Deut. 7:1-11; Mark 13:20-27, God Loves the Elect

The doctrine of “election” and “predestination” is hard for many people.  It is hard because of the deep thinking required to understand God’s choice and man’s faith.  But also hard because it is often accompanied by a strong dose of God’s sovereignty.  By “sovereignty” I am not referring to the Biblical doctrine but the doctrine of the one who wants to inform us at to God’s “sovereign choice in election.”  I suppose I better explain what I mean as I might be offending many people.

What do you mean when you say, “God is sovereign”?  Often it seems it is like the Islamic view.  In Islam a person can be quite faith in keeping the five pillars of Islam and being a way above-average Muslim.  And yet, according to the doctrine, it is Allah’s choice to receive them after they die.  They can never be sure in this life of what will come to them in the next life.  That is not the Sovereign God of the Bible. 

For Christians, trusting God is not like playing the slots in Vegas (so I have been told).  God is sovereign in that He will do all that He has said He will do.  He will be totally faithful to His word, and to the sum-total of all His attributes or perfections. 

As we study the Olivet Discourse, there are several reverences to the elect: v20 (He will shorten the day for the sake of His elect), v22 (the times are so deceptive that the elect would even be deceived if that were possible), and v27 (when Christ returns He will gather His elect from the four corners of the earth).  The question to ask is: what does the doctrine of election tell us about our God?  For many the first answer is, “He is sovereign.”  But in Mark 13 I would say the answer is, “He loves His chosen ones!”

Why did God choose Israel in the first place?  Deut. 7:6-8 makes clear God’s motives.  First, He says it was because of His love: The Lord did not set His love on you nor choose you because you were more in number than any other people, for you were the least of all peoples; ⁸ but because the Lord loves you.  Then He follows this up, not with an essay on sovereignty but on faithfulness: and because He would keep the oath which He swore to your fathers, the Lord has brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you from the house of bondage, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.  His summation is this: Therefore know that the Lord your God, He is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and mercy for a thousand generations with those who love Him and keep His commandments. 

The Bible regularly connects the elect with God’s love, grace and mercy.  Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies (Rom. 8:33).  In Col. 3:12 the “elect” are also called “holy” and “beloved.” 

For me, this is one of the things about our God that can be learned from His plan for the future.  He has loved us at the cross; His love will continue into eternity.

Mark 13:14-23, Verse-by-Verse (3)

We are at the mid-point of Daniel’s 70^th week, the final 7 years that are filled with tribulation and then, “great tribulation.”  Remember what Jesus is talking about in v14: “the abomination of desolation” spoken of by Daniel the prophet.  Keep in mind that Jesus indicates that this is an event that is still future as He is speaking about it.  We have explained this in a previous post (called “Olivet Discourse Timing Keys, 2”).  Now let us continue through 13:27.  As we work through this, keep in mind the question in Mark 13:4: what will be the sign when all these things will be fulfilled? 

·       13:14-18: The command to flee.  Jesus says the people of Judea should flee when this event of “desolation” takes place.  In Luke 21 (v20-23) Jesus says Judea should flee with they see Jerusalem surrounded by armies.  As we have noted, those who interpret these things with the “Preterist” view see this as referring to 70AD when, certainly, Jerusalem was surrounded by the armies of Rome.  We have responded to this, that it fits the Scriptures that there could be two such events, one in 70AD and one, as Luke also says (v24), in the “times of the Gentiles” that leads up to the return of Christ (21:25-28).  The Biblical record is also quite comfortable with the thought that both Mark and Luke’s versions speak of the future time.  It does not make any sense at all to deny a still-future time of desolation as both Mk. 13:24-27 and Luke 21:25-28 describe the return of Christ.  The abomination involves the full take-over of Jerusalem and the temple by the nations, and particularly the future “son of perdition” (antichrist).  One thing that must be fulfilled is that Jesus’ enemies are placed under His feet.  The abomination is a step in that direction, as it is part of gathering the nations to a war against Christ in the last days.

·       13:19: The reason to flee is because there is coming a time of unprecedented tribulation on the earth.  Some of this revolves around the actions of two great witnesses in Jerusalem who are empowered by God to bring great plagues on earth (Rev. 11:1-6).  Another aspect to this are the three series of judgments in Revelation as the opening of the 6^th seal bring about the time of the “wrath of the Lamb” (Rev. 6:12-17).  Jesus does not give us these reasons; He simply indicates something will be happening in Jerusalem that are a reason to flee the area.

