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Yeshua is the Most Important Man Who Ever Lived. The Most Important Man brought the world the Most Important Message, a message that must be believed for human beings, who are alienated from God and headed to Hell, not Heaven, to death, not life, to be reconciled to their Creator and live forever. And being reconciled to our Creator is our greatest need.
Everything Messiah did, everything He said, every interaction with others that has been recorded for us in the divinely inspired book of Mark, is extremely important. We want to understand as much as we can about the Most Important Man and His Most Important Message. We want to line up our thoughts and lives with the Most Important Man and His Most Important Message. We want to tell as many people as we can about this Most Important Man and His Most Important Message.
We’re getting close to the end of Messiah’s most amazing life and ministry. Everything is intensifying. Everything is building to a fantastic climax resulting in some of the most important events in human history. Yeshua has been in the most important city, Jerusalem, at the most important place – the temple. Mark tells us as Yeshua was leaving the temple, one of His disciples said to Him, “Look, Rabbi! What massive stones! What magnificent buildings!”
The temple was the most important place on Earth. It was the place where God revealed His presence on Earth in the most special way. It was the place where the principles of sacrifice and atonement were most clearly seen. It was were the Sanhedrin met. It was where money was stored. It was ancient and sacred. And the second temple had been renovated and expanded and was beautiful and very impressive.
“Do you see all these great buildings?” replied Yeshua. “Not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down.” In spite of it’s sacredness, beauty and grandeur, Yeshua predicts the temple will be completely destroyed. This was a devastating prophecy. It’s equivalent to someone saying to us today – a time is coming when your political, economic and religious centers will be completely destroyed.
Who is Yeshua? A true prophet, who predicted the total destruction of the second temple, which happened in 70 AD.
As Yeshua was sitting on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter, James, John and Andrew asked Him privately, “Tell us, when will these things happen? And what will be the sign that they are all about to be fulfilled?” Messiah had informed His disciples that He would come to Earth twice, the first time experiencing rejection, suffering and death – followed by resurrection; and He would return as the glorious King Messiah. Now He is teaching His disciples that the destruction of the temple is connected to His return; and His followers will be able to discern that His return is near by various signs He gives here.
Yeshua is Someone who wants us to be absolutely certain He will return, and to be aware of signs indicating His return is near.
Yeshua said to them: Watch out that no one deceives you. Many will come in My name, claiming, “I am he,” and will deceive many. Before Messiah returns, there will be great spiritual confusion. There will be many false messiah’s who will deceive many. Being deceived by a false messiah can be devastating.
Yeshua is someone who wants us to watch out for false messiahs; to be able to identify them and not be deceived by them.
Messiah’s return will be preceded by an unusual amount of political instability and military aggression. When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.
Messiah’s return will be preceded by instability in the Earth itself. There will be earthquakes in various places. It’s as if the Earth itself spasms at the end of an old corrupt and dying age and the birth of a new and better one.
Messiah’s return will be preceded by many dying of hunger. There will be famines.
Messiah compares the time preceding His return to a woman about to give birth to a child. These are the beginning of birth pains. So, as we see these signs increasing in frequency and intensity, like a woman in labor, we can know that Yeshua’s return is near.
You must be on your guard. Yeshua is Someone who wants His followers to know that the time preceding His return will be extremely difficult. It will be a time of spiritual deception, political instability and military aggression, famines and earthquakes. We must be on our guard to remain faithful to God during this challenging time.
Messiah’s return will be preceded by persecution of His followers by religious and political authorities. You will be handed over to the local councils and flogged in the synagogues. On account of Me you will stand before governors and kings as witnesses to them.
Yeshua is Someone who knows that Christians and Messianic Jews will be persecuted by political and religious authorities, and wants us to use those situations as opportunities to witness to them about Yeshua’s reality.
