Mark 13:1-31 "Jesus Foretells the Future"

James Reed's FORGE

We live in a world which seems to be in constant turmoil. In fact, it has been stated that the 20th century was the bloodiest century of known history. From 1900 to 1988 170 million men, women, and children were shot, beaten, tortured, knifed, burned, starved, frozen, crushed, or worked to death. Governments invented ways to kill people. Burning, drowning, hanging, and bombing are just a few of the ways it was done. One estimate is as high as click 203 million people now dead over the last century at the hands of governments given to wicked, godless worldviews and abuse of power. Of course we know about the constant saber rattling of governments all over the world today. There’s the ever present threat of China, the invasion at our Southern border, the war between the Jews and Hamas, the war between Russia and the Ukraine, and we just saw a little over a month ago now the assassination attempt on a presidential candidate. Then there is the crisis of the ever-weakening dollar, environmental hazards, pesticides in our food, global warming or cooling—climate change.

There are many different conspiracy theories that abound on the internet and social media outlets or the social unrest simmering just below the surface click with groups like ANTIFA and BLM. The media now calls us "Christian Nationalists" if we appeal to God as the source of our rights. We rejoiced that Roe v. Wade click was finally over-turned, but what it has revealed in more states than not, is that people want to keep killing the fatherless in the womb. When I stand here as a Christian and say, “Jesus is King right now,” I can understand how many—even other believers might say, “That’s just not true! How can you possibly believe that Jesus is reigning right now? Don’t you know these are the signs of the end of days?”

Today’s sermon is going to be a little bit different than my normal format. I already know that there will be at least 2 parts, and very possibly 3 parts as we look at this section of Scripture. Today, I will begin at verse 5. I am going to take each one of Jesus’ statements and give you some historical, cultural, and grammatical context. I want to present it to you because when we look at Scripture whether it is this subject or any other subject, we need to ask ourselves how the original audience would have understood what was being said or written. And, as always, I want to give you doctrinal truth so that you will be equipped to withstand false teachings.

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