Gospel of Mark Study #44

“Forewarned Is Forearmed”

Mark 13:24-37

Study #44 in Mark Series

INTRODUCTION:

“To be forewarned is to be forearmed.” This is an old saying, but what does it mean? Let’s think of some practical examples:

ü  In a military setting, sometimes there is intelligence information that comes in telling of an attack that is about to take place somewhere along the line. With this advance information in hand the generals will assign more men to that area to fend off the impending attack. To be forewarned is to be forearmed.

ü  Or in a police context, the cops sometimes learn from a “confidential informant” of something that is about to go down. With that information they gear up to go into action, knowing what they are about to walk into, so they plan accordingly. To be forewarned is to be forearmed.

ü  Or suppose your company transfers you to Kansas, in the heart of tornado country. Knowing that you are going to be there for several years you decide to buy a lot and build a new house. You know that sooner or later the area will be threatened by tornados, so you build it out of brick, with a secure basement. You buy a gas generator and stock a closet in the basement with water, freeze-dried food, and an emergency radio. To be forewarned is to be forearmed.

ü  Or how about this? In the past two months three houses on your block have been broken into at night and robbed, one of these attacks resulting in grave bodily harm to the homeowner. You decide to put in a sophisticated alarm system, sign up with ADT Home Security, and keep your shotgun loaded at night lying on the floor next to your bed. To be forewarned is to be forearmed.

When we learn about a coming catastrophe, it becomes much easier to prepare ourselves for it. We can take steps to get our stuff in order and make sure that we have done everything possible to protect ourselves and our families. This only makes sense. Only a fool would ignore the facts and fail to act, knowing that this could mean disaster for him and his loved ones.

TRANSITION:

In Mark 13 Jesus is telling His disciples of a coming Tribulation period in which thousands upon thousands will die, both from the supernatural judgments of God rained down upon the earth as well as from persecution meted out by the Antichrist and his evil administration. For two weeks we have been studying this text known as the Olivet Discourse in which Jesus lays out for His disciples the order of events and what that future time will look like. Last week we ended at verse 23 in which Jesus says: “But take heed; behold, I have told you everything in advance.” The New Living Translation puts it this way: “Watch out! I have warned you!” In other words, “to be forewarned is to be forearmed.” 

For the believers who are living through the events described here, this text, along with several other related passages, will serve as a “Guide to Survival” for those going through the Great Tribulation. 

Just to clarify for you again... I believe that Mark 13 breaks down this way:

Ø  Verses 5-8 = describe events during the first half of the Tribulation (3½ years).

Ø  Verses 9-23 = describe events during the second half of the Tribulation, also referred to as The Great Tribulation. This is when God will pour out His wrath on this evil world.

Ø  Verses 24-27 = describe events at the tail end of the Tribulation including Christ’s Second Coming, when He returns as King and Judge to destroy the Antichrist and to set up His Millennial Kingdom on earth.

Ø  Verses 28-37 = Warnings and exhortation to watchfulness for those living in that period and awaiting the Lord’s return.

NOTES on the Text:

Verses 24-25: But in those days, after that tribulation, THE SUN WILL BE DARKENED AND THE MOON WILL NOT GIVE ITS LIGHT, ²⁵ AND THE STARS WILL BE FALLING from heaven, and the powers that are in the heavens will be shaken.

·       If I am correct about the breakdown of this chapter then Jesus is here talking about events right at the end of the Tribulation. He is saying that there are going to be some amazing supernatural events taking place, unmistakable signs in the heavens that indicate His imminent arrival. Jesus here seems to take His language from Isaiah 13:10; 34:4; and especially Joel 2:10-11, 30-32. Listen to what the prophet Joel wrote about this event, which he calls “the Day of the Lord.” “The sun will be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and awesome Day of the Lord comes. And it will come about that whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be delivered; for on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there will be those who escape, as the Lord has said, even among the survivors whom the Lord calls.” 

Verse 26: Then they will see THE SON OF MAN COMING IN CLOUDS with great power and glory.

·       This is NOT the Rapture! The Rapture will have already taken place 7 years earlier. Why do I say that? Because the Bible is clear that Christ will return for His Bride, the Church, BEFORE the appearance of the Antichrist and the beginning of the judgments of God. The Word says emphatically, “For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Thess. 5:9).

Verse 27: And then He will send forth the angels and will gather together His elect from the four winds, from the farthest end of the earth to the farthest end of heaven.

·       From verse 26 it is obvious that Jesus is talking about living people, not dead ones. Note: “Then they will see...” So here in verse 27 it seems obvious that He is still talking about these living people, not dead ones. He says that people will be gathered from every part of the earth, from every nook and cranny where they have fled to avoid the natural disasters and the persecutions of the Antichrist. God is going to gather them up and bring them to Zion. By that time, the world’s population will be a fraction of what it was before the start of the Tribulation. Millions (maybe billions) will die. We cannot even begin to comprehend the extent of the devastation that will occur.

·       Note: when it says “His elect” it refers especially to Jewish believers, but they will not be the only ones gathered but they are the ones in focus here.

Verses 28-29: Now learn the parable from the fig tree: when its branch has already become tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near. ²⁹ Even so, you too, when you see these things happening, recognize that He is near, right at the door.

·       Verse 28 begins a section given over to warnings and exhortations for those living in the end times to get ready for what is coming. Remember, “To be forewarned is to be forearmed.” Jesus is giving His people a heads-up and saying, “Get prepared!”

·       Jesus used two parables to get His point across. The first one was about a budding fig tree. The second parable was about a master who left on a trip without saying exactly when he would return.