Messiah’s return will be preceded by the worldwide proclamation of the Gospel. And the Good News must first be preached to all nations. Yeshua is Someone who wants the Good News proclaimed to the whole world. That is something He is deeply committed to. And He wants us to be passionate about and participating in world evangelism – like He is. He wants His followers to be actively proclaiming the Good News now – to as many as we can, to people near and far away.
Yeshua is Someone who does not want those who are persecuted and arrested because of their loyalty to Him to worry about their defense. Whenever you are arrested and brought to trial, do not worry beforehand about what to say. Just say whatever is given you at the time, for it is not you speaking, but the Holy Spirit. Yeshua is Someone who will give His persecuted followers, by means of His Spirit living in them, the right words to speak in front of their persecutors.
Messiah’s return will be preceded by intense, world-wide hatred of His followers and by betrayal by members of their families. Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child. Children will rebel against their parents and have them put to death. Everyone will hate you because of Me, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved.
Yeshua is Someone who wants us to know that we will be hated by the world and betrayed by members of our family, and He wants us to endure that hatred and betrayal and remain loyal to Him to the end – even if it means persecution, suffering, jail or death.
Yeshua is Someone who demands that loyalty to Him comes before loyalty to family.
Yeshua is Someone who knows that it’s not just how we start the race of faith that’s important, but how we finish the race of faith. It’s the one who remains loyal to the end who will be saved, not the one who makes an impressive start and then falls away.
Yeshua is Someone who wants His followers to understand about the abomination that causes desolation and take appropriate action when that happens. When you see “the abomination that causes desolation” standing where it does not belong – let the reader understand. Mark informs his readers that the abomination that causes desolation is something we need to understand. That understanding comes from the book of Daniel. Daniel predicts a horrible event that causes devastation. A powerful ruler makes and then breaks a covenant with Israel, and defiles the temple. This ruler is the anti-Christ, the ultimate false messiah and the enemy of the true Messiah.
He will rule over a one-world political, economic and religious system. At the third temple, he will claim to be God and demand that everyone on Earth worship him. Those who don’t will be persecuted. That is the abomination that causes desolation.
When you see “the abomination that causes desolation” standing where it does not belong, then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let no one on the housetop go down or enter the house to take anything out. Let no one in the field go back to get their cloak. Yeshua wants those living in Israel when the abomination that causes desolation takes place to immediately flee for their lives.
Yeshua predicts that this will be a terrifying time, particularly for the most vulnerable. How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers!
Yeshua wants His followers to pray that this horrible event doesn’t take place in winter, when travel or seeking refuge is harder. Pray that this will not take place in winter, because those will be days of distress unequaled from the beginning, when God created the world, until now – and never to be equaled again. If the Lord had not cut short those days, no one would survive. But for the sake of the elect, whom He has chosen, He has shortened them.
Yeshua is Someone who knows that this will be the worst period in history. It will be so awful that if God didn’t limit its duration, everyone would die. But, for the sake of those Jewish people and those people from the nations who have been chosen for salvation, God will limit its duration so some survive.
Again Messiah warns His followers about their need to be alert to spiritual deception. At that time if anyone says to you, “Look, here is the Messiah!” or, “Look, there he is!” do not believe it. For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. So be on your guard; I have told you everything ahead of time. This will be a time of great spiritual deception, with people claiming that the Messiah is here or there; and many claiming to be a prophet or the messiah – and some of those false prophets and false messiahs will do real miracles. In spite of their miracles, they are still false messiahs and false prophets who do great damage to those they deceive. Messiah’s followers must be on guard so they are not deceived.
And Yeshua is Someone who will not accept the excuse: “It’s not my fault I was deceived by that false prophet or that false messiah because I didn’t know. I wasn’t warned.” Be on your guard; I have told you everything ahead of time.
At the very end of that horrible period, right before the One who made the sun, moon and stars returns, those heavenly bodies will indicate that something unusual is about to happen. But in those days, following that distress, “the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.”
