Jesus Prophesies about the Future IV

Mark 13:24-31.  This sermon was preached by Pastor Marty Bonner on October 11, 2020.

In our passage today, Jesus instructs us about one of the cardinal doctrines that he gave to the Church.  He will come again, a Second Coming.

The idea of him leaving and then coming back had already been revealed to them.  John 14:1-3 says this,

“Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me.  In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you.  I go to prepare a place for you.  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.”  (NKJV)

It is clear that Jesus has in mind a wedding analogy.  The description of what he says completely fits a young man preparing a place for his bride on his father’s property.  Jesus had warned them that he would be leaving them, but that it was for a purpose.  He would eventually return for his bride so that they could be together.

In our passage today, he promises his disciples that this coming again would be in “power and great glory,” in order to reward the saints and remove the wicked.  Of course, there is much more to it than that, but I do not want to stray from our focus on this passage.

So, in the setting of this passage, Jesus has told his disciples that there would be a period of time from his leaving until his coming back that would be a time of labor pains for the world, a time of sorrows.  It would be a time of the Gentiles in which God would send the Gospel to the ends of the earth.  This long period (almost 2,000 years now) would come to an end in a seven-year period of difficulty called the Great Tribulation, which we discussed over the last two weeks.  Mark 13:24 begins the third stage of this prophecy, the Second Coming of the Son of Man, which basically happens on a single day, but will have repercussive events.

Let’s go through the passage.

The Second Coming of Jesus

Jesus actually refers to this event as the coming of “the Son of Man.”  He is employing a phrase that can be a way of calling someone human, but when it is used in a prophetic passage about the end of the age, it is a clear reference to the Son of Man that is prophesied in Daniel 7:13-14.

“I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him.   ¹⁴ And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed.”

Jesus is connecting his leaving and coming back to a character of ancient prophecy, the Son of Man who would come on the clouds and receive the kingdoms of the world from the Ancient of Days.  If you read the context of these verses from Daniel, you see that the Ancient of Days has overruled the attempt of multiple “beasts,” a metaphor for Gentile Empires, to rule the world.  Instead, the God of Creation gives the kingdoms of this world to a particular human who can ride the clouds of heaven and will share his kingdom with the saints of God, rather than the powerful of this world.  This is a strange and cryptic figure.  He is clearly human, “son of man,” and yet rides the clouds, something a heavenly being would do.

Now let us look at the wording of verse 24.  Jesus says that this coming would be “in those days,” and “after that tribulation.”  He is very clear about connecting the Great Tribulation directly to his Second Coming.  This is important because we do have to watch for the tendency of prophecy to conflate events separated by long periods of time.  However, the terminology that Jesus uses states that the Great Tribulation will have come to an end (“after”) and yet, the Second Coming will be in “those” days.  On top of this, Matthew 24 uses the word “immediately.”

In fact, the Second Coming of Jesus becomes the apex or capstone to the terrible days of the Great Tribulation.  To the wicked who have chosen to worship the beast and his kingdom, it will be the final blow of the wrath of God.  To the righteous who have chosen to wait for Jesus, it will be the beginning of the Utopian age of which mankind has often dreamed.  This is the same thing as shown in Revelation 19.  At the conclusion of the Seven Seals, Seven Trumpets, and Seven Bowls of Wrath, Jesus comes riding on the clouds of heaven with an army in tow.

Even at the worst time of all human history, God has a plan and has not forgotten us.  He will save humanity from itself, and from the fallen angels.  He has not abandoned us!  The Great Tribulation will be God’s last attempt to draw humans back from the abyss that we longingly push towards.

Jesus then describes some signs that would be seen in the heavens or sky.  The sun will be darkened, the moon will not give its light, and the stars of heaven will fall.  This is then summarized as, “the powers of the heavens will be shaken.”

I believe that there is a literal and metaphorical overlap happening here.  The book of Revelation also mentions the sun becoming black as sackcloth, the moon becoming like blood, and the stars of heaven falling to the earth.  Some of the devastation upon the earth is from things that are falling from the sky, whether they are asteroids, comets, or meteors is not specifically made clear.  Such events would put enough particulate in the atmosphere to obscure the light of the celestial objects.  Yet, there are cryptic references in the Old Testament to the day of the Lord’s coming that also seem to imply a supernatural reason for the lights to go out during what should be day time (Zechariah 14:6-7).  We can say that this is only metaphor, but then must deal with all the other places in the Old Testament that connects the darkening sun and blood-like moon to the Day of the Lord.  There will most likely be both natural and supernatural things going on.  Luke 21 tells us that men’s hearts will fail them for fear of the things coming upon the earth, when these things happen.

