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Mark 13:1-13 / By: As to the Lord!
Hymn: Chapter 342 (You are tempted) Thank you Lord for always breathing with us. Praise the Lord!
Today's message is about the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem. It is the word of the destruction of Jerusalem and the end of history. This is verse 1. “As Jesus was leaving the temple, one of his disciples said to him, “Teacher, what are these stones and what are these buildings?” said to Jesus. “Teacher, look, what a stone! What a building!” That is, when the disciples saw the magnificence and splendor of the temple in Jerusalem, they were amazed and said to Jesus.
Then the Lord spoke. This is verse 2. “Jesus said to them, “Do you see these great buildings? Not one stone will be left upon another, but they will all be thrown down.” Looking back at the standard new translation
“Jesus said to him. "Are you looking at these great buildings? Not one stone here will be left on top of one another, all will fall." He was saying that the temple, which had impressed the disciples, would be completely destroyed, leaving no stone on top of it.
At the time of Jesus, the Jerusalem Temple was built by the infanticide King Herod the Great to win the favor of the Jews. If you look at John 2:20, you can see how much money and manpower Herod the Great used to build the temple in Jerusalem when we see that the temple in today's text was built for 46 years.
In the times we live in today, there are many splendid, wonderful, and magnificent chapels. There are many chapels built with billions of won, tens of billions, or even hundreds of billions of won. And there, many people are worshiping, serving, and receiving faith training in a better environment and atmosphere. In that sense, it is clear that a chapel is a necessary and useful thing for the saints.
But is it really the will of the Lord to spend billions, tens of billions, or hundreds of billions of dollars to build a chapel equipped with artistic beauty, convenience, and state-of-the-art equipment? Is it really the will of the Lord to get a huge bank debt and build a wonderful, splendid, and huge chapel in the name of the Lord, and build your own kingdom, your heaven, from the big ones to the big ones and the small ones to be there? If you are truly a true Christian, you will have to find the answer in verse 2 of today's text with fear.
As Christians who believe in the Lord, there are many things that we should keep in our hearts, but if we consider two important things, what is the true will of the Lord? The other is our own end. In other words, we must stand before the judgment seat of God. It means that we are thoroughly evaluated for the things we have done and lived before God's judgment seat.
In Romans 14:11-12, the apostle says, “It is written, ‘As I live, I live, and every knee will bow to me, and every tongue will confess to God. Says. Therefore, we must humble ourselves before the Word every day, listen to the Lord sincerely, and live with the Lord according to the Word.
Verses 3 and 13 are the Lord's answer to the disciples' question. Verse 4 “Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign when all these things are about to come to pass?” After hearing about the destruction of the temple, some of the disciples asked the Lord with fear and wonder. And just as the Jews were generally concerned about ‘times and signs’ at that time, the disciples asked the Lord about the signs that would appear in the end times.
Human history must have an end. This world doesn't last forever. In time, the world develops endlessly, not moving towards a paranormal world. There is an end to human history. Just as the majestic and splendid Jerusalem Temple that seemed unlikely to collapse was thoroughly destroyed by the Roman general Titus in AD 70, this splendid and fun world that does not seem to collapse will also come to an end. And there will be signs at the end of history and at the time of judgment. There is a sign and there is a signal.
The word of the Lord about the signs that will appear at the end of history says that there will be false prophecies and deceitful things, wars and famines, oppression and persecution of the believers, quarrels and heartlessness between parents and children, brothers was that there would be. In a word, it was said that sin would be extreme.
Our age today is a time of sin. Sin is running to the extreme because it is not overflowing. Pride and selfishness, which are rare to find in a truly humble person, is common, violence is easily carried out according to one's mood, and many people of all ages are indulged in lust, are subjected to invisible oppression and control, and are cruel under the name of religion. And brutal killings and massacres are taking place. Even in the church, in the name of the Lord, perverted teachings without hope and glory are misleading the soul. It seems that there is really no place without sin. Like the unpleasant yellow dust, sin is covering the whole world.
Therefore, now is the time for the believers to be even more careful on their own, as the Lord said. It is a time to completely depend on the Lord, constantly seek the Holy Spirit, keep faith, and put on patience. You have to remember the Word today, keep the Word in your heart, and go the way of the Word.
< Prayer >
Heavenly Father, the end of history and your judgment are not far away, but we are now living in the time of the end and judgment. Help me to live this time wisely with the Word. Help me to humbly remember today's Word, hold it in my heart, and walk the path of true hope and glory in You to the end. I pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.
< Questions for deeper meditation >
1. Let's meditate on the disciples' response to the Jerusalem temple and the Lord's prophecy and fulfillment.
2. Let's meditate seriously on the reality of the times we live in today.
3. Let's keep in mind the words of the Lord, “Be careful of yourselves.”
4. Let's meditate on what we need to be careful of ourselves on a daily basis.