenge that is represented here. But he says I want you to know that the one who endures to the end will be saved is what what you have in the book of Revelation be be thou faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life. You see the cohesion of the chapter that tell us what will these things be and what will happen.

He says don't be led astray because of your led astray you will continue to the end and if you don't continue to the end you will be safe. Don't a lot of these things to alarm you and unsettle you and knock you off your horse is if you did not of your horse.

You will continue to the end and if you don't continue to the end you will be saved and be on your guard because you gotta be brought under the persecuting gaze of those who hate you for my namesake and if you allow that to disestablish you and you will continue to the end and if you don't continue to the end, you won't be seen is the one who endures to the end will be saved we say, but I know but I mean you just endure to the end of your Savior endure to the end. How do you endure to the end if you say buy into into the by keeping yourself in the love of God to very same thing you have in the in the same few verses of Jude now unto him who is able to keep you from falling and present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy. So on. God does as he's wanted keeps you from falling in the same few verses he says keep yourself in the love of God. So the one who is Keeps entities he doesn't keep in the ground of our salvation is and what Christ is accomplished by his first and then he is calm and dealt with everything that was necessary in our lives.

The triumphant victory of his first AdVent will be brought out in all of its fullness in his second advent, so he says make sure that you endure to the end.

Don't throw the towel down in don't lie down in the grass. Don't allow all the unsettling factors of the universe to do knock you off your strength. Keep going keep going. Clearly this admonition from Jesus applies to us today, and perhaps no more so than right now as we field birth pangs of his second coming.

Your listing to Truth for Life. The message from Alastair big called signs of the end and rather than allowing the current cultural tensions tube somehow knock us off our stride as Alastair said how much better for us to invest our energy in walking faithfully with Jesus as a devoted disciple in any circumstance at Truth for Life we been impressed by a classic book written by the late British theologian John Stott. The book is called the disciple the book is filled with biblical wisdom, especially for Christians who are struggling to know how to interact with the present day world.

John Stott explores four key parts of discipleship. How we hear from God how we keep from allowing our emotions to overtake us how to think wisely and rightly about her vocation and how to love one another more effectively would be happy to send you a copy of the disciple yours when you give to support the ministry of Truth for Life to give than to request a copy of the disciple. You can click on the book image in the mobile app or go online to Truth for Life.org you can also call 888588788. Jesus told his disciples that a day of tribulation was coming. It would be unlike anything they'd ever witnessed before.

But what did he mean by that.

I'm Bob Lapine you can join us again tomorrow as Alastair presents a message called be on guard the Bible teaching of Alastair big is furnished by Truth for Life where the Learning is for Living