Yet, the stars and falling stars is used metaphorically to refer to angels and rebel angels respectively.  Thus, Revelation 12:12 says, “Woe to the inhabitants of the earth for the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, because he knows that he has a short time.”  That book pictures the rebel spiritual forces being pushed out of the heavens down onto the earth, as well as the Abyss (a prison for fallen angels) opening up to release others.  The earth becomes the ground for the Day of the Lord’s great judgment against Satan and his forces, and those who join in league with them.  The things happening in the natural become a symbol, or picture, of those things that are happening in the spirit realm.

It is interesting that all three Gospels use the phrase, “they will see” at the Second Coming of Jesus.  At the least, it implies that the disciples in front of him will not be on the earth at his Second Coming.  It may even imply that the Church has been raptured before this point.  However, those points are tenuous from this text.  The point is that following the celestial signs will be a celestial event in which the world sees the Son of Man coming in the clouds with great power and great glory (described in Zechariah 14, and Revelation 19).  This is one of the main points of contrast that we looked at last week.  The false christs and false prophets of the Great Tribulation will do powerful things in order to wow humanity.  However, their coming will be nothing compared to the coming of the Son of Man, the one who rides the clouds and vanquishes his foes.  Nevertheless, the deceptive character of Satan would lead us to believe that the Antichrist will appear to put down a group of diabolical leaders as an attempt to mimic this.  Satan’s empire always has innumerable groups of diabolical leaders from which to pit one against another by means of deception.

In contrast, what a day that will be when Jesus splits the sky!  Whether you have already passed from this life, have been raptured, or are still barely surviving here on the earth in that moment, what a glorious moment that will be!  After all the turmoil and rage of the Antichrist kingdom, decreeing and executing those who do not take its mark, God sends His Son, His Savior, from the heavens to save mankind.  He is faithful to the end, even when we are faithless.

Part of the appearing of the Son of Man will be the gathering of all of his elect.  The word “elect” can also be translated as “chosen.”  Just as we will soon turn in our ballots depicting who we are choosing in November’s election, so Jesus has chosen some to be his.  Our choosing will be important, but it pales in comparison to the real question, “Has Jesus chosen me?”

He has chosen those who would turn their back on their life of sin, pick up their cross, and follow him.  He has chosen those who would continue to live in faith of his coming, and his resurrection, even in the face of a world that ridicules and persecutes them for it.  He has chosen those who are not seduced by the antichrist spirit of this age, that powerful beastly spirit, that only seduces those who choose to follow their flesh over the top of the Holy Spirit.

We are told that the angels gather the elect, the chosen, from heaven and earth.  The righteous who have physically died throughout the ages will be gathered from the heavens to come back with Christ, and those on the earth who have refused the beast kingdom, and survived the Great Tribulation, will also be gathered to Jesus.  They are to share in his reward of taking hold of the kingdoms of this world.  Amen; even so, come quickly Lord Jesus!

The Parable of the Fig Tree

Following his description of the Second Coming, Jesus gives a parable to emphasize how closely connected the Second Coming is to the Great Tribulation.  Whether a fig tree or any other tree, the sprouting of green leaves in the spring testifies to the nearness of summer.  This lesson in the natural is intended to encourage us in the spiritual. 

Some make a big deal regarding the fig tree representing Israel.  Though the nation of Israel is an important prophetic sign, it is not exactly what Jesus is meaning here.  He makes it clear by saying “when you see these things happening, know that it is near” (Matthew says “all these things”).  It is not seeing the beginning of these things (The Time of Sorrows, which we now know lasts almost 2,000 years), but the seeing of all of these things.  Clearly, this means everything mentioned up to the Second Coming.  The events of the Great Tribulation will make it clear that his coming is near.  Jesus wanted us to know that, when it all goes down, it will happen quickly and people should not despair.  Neither should believers give up their hope in his coming, and begin to follow after the temptations of sin, especially joining the beast-kingdom via the mark.

Verse 30 is often pointed to by critics of Jesus and the Bible as proof that Jesus was a false prophet.  They assume that Jesus is pointing to his disciples and telling them that they and their generation will not pass away until all of these things happen.  Even some who claim to be Christians will waffle on this point, saying that Jesus thought it would happen in a generation, but was mistaken (i.e. everything he said is true, but he was mistaken on the timing).  I do not believe Jesus was talking about his generation.  The context is about those who see all of these things.  It is that generation that will not pass away before all things he spoke would be fulfilled, not the generation that sees some of them.  The nearness is to those who see them all, which is, more than likely, less than 3 ½ years.