·       13:20-23: Jesus does give a pointed description of the difficulties of this time.  It will involve exceptional items of deception.  It will be nearly impossible to choose the right during this time, even for those who are chosen by God.  The time is so burdensome that God, for the sake of His chosen ones, will shorten the time.  The “elect” certainly include the people of Israel, chosen by God to be His people.  But in addition, Rev. 17:14 speaks of the “called, chosen and faithful” of Christ that seems to be worldwide.  More in the next post to come concerning God’s elect.

Mark 13:14-15; Lk. 21:20-24, Future or Past?

We come to the pivotal timing passage in Mark 13 that refers to the “abomination of desolation” about which Daniel prophesied.  Before we continue through the chapter, let’s remind ourselves of the major issues at stake in the Olivet Discourse. 

For one thing, we have a major difference among Bible-believing people, as to what Jesus is talking about.  The “Preterist” believes that Biblical prophecies about the “End Times” have already been fulfilled, primarily in the first century, referring to events like the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70. This view is rooted in the Latin word preter, meaning "past". 

The ”Futurist” believes that there are still many prophecies and major events yet to be fulfilled.  They hold to a future place for the nation of Israel, the salvation of that nation, a literal return of Christ from heaven, and an earthly reign of Jesus that lasts for a Millennium. There are many fulfilled prophecies related to Jesus’ first advent but many yet remain in terms of His second advent.  We clearly hold to this view of the Olivet Discourse. 

Let us also remind ourselves of the purpose of the Discourse: take heed that no one deceives you.  Given this fact, I want to say that I believe there are issues of “deception” involved in how one interprets Mark 13 and the other accounts.  Again, Jesus did not give us all the details that allow us to know the time and hour of His return.  He will tell us later in Mark 13 that even the Son does not know the time.  Further, He also indicates that His return will not happen as soon as the disciples might have thought.  He warns them: “the end is not yet” and “these are the beginning of sorrows.”  He doesn’t give us “years” but He does indicate there are many things that will take place, and that the need is for a patient faith.  Failure to recognize the future aspects to the Discourse has the potential to open people up to deception.  Again, Jesus says, the reason He told the Twelve and us, the Church, these things is so you will “take heed” of the deception (13:22-23).

Paul considered it heresy when a couple of men were preaching that the resurrection was already past (2 Tim. 2:16-18).  Eschatology is not in any way unimportant.  There can be no neglecting the many things in Scripture that speak of the future working out of God’s plan for the nations and for Israel and for His Son!

With this, let me point out something in the accounts of Mark and Luke.  Luke indicates, I believe, that the signs that warn of the events of 70AD should encourage believers to flee (Lk. 21:20-21).  Mark’s account gives the same encouragement to flee to those who see the future “abomination” (13:14-15).  Do the accounts conflict?  No!  Futurists believe that, as the second temple was destroyed, so, according to Rev. 11:1-2, a future temple in the tribulation time will also be destroyed.  The signs Jesus gave in the Discourse fit life on earth until His literal, bodily return in glory!

Mark 13:7-13; Heb. 10:37-38, Verse-by-Verse (2)

·       13:7-8: We discussed these “signs” in a couple of posts recently.  They are called “the beginning of sorrows.”  Our understanding is that these are events that describe the time between Jesus’ ascension and His return.  We have also noted the similarities between this passage and Rev. 6, the breaking of the first six seals of the book that reveals the conclusion of God’s plan called “the Mystery of God.”

·       13:9-13: This passage reveals additional aspects to the time prior to Jesus’ return (“the end”).   First, the gospel will be preached to all the nations.  But at the same time, those who are given the task to preach the gospel will be hated by all men and persecuted, even by their own family members.  Again, as we have said, I believe in v9 and 11 Jesus is addressing the disciples with whom He is speaking.  “Watch out for yourselves.”  “When they arrest you and deliver you up.”  But in v12-13 it is different.  They will “cause them to be put to death.” 

What about v13, you might ask?  He indicates this continues until “the end” (v13).  Does this refer to the end of the lives of those who preach the gospel?  I won’t argue against that view.  But I do believe it makes more sense that He is speaking of “the end” as when He returns.  Matthew’s account reads, “And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.”  In Mark’s account, v7 (“the end is not yet”) is best understood as when Christ returns.  Even in Luke’s account, where the good doctor emphasizes 70AD, his reference in 21:9 (“But when you hear of wars and commotions, do not be terrified; for these things must come to pass first, but the end will not come immediately”) it seems Jesus is speaking of the still-future time of the end.