·       Let’s look first at the Fig Tree Parable. Many people had one growing in their back yard. They knew how to tell if the fig season was coming by looking at the buds. And figs generally budded in late spring, indicating that summer was just around the corner. A person did not have to be a genius to figure out when summer was coming. In the same way, Jesus said, “When you see these things happening, recognize that He [i.e., Christ] is near, right at the door.” All they must do is connect the dots.

Verse 30: Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these

things take place.

·       Which generation? For one thing you need to know that in the past when Jesus has used the fig tree as an object lesson it has generally represented the people of Israel. I believe that is true here as well. God’s timepiece is ISRAEL. She is the chronometer upon which God’s plans are based. I have heard this verse used to defend the view that from the time when Israel once again officially became a nation in her own land (i.e., May 14, 1948, at 4:00 PM) that this verse is saying that Jesus will have to come back within the space of one generation (±40 years). I do not buy that, because the Jews went back to Israel in complete unbelief and have remained in unbelief. Also, it all depends on what you understand verse 29 to mean. Personally, I think that it is clear. In context, Jesus is referring to the generation still alive at the end of the Tribulation. They are the ones who will live to see all these things take place, not those who saw Israel reestablished as a nation. Any other interpretation does injury to the text.

Verse 31: Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away.

·       This is just Jesus’ way of saying, “You can take it to the bank that what I’m telling you really is going to happen. My word is faithful and true and established in the heavens. You can count on it happening exactly as I have told you.” 

Verse 32: But of that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in Heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone.

·       I find this to be a fascinating statement and Mark is the only one to include the words, “...nor the Son...” We truly have very little understanding about the inner workings of the Godhead, and the relationships between the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We think of them all having equal knowledge but here Jesus states that only the Father knows the exact time when these events are going to unfold. He has not shared that information with the other two Persons of the Trinity, nor with the angels. Yet Jesus seems to be OK with that explanation. “But is Jesus not omniscient?” you might ask. The answer, of course, is that Jesus was self-limited while He was on earth. For example, Jesus could never be in two places at once because He limited Himself to a human body like ours. And in that human form He also taught us humility by submitting Himself to the will of the Father. His statement here in Mark should in no way cause us to think that He was a lesser God than the Father.

·       It begs the question: So then, why are so many Christians frantically trying to figure out exactly when Jesus will be coming back? Why have so many gone out on limbs to set dates and to wax eloquent about the supposed signs of His coming? 

Verse 33: Take heed, keep on the alert; for you do not know when the appointed time will come.

·       You see, the time is not as important as our preparedness. Since His ascension Christians have been warned to live as though His return could happen at any moment. If we really took that injunction seriously, we would have evangelized the whole world long before now. If we honestly believed that Jesus might come back today, would we not live differently? Would we not be more concerned about the Great Commission? Would we not be more preoccupied with Him finding us faithfully being about our Father’s business when He comes back? 

Verse 34: It is like a man away on a journey, who upon leaving his house and putting his slaves in charge, assigning to each one his task, also commanded the doorkeeper to stay on the alert.

·       This is the second parable, about the master of the house who goes away on a trip, leaving his servants in charge. He assigns them tasks to accomplish and warns them to pay attention to their duties, to stay alert and protect the household from any danger. Special instructions are given to the doorkeeper to be alert. 

Verses 35-36: Therefore, be on the alert—for you do not know when the master of the house is coming, whether in the evening, at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or in the morning— ³⁶ in case he should come suddenly and find you asleep.

·       Here Jesus refers to the four watches of the night according to Roman military reckoning: evening (6-9 PM), midnight (9-12 PM), cockcrowing (12-3 AM), morning (3-6 AM). Why does He not say anything about daytime hours? Because we are normally awake during the day, and less apt to be taken by surprise. However, most enemies attack at night, when there is a good chance of catching somebody asleep at the switch. The apostle Paul, in 1 Thess. 5:1-6 talks about this same future time frame. He says: “Now as to the times and the epochs, brethren, you have no need of anything to be written to you. ² For you yourselves know full well that the Day of the Lord will come just like a thief in the night. ³ While they are saying, ‘Peace and safety!’ then destruction will come upon them suddenly like labour pains upon a woman with child, and they will not escape. ⁴ But you, brethren, are not in darkness, that the day would overtake you like a thief: ⁵ for you are all sons of light and sons of day. We are not of night nor of darkness; ⁶ so then let us not sleep as others do but let us be alert and sober.”

·       Like I said, Jesus is giving the Tribulation believers a big heads-up so that when the time comes, they do not get caught napping. 

Verse 37: What I say to you I say to all, “Be on the alert!”

·       This is the bottom line: “BE ON THE ALERT!” In other words, “To be forewarned is to be forearmed.” 

CONCLUSION:

I have tried over these past three studies to make the case that this Olivet Discourse is outlining events that will occur in a time yet future, leading up to the Second Coming of Christ at the end of the Tribulation. I do not believe the events of this chapter were fulfilled in the First Century. Nor have they been fulfilled subsequently in our time. In fact, these events are still in the future. I do not believe that I will be present to see them unfold because I believe that Christ is going to come at any moment to take His Bride away. I believe that at any moment we could hear the voice of the archangel and the trumpet of God, and WE WILL BE OUT OF HERE! That event is called the Rapture of the Church and it is the next event on God’s timetable. 

However, since the time when Jesus walked among us, we have been called to watch, to work, and to wait. We are to watch for His return. We are to work while it is day to accomplish the tasks that He has assigned to us. We are to wait patiently for His appearing, not in anxiety or fear, but in joyful expectancy. Today, as children of God we are to be watching with joyful anticipation and looking for that blessed hope, the glorious appearing of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

FEEDBACK:

What should we learn from this passage? Are these verses any comfort to you or are they irrelevant? If the Church is going to be Raptured before the Tribulation, the way I believe, then what is the value in studying these verses?