Jesus finishes this section with a statement about how dependable and trustworthy these prophecies are.  They are more dependable than the continued existence of the earth and the heavens.  In light of God’s revealed intent to recreate the heavens and the earth in the future, this makes perfect sense. 

It is not the amount of hydrogen fuel in our sun that is the clock on how long humanity has on this earth.  It is the end of the times of the Gentiles, the beginning of the Great Tribulation, and the Second Coming of Jesus that helps us to know how much time we have left.

However, there is a more excellent way.  Don’t tell yourself that you can get ready if it appears that it is getting worse, or closer.  You only deceive yourself and harden your flesh against the Spirit of God.  Put your faith in Jesus today, and live with the Blessed Hope of His return in your heart every day.  That way, you no longer have to worry about how much time is left because you are always ready; semper paratus!

Jesus Prophesies about the Future III

Mark 13:14-23. This sermon was preached by Pastor Marty Bonner on October 04, 2020.

Today, we will continue looking at the Great Tribulation, a period of time that will transition the world from the Age of the Church to the Second Coming of Christ.  This is a period of seven years in which the Holy Spirit quits restraining the coming of Antichrist and the wrath of God is poured out upon the earth in the second half of it.  It will be a period that is also marked by the wrath of Satan and his evil spiritual cohorts.  They hate humanity and want to bring us completely into servitude.  It will also be a period of the wrath of man.  Leaders throughout the world will be led by such evil spirits to destroy those who do not go along with the global empire, its economic system, and its false peace.

Christians are warned against looking to the kingdoms of this world to bring about Utopia and a New World of peace.  We know that the only administration that can cure the evils of this world is one that comes from heaven and is led by God’s Anointed One, Jesus.  His return is our Blessed Hope given by God.  The hope is not that we will escape difficulty.  Rather, the hope is that, no matter what difficulties we face in this life, the Second Coming of Jesus and the Resurrection of the saints will bring us into a time when we will enjoy perfect peace on the earth in an immortal body.  It is the beginning of eternity in which we will never sorrow again!

Let’s read this section of the prophecy of Jesus.

The Greatest Tribulation ever will occur

Last week, we talked about the desire of some in Israel to build a “Third Temple.”  The Bible warns that the Man of Sin, who is the Beast and Antichrist, will oppose and exalt “himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.” 2 Thessalonians 2:4.  Mark 13:14 calls this event the Abomination of Desolation, which we also talked about last week.  It is a thing so abominable to God that it will bring desolation and destruction upon the place.  I believe that this event triggers the series of judgments that we refer to as the wrath of God and will happen near the middle point of the Great Tribulation.  Clearly, it will be connected with the mark of the Beast, which is both an economic and worship issue.  Whether people understand it or not, the whole world will be in submission to and in worship of Satan.

When this event happens, Jesus says that anyone in Judea should immediately flee the area because of the coming difficulties.  It pictures a person who is relaxing on the flat roofs that are common in the Middle East.  They are not to take the extra time to go down into the house and get supplies.  The person in the field should not go back into the city in order to get their “Go-Bag.” 

Jesus adds that it will particularly difficult for those who are in situations like being pregnant or nursing a baby.  In any bad situation, we can often forget that it could be worse.  Things will be bad enough, but he tells them to pray that it won’t happen in winter time., i.e. in a time in which it is difficult to escape quickly.

Of course, the Great Tribulation will quickly become bad all over the world.  The emphasis here is upon those in Judea and is most likely intended for those Jews who are alive at that time.  Note that in Matthew 24, Jesus even says to pray that your flight is not during the Sabbath, which would be a contention only for observant Jews.  We should not forget that Jesus cares about his fellow Jews, and he has warned them about both the destruction of 70 AD (Luke 21:20-24) and the coming destruction in the Great Tribulation (Matthew 24:15-28 and Mark 13:14-23).  The immediate danger during the Great Tribulation seems to be that the Antichrist and his forces will move to take the city, but this is not entirely clear in this prophecy.