Either way, being faithful to the end is an issue to steadfastness or faithfulness.  I am reminded of Hab. 2:4, quoted twice in the NT: Behold the proud, His soul is not upright in him; But the just shall live by His faith.  The Hebrew term for “faith” has this idea of being steadfast.  The first use of the word is in Ex. 17:1-2, where Aaron and Hur supported Moses as he interceded for Israel at war against Amalek.  They stood, one on each side, and Moses hands were “steady.”  That is the same word.

How is Hab. 2:4 used in the NT?  In Rom. 1:16-17 Paul speaks of the gospel in which God’s righteousness is revealed “from faith to faith; as it is written, ‘The just shall live by faith.’”  The faith that brings us into a right relationship with God is a steadfast faith.  In Heb. 10:37-38 the writer says, For yet a little while, and He who is coming will come and will not tarry.  Now the just shall live by faith; but if anyone draws back, My soul has no pleasure in him.  That speaks of the endurance until Christ returns to take us to the place He has prepared for us.  However you interpret Mark 13:13, we are called to endure until such time as God completes His work in and through us to the worldwide preaching of the gospel.  May we be steadfast!

Psalm 88

This is a profound and, I believe, unique Psalm.  It is one that has always stood out because there is no resolution to the Psalmist’s plea for help.  Usually the Psalms that come out of the trials of the saints come to praise at the end.  This one does not. 

Briefly note the progress of this prayer:

Ø  *He pleads with God to hear his prayer, v1-2.

Ø  *His soul is full of troubles, v3-5.

Ø  *He knows God has brought this, that God is at work, v6-9a.  God has even separated him from his acquaintances; he is left alone.

Ø  *If he dies how will he declare God’s goodness, v9b-12.

Ø  *Why do you hide your face, Lord, v13-18?

Why does God not give an answer?  Why is there no reassurance of faith?  One thing we can tell is, it is not because the writer lacks passion about his problem or his God.  He:

·         Cries (v1), the cry of one in distress.

·         Lifts a prayer (v2), meaning to make intercession.

·         Cries again (v2), a term emphasizing the loudness.  He is shouting to God!

·         Calls daily (v9), suggesting an encounter with someone.  We might say he is accosting God when he stretched out my hands to You!

·         Cries out in the morning (v13), still another term that is the cry for help.

Furthermore, it is not because his prayer is misdirected.  James says that often we ask and do not receive because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures (James 4:3).  But that is not the case here.  Heman the Ezrahite (cf. the title to the Psalm) is concerned with the glory of God.  He cannot understand why God would let him die since that would be the end of his praise for God.  Shall Your lovingkindness be declared in the grave?  Or Your faithfulness in the place of destruction? (v11)

Heman comes to no understanding as to why these things are happening.  The only thing we might see is the pain he has experienced because his friends and loved ones have separated themselves far from him; he mentions this twice (v8,18).  The loss of support from our fellow-man is generally God’s way of encouraging us to more deeply trust Him.  But there is no thought that Heman has learned that lesson.

What are we to say?  Perhaps it is the lesson of Job.  God is not required to either tell us why He is doing what He is doing, nor is He required to let us know when the pain will stop, or even if it will stop!  God has not, in fact, hidden His face from us.  The Lord knows the way of the righteous (Psalm 1:6).  When He does not permit us to see the answer, may our hope be strong (Rom. 8:23-25)!  May our faith be satisfying (Heb. 11:1).  May we see Christ in it all (1 Pet. 1:8).

Mark 13:1-13, Verse-by-Verse (1)

With this post we begin to work our way verse-by-verse through Mark 13.

·       13:1-2: Again, the setting for Jesus’ Olivet Discourse is Jesus’ response to the disciples amazement at the buildings on the Temple Mount.  “Not one stone shall be left upon another, that shall not be thrown down.”

·       13:3-4: In turn, the disciples (or specifically the two sets of brothers) ask Jesus about when this will happen.  In Mark’s case: When will these things be?  And what will be the sign when all these things will be fulfilled?  The questions are critical to understanding the Discourse, and in Mark’s case, we have noted how important the term “fulfilled” is in understanding the scope of Jesus’ answers.  We can see that 70AD is part of Jesus’ answer but He speaks of more than that event.