Something amazing will happen! Someone amazing will return in an amazing way! At that time people will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory.
And the Son of Man, the perfect human being who will rule Israel and the nations will do something wonderful. His persecuted people, no matter where on Earth they be, will be rescued from danger and brought to a place of safety. And He will send His angels and gather His elect from the four winds, from the ends of the Earth to the ends of the heavens.
Messiah will return. He will destroy the anti-Christ and rescue His people. Until that happens, Yeshua wants certain things from us. Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. Even so, when you see these things happening, you know that it is near, right at the door. Yeshua wants those living close to the time of His return to be aware of the signs indicating His return is near.
Yeshua wants His followers to know that this generation, which is best understood as referring to His people, especially His Jewish people – even though persecuted and hated – those people will survive and see the fulfillment of all these things. Truly I tell you, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened.
Skeptical? You don’t think it likely that Messiah will return with power and glory to Earth and defeat an anti-Christ? That there will be signs before His return and the abomination that causes desolation and the most terrible time in history? It is likely. It is certain. Yeshua wants His followers to know that everything He says, every word He utters, every teaching He gives us, is completely reliable. Everything will happen just as He says. Heaven and Earth will pass away, but My words will never pass away. Messiah’s words will be more enduring than the universe. Yeshua is Someone who wants us to be absolutely sure that we can trust everything He has said.
Yeshua wants His followers to be absolutely sure that He will return, and be aware of the nearness of His return, but not dare to set the time of His return. The timing of that great event was known only by God the Father. But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in Heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Be on guard! Be alert! You do not know when that time will come.
Yeshua is Someone who does not want His followers to lose their spiritual focus, and get distracted by the world and its pleasures and ignore the signs indicating the return of the King. It’s like a man going away: He leaves his house and puts his servants in charge, each with their assigned task, and tells the one at the door to keep watch. Therefore keep watch because you do not know when the owner of the house will come back – whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or at dawn. If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping. What I say to you, I say to everyone: “Watch!”
So, who is Yeshua according to this 13th chapter of this divinely inspired book of Mark?
Yeshua is a true prophet, who predicted the total destruction of the second temple, which happened in 70 AD.
Yeshua is Someone who wants His followers to know that He will return to Earth.
Yeshua is someone who gives us signs to watch for, indicating His return is near.
Yeshua is Someone who knows that the time preceding His return will be the worst time in history; but some of the chosen ones will survive.
It will be a time of spiritual deception, political instability and military aggression, famines and earthquakes, and disturbances in the sun, moon and stars. Yeshua’s followers will be hated by the world, betrayed by family, persecuted by political and religious authorities.
In spite of that, Yeshua is Someone who demands we remain loyal to Him to the end, and use persecution to witness to His reality. He promises to give His persecuted followers, by means of His Spirit living in them, the right words to speak in front of their persecutors.
Yeshua is Someone who wants the Good News proclaimed to the whole world, and that will happen before He returns. And He wants us to be passionate about and participating in world evangelism – now.
Yeshua is Someone who wants His followers to understand about the abomination that causes desolation and take appropriate action when that happens; to pray that this horrible event doesn’t take place in winter, when travel or finding refuge is harder.
Yeshua is Someone who will return to Earth full of power and glory. He will destroy the anti-Christ and rescue His people.
Yeshua wants His followers to be absolutely sure that He will return, and be aware of the nearness of His return, but not dare set the time of His return.
Yeshua is Someone who does not want His followers to lose their spiritual focus, and get distracted by the world and its pleasures and ignore the signs indicating the arrival of the King. He wants us always to be alert, on guard, looking to Him, looking for His return, serving Him fully and faithfully.
Yeshua is Someone who wants His followers to know that everything word He uttered is completely reliable. He wants us to be absolutely certain we can trust everything He has said.
May God enable Yeshua to be all these things to us and may we respond faithfully to all that He is and become all that we should be. Amayn? Amayn!