Jesus then repeats the warning that he had given earlier in regards to the Age of the Gentiles, or the Times of the Labor Pains.  False christs and false prophets have always come and gone.  The difference is that here it mentions that they will deceive the people by great signs and wonders.  They will be empowered by Satan to do things that will wow the world.  Revelation 13 mentions several things that wow the world in the end times.  The deadly wound of the Beast will be healed.  The False Prophet performs great signs, so that he even “makes fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men.  He will deceive those who dwell on the earth by those signs which he was granted to do in the sight of the Beast, telling those who dwell on the earth to make an image to the Beast who was wounded by the sword and lived.”  The False Prophet also is the one who “gives breath” to the image of the Beast.  Revelation 16 also tells us that, as the Tribulation comes to an end, three unclean spirits will go out into the earth.  “They are spirits of demons, performing signs, which go out to the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.”

It will be a time when mankind will be ripe for the greatest deception ever because they rejected a love of the truth that God has been offering them for 20 centuries plus.  Some people categorically state that these signs can’t be real, and instead are faked.  However, just as humans have a kind of power that is amazing at deceiving other humans, so these evil spirits have powers that are beyond ours.  They are not even close to God, but they can wow us humans.

Matthew 24:26-28 adds another point to this issue of false christs.  The Beast leader will be worshiped in the place of Jesus, a false christ.  Jesus shows us how we will know that he is fake by contrasting it with his real Second Coming.  The Second Coming will be so obvious that no one will have to tell you that it happened.  This contrast starts between the First and Second Comings of Christ.

At his First Coming, Jesus was born into a human body (mortal), in a humble way, and his arrival was announced by a “come and see” announcement (not just at his birth too).  In contrast to this at his Second Coming, Jesus comes in an immortal body, on the clouds in great power and glory, and no one will need to announce it.  Every eye will see him coming on the clouds, but we will talk about that next week.  Antichrist seems to be a person who comes as Jesus did the first time.  He will be born, grow up, and use powerful signs to draw people to him.  The world will take it hook, line, and sinker.

Today, deception is at the fleshly and intellectual level.  Yes, we have heard amazing tales among false christs and prophets, but none that are truly like what Jesus did.  We need to know the truth so well that not even an amazing miraculous demonstration of power could pull us away from it.  I don’t just mean a set of propositions, but that we know the One who is The Way, and The Truth, and The Life!  This is a time to press into the Word, and into prayer, so that we can know the authentic Christ6 and his ways.  Then we will not only avoid deception, but we will be able to rescue others from deception as well.

Friend, don’t go another day without making your peace with God the Father.  Embrace the answer that He has sent to earth for your sins, Jesus.  Put your faith in him today so that you will not be caught up in the deception that is even now knocking on the door.

Jesus Prophesies about the Future II

Mark 13:14-23; Zechariah 14:1-5.  This sermon was preached by Pastor Marty Bonner on September 27, 2020.

Today, we start our look at the second part of the Olivet Discourse.  Days before Jesus will be betrayed and crucified, he gives a detailed prophecy regarding the future from the First Century AD up to his Second Coming.  The answer that Jesus gives to their questions about the future has three parts to it and last week we looked at the first part.

So, let’s look at the first part.

Comparing Mark 13 with Matthew 24 & Luke 21

In each of the three Gospels, the answer of Jesus follows a three-part focus.  The first focus is on the difficulty of the years ahead, before he comes back.  The third focus is on the Second Coming of Jesus.  The focus we will look at today is the second one and is about Judea and Jerusalem.

Each Gospel adds a little something different that the other Gospels do not have, and they also leave out things that the others tell us.  In the first and third focus, it is very clear that they are all talking about the same thing.  Yet, in this second focus, you will see by the chart above that I believe Luke is significantly different from Matthew and Mark.  It is not contradictory because we know that there is far more discussion that has happened than what is written down. 

In the Gospel of Luke, the second focus talks about armies surrounding Jerusalem, and an exile to the nations of Israel.  He states that this will last until the Times of the Gentiles are fulfilled, or come to an end.  This is clearly describing the destruction of Jerusalem by the Roman armies in 70 A.D.

Matthew and Mark, however, mention none of these things.  Instead, they talk about the Abomination of Desolation standing in the Holy Place of the Temple and a Great Tribulation that is the worst the world will ever see.  They both use language that ties the Great Tribulation directly to the Second Coming of the third focus of the prophecy.  Matthew 24:29 says, “immediately after the tribulation of those days…”  Whereas, Mark 13:24 says, “But in those days, after that tribulation…”  Luke does not use this immediate language.  In fact, his words imply a long period, the Times of the Gentiles, that has no fixed length.  This leads me to believe that Jesus spoke about difficult times that Israel would experience in 70 A.D., particularly in Judea and Jerusalem.  Yet, he also talked about difficult times that Israel would have in the years right before his Second Coming.  These are two different destructive events that have the exact same encouragement, “Get out of the area!” 