I also think it is important to note that the context for all this is “Old Testament.”  What I mean is, it is before the cross, before the birth of the Church at Pentecost.  True, the Twelve will be the foundation of the Church but they are also men who belong to the Father whom He gives to His Son (John 17:6).  My point is this: Jesus speaks of things that sound like, and I believe occur in the age of the Church, the time in which Jesus elsewhere says He is building His Church (Mt. 16:18).  But we should not be surprised that He also refers to His future earthly Kingdom and events or “signs” that address that event.  This is certainly on the minds of the disciples as they ask their questions.  In their approx. 3 years with Jesus the “plan” has taken some twists and turns, given the rejection by the leaders and Jesus’ recent warnings of His upcoming death and resurrection.  The announcement that the temple is going to be destroyed brings another question, since they rightly expect that both they and the nation of Israel will have a rule in Jesus’ kingdom.

·       13:5-6,22-23: The purpose for the discourse is found at the beginning and the end.  Jesus is not just answering questions, satisfying curiosity.  He is answering their questions so as to encourage them to be faith and not to be deceived.  For one thing, they are going to go through things they had never imagined.  That could be the cause of stumbling along the way.  But even more important, Jesus warns that their will be “many” who will set out to deceive them.  Some will claim to be Him!  False Christs!  Others will claim to speak in His name or with His authority (false prophets).  Some will even perform “signs and wonders” to substantiate their claim to this authority.  Whether they do these things in Satanic power or by “sleight of hand,” it will be convincing, enough as deceive the elect if that were possible.  So imagine, one of the apostles in prison for his preaching, for refusing to bow to Caesar.  And along comes someone who claims to have a word from Jesus, that Jesus wants them to be peaceable with the Romans.  There might be a lot of reason to accept that word.  So, Jesus warns them ahead of time what is coming, so that they will “take heed.”  Jesus’ words are an encouragement for those asking the questions, and for us who come after them.

Rev. 6, The Beginning of Sorrows (2)

Jesus first speaks of a time He describes as “the beginning of sorrows” (v8) seeming to differentiate it from a time of “tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the creation” (v19).  Let us consider this “beginning of sorrows.”

What characterizes this time, besides deception which characterizes the entire time between Jesus’ Incarnation and His “coming in the clouds with great power and glory” (13:26)?  In 13:7-8 Jesus said it will be characterized by “wars and rumors of wars,” with nations and kingdoms fighting each other, and also by earthquakes, “famines and troubles.”  A third characteristic is that the gospel will be preached to all the nations (v10-13).  This is given with the prediction that there will be great persecution of God’s people who are seeking to carry out this world-wide preaching.

Now, the question is this: is Jesus describing only the time from that day until 70AD when the temple is destroyed; or is He describing the time from that day until He returns in power and glory?  In Mark’s gospel He is saying that it applies to both.  The wars and pestilences will lead up to 70AD, and the Twelve will experience strong resistance to the gospel.  In 13:9,11 Jesus addressed the Twelve, to “watch out for yourselves,” that they would be delivered up to the councils.  But in 13:12 there appears to be a broader picture of this resistance to the gospel.  We know that by 70AD the gospel had made it to Rome when Paul preached Christ to the Jewish leaders of Rome in Acts 28:17-31, and when he appeared before the Emperor (2 Tim. 4:16-18).  What Paul says to Timothy is that the Lord was with him so that he might fulfill his ministry so that “all the Gentiles/Nations might hear.”  But he was not saying that Mk. 13:10 was fulfilled.  The fulfillment of Jesus’ words, and of His commands to make disciples in every nation (Mt. 28:19-20) and to be His witnesses to the ends of the earth (Ac. 1:8) will result in the fabulous description of glory in Rev. 5:9: For You were slain, and have redeemed us to God by Your blood out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation. 

The idea that the “beginning of sorrows” continues throughout the entire age of the Church also fits what John saw in Rev. 6.  The last verse of Rev. 6 (v17) says that “the great day of His wrath has come, and who is able to stand?”  That sounds to me like we are at the middle of Daniel’s 70^th Week, when the “beginning of sorrows” becomes the time of great tribulation.  In Rev. 6 when the book is being opened, what do we see?  The first two seals reveal a rider who is all about “conquering and to conquer” and a another who takes “peace from the earth, and that people should kill one another.”  This sounds similar to “wars and rumors of war.”  Then the third rider is connected to famine and the fourth kills a fourth of the earth will various “troubles” (sword, hunger, death and beasts of earth).  That sounds like Jesus’ words in Mk. 13:8. John saw this c.25 years after 70AD.  The beginning sorrows characterize the entire age until the gospel has been preached to all nations.  As Rom. 11:25, Israel’s partial blindness continues until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in.