The similarity of the imperatives to quickly run to the mountains leads some people to say that the Great Tribulation is speaking about 70 A.D.  However, it seems ludicrous to pretend that somehow the events of 70 A.D., though extremely horrible and difficult, were the worst tribulation the world, or Israel, will ever see.  What about World War II?  Coupled with Matthew and Marks emphasis on the Second Coming happening at the end of those days, the near and far away aspect of this prophesy becomes clearer.

The Greatest Tribulation ever will occur

Hopefully at this point, you are on board that Luke is sharing the prophesy that Jesus gives regarding the destruction of Jerusalem in the First Century, and that Mark is sharing the prophesy that Jesus gives regarding the difficulties that Jerusalem will have in the Great Tribulation immediately before his Second Coming, which is still future to us.  Yes, the Bible describes a future destructive event at Jerusalem at the end of this age, which will be interrupted by the Second Coming of Jesus.

In case you are not convinced yet, we need to look at an Old Testament prophecy in Zechariah 14.  Here, Zechariah depicts a partial destruction of Jerusalem that is stopped by the coming of Messiah in great power.  It cannot be forced to fit the destruction in 70 A.D. without making most of it symbolic.  Let me just say once again, that I have no problem with symbolism being employed and used here.  However, I do think it is a mistake to automatically dismiss the literal.  Something can be true both literally and Symbolically.

Zechariah describes “all the nations” coming against Jerusalem.  Yet, the army of Rome was very diverse, but it is a stretch to say that it is talking about the Roman army.  He also states that “half of the city” is taken captive, but not a remnant of the people.  “Then the Lord will go out to fight against those nations in that day.”  Again, if we try to make the Lord fighting only symbolic then we would have Jesus symbolically fighting against the nations of the world or Rome.  We could perhaps posit that Christians going into the nations is that battle, and would be somewhat correct.  Yet, Zechariah also pictures the feet of Jesus touching the Mt. of Olives and splitting it in half so greatly that it creates a valley for people to flee from Jerusalem.  At this point, you realize that your symbolism scheme becomes extremely convoluted in order to avoid any literal understanding. 

Yet, it becomes even more difficult for those who only accept a symbolic understanding of this passage.  Verse 5 mentions that all the saints will be coming with the Messiah.  Then, verse 12 describes the way that the Lord will defeat the nations.  “And this shall be the plague with which the LORD will strike all the people who fought against Jerusalem: their flesh shall dissolve while they stand on their feet, their eyes shall dissolve in their sockets, and their tongues shall dissolve in their mouths.”    Some say that this is all poetic metaphor, such as their ability to see truth and speak wisdom will dissolve, or fall apart.  That may have some truth to it, but it doesn’t pass the sniff test.  It smacks of the same trick that cults do when their prophecies don’t happen.  They try to say it happened spiritually and not literally.  Bear in mind that we can also ask the same question of Revelation 19.  Is it simply poetic metaphor?  Is the rule of Messiah/Jesus over the earth simply poetic metaphor?

We have now gone through a lot of setup for this section, but it is critical to understanding that Luke is picturing a different time than Mark.  Why didn’t they all clearly detail both destructions?  Partially, it would be because they didn’t completely understand the distinctions.  We have the benefit of hindsight.  I would also have to believe that God purposefully led them to detail these separately.

As we go through these verses, we will make it clear that this second section in Mark is talking about a Great Tribulation, which will happen at the end of this age, and may be just on the horizon.

In verse 14, Jesus brings up a phrase that was well known to the Jews of his day, “the Abomination of Desolation.”  This comes from the Old Testament where the term “abomination” is most often used of idols, or images, but its meaning goes beyond them.  It pictures something that is abominable, detestable, and loathsome.  It is used of impure things and activities that God absolutely hates, as well as the righteous.  The word “desolation” refers to being brought into a state of stunned silence, or ravaged silence.  The Greek word used to translate it literally means to be made into a wilderness.  The phrase as a whole basically refers to something so impure, whether an idol and/or an act, that it brings the wrath of God upon the place and is made into a wilderness.  The righteous are always to get away from such a place and its people because they should not want to be caught up in its judgment.

We are told in the text that we should remember that this is spoken about by Daniel the prophet.  We are told that we need to understand this.

The concept or phrase “Abomination of Desolation” is found in three passages of the book of Daniel.  Chapter 9 verse 27 is in the famous Prophecy of the Seventy Weeks of Years.  In that passage, we are told that Messiah would be executed, and then the people of the prince, who is yet to come, will destroy the city.  Then it says that the prince who comes later will make a covenant with many for 7 years.  During that period, he will put an end to sacrifices and “on the wing of abominations shall be one who makes desolate.”  Notice that this covenant, stopping of sacrifices (implying Israel back in the land with a temple), and Abomination of Desolation happens after the destruction of the city in 70 A.D. and not before it.

Daniel 11:31 is another passage that mentions the Abomination of Desolation.  This passage so perfectly fits the events of the Greek-Syrian King Antiochus Epiphanes in 167 B.C. that scholars who do not believe in predictive prophecy say it must have been written afterward and not by Daniel.  Of course, there is no evidence for that.  Daniel in the 6^th century prophesied the events that were nearly 400 years later.  The passage refers to the defiling of the sanctuary and the placing of the “Abomination of Desolation.”  In those days, Antiochus was angry because of a military defeat near Egypt.  He commanded the Jews to worship Zeus, put an idol of Zeus in the courtyard of sacrifice, and had a pig slaughtered on the Hebrew altar in worship of Zeus.  So, the second mention of an abomination is different from the first.  It was fulfilled in 167 B.C. and gives us a picture of what an event would look like that qualified to be called an Abomination of Desolation.

The last passage is Daniel 12:11. Here, an added detail is given.  From the time that the sacrifices are stopped until the Abomination of Desolation, there would be 1,290 days (3 years and 7 months).  This does not fit the events of 167 B.C.  It is most likely a reference back to the Abomination spoken of in chapter 9.

In Mark, Jesus is letting us know that there is another Abomination of Desolation coming of which the events of Antiochus Epiphanes are simply a template or prototype.  Some try to make events in 70 A.D. be a fulfillment of this concept.  There were a few attempts at such a thing.  The emperor Caligula even sent an image to Israel in order to be set up in the temple.  However, he died and the command was abandoned.  It was as if God said that this was not to be the time.  Nothing like we have been describing happened leading up to 70 A.D. that would both qualify as an Abomination of Desolation and serve as a warning for people to flee.  The Abomination of Desolation is still future and will be part of the Great Tribulation, which implies a third temple at some stage of construction.

It is important to note a connection that follows the Antiochus template and is elsewhere in the New Testament.  2 Thessalonians 2:3-4 describes the coming “man of sin,” also called Antichrist, sitting in the temple of God showing himself that he is God.  When this is coupled with Revelation 13, especially the image that will be built to the beast and made to speak, we can see that the warning is of an end times temple of Israel that is co-opted by a global leader to promote himself as God.  In our modern world, this may seem impossible or ridiculous.  However, God warns us that He is restraining this stuff until He is ready for it to happen.

We will look at the rest of this Great Tribulation next week.  Yet, note these things.  The continual focus on peace between Israel and the Muslims of the Middle East continues to beg some kind of peace deal or covenant agreement.  The contention on the Temple Mount is extremely volatile, and yet, not only is there room on the mount for a Temple to be built north of the Dome of the Rock, but there is a move among Muslims to allow it to happen.  The orthodox Jews of Israel have made preparations to quickly build a temple upon any agreement.  The furnishings have been built including an altar.  Money has been raised and priest trained.  They are ready to quickly build what they call the third temple.  Lastly, many rabbis in recent years have begun to state that Messiah is on the earth and waiting to reveal himself.  One rabbi this year has prophesied that this is the last Jewish New Year (Sept. 19, 2020) without Messiah.  In other words, Messiah will reveal himself sometime before September 6 of next year.

People used to look at these prophecies and laugh at anyone who taught that Israel would literally be a nation again, much less have a temple.  Yet, the events of 1948 shocked the world as Israel became a nation again under an existential threat that could have only been neutralized by God.  We must understand that the Times of the Gentiles will eventually come to an end and God will allow the end times scenario to move forward.  Are you ready spiritually?  Do you know Jesus as your Lord and your Savior?  Only he can save you from your sins, and bring you through what lies ahead for this world.

Jesus Future II

The Wicked Tenant Farmers

Mark 12:1-12.  This sermon was preached by Pastor Marty Bonner on August 2, 2020.

We live in a day and age where there are difficult tensions on every hand.  The parable that we will read today reminds us that not all who claim to be God’s ministers and His people actually are.  The world takes advantage of this to accuse the Church and project it as irrelevant and non-essential.  Thus, true believers have to wrestle with the reality that not all who say, “Lord, Lord…” belong to Jesus, and yet the only hope for those who don’t believe in Jesus is to hear his Gospel and connect in a fruitful life with him and his people.

Two things must happen in these final hours of our work in this Age of Grace.  First, believers must get serious about having a living connection to Jesus, the Lord of Life.  We cannot afford to superficially participate in the things of God, and this goes for the average Christian and Christian leaders.  Second, we must be more convinced than ever that unbelievers will perish if they don’t hear the Gospel, believe on Jesus, and connect to his people.

This is a day that calls for boldness, but not a boldness in wickedness.  Rather, we need a humble boldness that does the work that Jesus has sent us to do though the whole world (other “believers” included) rails against us.

Jesus teaches with a parable

We are entering a section of Mark that apparently lasts for several days (note that Mark 14:1 says, “after two days”).  During this time, Jesus is teaching in the temple compound and interacting with the incensed religious leaders.  The main point of this parable of the Wicked Tenant Farmers is concerning the religious leaders.  However, if we take this parable and link it with the many other Scriptures that speak of God’s vineyard and spiritual fruit, we will find that it explodes with much more meaning and teaching than what is presented in our passage.

Now, parables teach a lesson about spiritual things by using the natural things of this life.  If Jesus were teaching today, he would no doubt have a parable about wicked property managers, hedge fund managers, or even rush hour commutes.  The natural story provides an illustration to the spiritual message it underscores.  Let’s look at the different elements of this story.

The owner is God.  He is the one who called Moses to co-labor with him in planting Israel in the promised land and setting up its spiritual care.

The vineyard is Israel as a nation.  Israel represented the visible kingdom of God (i.e. what God is doing in the visible realm).  Each person is a branch on the natural vine of Israel, but can only be fruitful if they are connected to the spiritual vine, which is God.

The vinedressers or tenant farmers are the spiritual leaders of Israel.  Vinedresser or tenant farmer translate a Greek word that literally means ground/earth worker.  It is where we get the English name George.  Since this is in the context of grape vines, these are the workers who tend the vines, harvest its fruit, and manufacture its wine.  Everything they do should be about making the vine healthy and fruitful.  The spiritual leaders are, of course, vines themselves.  Israel was not made for them and it did not belong to them.  They were simply serving Israel so that it could bear the fruit God intended.

The servants sent by the owner are the prophets of God.  God had been faithful to send servants who were inspecting the fruitfulness of the leader’s work.  Historically, the prophets were treated poorly and shamefully.  There does seem to be an increase in the wicked treatment of these prophets, but the final statement is that many other servants were sent, some beaten, and some killed.  The point is that this owner has been extremely patient and forgiving with these leaders of Israel, and the leaders have been extremely wicked.

The son of the owner is Jesus.  Here, Jesus presents himself as a unique servant.  The other servants were not biologically connected to the owner, but the son is.  Of course, outside of the analogy, God is spirit and thus, the biological should not be placed upon the relationship between Jesus and the Father.  Jesus is the One and Only unique Son of God.  Yes, we have been given the right to be called Sons of God, but that is in the sense of an adoption, a legal action.  However, Jesus is a Son of God by right of his being.  He alone is of the same being as the Father and has existed with Him from eternity past in an eternal unity.  The owner sends his son with the hope that they would respect him above the other servants.

The killing of the son is the coming crucifixion, only days away.  The parable presents that the spiritual leaders will knowingly kill the heir so that they can have the land to themselves.  Thus, they are greedy, unwilling to surrender their control over God’s people, and wicked.

We should not miss another layer to this parable.  The devil and his angels will also be guilty of this in the crucifixion.  They too are usurpers who attempt to lord their power over humans to the exclusion of God.  They will find themselves in the same boat as the first century leaders of Israel.

Jesus gives the moral lesson

The story ends at verse 8.  In some ways, this story is a moral obscenity that doesn’t need too much explanation.  However, mankind is making the same mistakes today.  The leaders of this world, both religious and secular, are seeking to kill the concept of God so greatly that the only thing left will be for the people of the world to look to them as gods.  In a sense, they desire to harness the people of the world for their own plans and ignore the rightful claims of God who is the true owner.

The main lesson that Jesus intends is brought to the forefront by the question, “What will the owner of the vineyard do?”  God would destroy the spiritual leaders of Israel and get new ones who would do the job righteously. 

Jesus is warning that a destructive event is on the horizon that would wipe out these spiritual leaders who were confronting him.  The priestly tribe of Levi and the high-priestly line of Aaron were going to be rejected with new priests and ministers taking their place.  We should always remember that no one is indispensable among God’s people.  It belongs to Him.  John the Baptist warned his generation that God was able to raise up children of Israel from the stones on the ground if He needed.  If we use God’s people and institutions for our own purposes and abuse the true believers then we too will find a destructive event in our future in which we perish and God raises up others to take our place.

Jesus then reminds them that this had been foretold in Scripture (Psalm 118:22-23).  By the way, this is the Messianic Psalm that the crowds were quoting at the triumphal entry just days before this.  The picture is that the master builders will reject the cornerstone sent to them by God.  However, God will overrule their rejection and make him the chief cornerstone. 

We actually have a different analogy or picture that is one of a stone building.  The Son of God is the critical stone in the building of God, but the project workers are rejecting him.  The spiritual leaders were supposed to help Israel connect to the Son of God as the true vine of Israel.  In a sense, Jesus had always been the spiritual vine of Israel, but now he would walk among them.  Instead, the spiritual leaders were rejecting the true vine and keeping the people connected to them, or even worse, to an evil spiritual vine.

Psalm 118 then pictures believers rejoicing in the marvelous work of God overturning the leaders, and shouting, “Hosanna!  Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD!”  Isaiah 28:16 picks up this same theme and declares that God Himself will set His precious cornerstone in the face of the rebellious leaders.  This also connects with the many passages that refer to a stumbling stone (see Isaiah 8:14).  Daniel 2:45 pictures a stone cut out by the hands of God, which crushes the beast kingdoms and fills the earth.  In 1 Peter 2:4-6, Peter pictures the rebuilding of a spiritual temple upon Jesus with those who believe upon him.

All the prophets had warned of this spiritual malpractice by the leaders of Israel, and the destruction that awaited them.  Thus, the leaders of Israel had no excuse.  God had warned them.  If this is true of them then what about Christian leaders?  If the leaders of Israel were without excuse then we are doubly without excuse because we have the Scriptures and the example of what God did to those first century spiritual leaders.  Christian leaders need to make sure they are not guilty of these same things “in the name of the Lord.”

This parable is also told in Matthew 21.  In verses 43-44, Matthew records some extra statements of Jesus that are not found in Mark 12.  Verse 43 says, “Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a nation bearing the fruits of it.”  Jesus speaks of a new nation because the problem was not just with the leaders of Israel.  The vineyard analogy goes back to Isaiah chapter 5, where the prophet says that the vineyard itself is bearing wild grapes that cannot be used.  Therefore, the vineyard itself will be destroyed.  The destruction of national Israel within 40 years of the rejection of Jesus becomes an event in which God removes Israel as a nation and raises up a new nation, the Church.  Branches of national Israel who believed upon Jesus were transplanted throughout the world with spiritual leaders that would be both Jew and Gentile, under the everlasting covenant of the Messiah.  This is what Peter is talking about in 1 Peter 2:9, “But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light!”  It is a nation that is not of one ethnicity, or of a particular geography, but a spiritual nation connected by the blood of Jesus and our capital city, the New Jerusalem, in heaven.  This new nation would receive the remnant of the old vineyard and increase it.

Clearly, the leaders of the Church have not all learned the lessons of the past, and not all Christians, who are not leaders, either.  Wake up Church of God!

Matthew 21:44 says, “And whoever falls on this stone will be broken; but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder.”  There are only two options when it comes to Jesus, God’s cornerstone.  You will either fall upon him broken, or you will be crushed by him and ground into powder.

The first is a picture of a humbled person who is broken by the recognition of their sins.  They are falling on Jesus in repentance and responding to the Spirit of God to follow Him.  Though they are broken, he will be their healer.  The second is the picture of the wicked person who will be broken on the judgment day.  For most, that will be when they stand before him in judgment at the Great White Throne.  For some, that will be at the Second Coming when Jesus comes to cast out the usurpers of the earth and bring in everlasting righteousness. 

How about you today?  Are you casting yourself upon Jesus in humble repentance?  Are you connecting to him as the true spiritual vine, and drawing life?  Are you bearing the fruit that God desires, or is it only wild grapes?  This world needs believers who have the true fruit of God, so that they can have a chance of avoiding the coming day of God’s wrath upon the wicked.  May God help us to live for Jesus!

Wicked Tenant Farmers audio