Stand Firm in the Faith

Scripture Lessons

Daniel 12:1-3                       Everyone’s name in the book of life will be delivered.

Psalm 16                               You will not abandon me to the grace.

Hebrews 10:11-25               Their sins I will remember no more.

Mark 13:1-13                        He who stands firm to the end will be saved.

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

We are coming to the end of the church year. Next Sunday will be the last day of the church year and the new year begins with the first Sunday in Advent which will be December 1. In the meantime, the last two Sundays of the church year are focused on the end times. The theological term for this is eschatology. This concept may bring to mind such topics as pre-millennial dispensationalism, or post-millennialism, or the rapture, or the great tribulation. I would like to say, “the scripture clearly teaches….” However, the scripture includes prophetic statements which are notoriously difficult to understand. The people in the first century misunderstood the prophetic scriptures to the point that they presided over the crucifixion of the messiah! Recall the incident on the road to Emmaus, after the resurrection had been reported, certain disciples who met Jesus on the road to Emmaus, without knowing it was Him, still did not understand. “And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, [Jesus] interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.” Luke 24:27. When we interpret prophetic portions of the scripture, such as Daniel 12 or the prophetic statements of Jesus, or Revelation, we need to exercise some humility. We can and should diligently search the scriptures, mark and inwardly digest the word of God, but don’t think you have the end times figured out. Show some humility. Incidentally, when someone tells you how everything will play out and shows you timelines and fancy graphics depicting the exact sequence of events (how it all will go down in the end) take it with a grain of salt. It is far better to repeat the simple confession of the Creeds, that Jesus will come again with glory to judge both the living and the dead. Simply put, we know He will return and we await His return. Beyond that simple confession, we are speculating about a great many details.

Let’s look at the gospel lesson today and see what we can take away from this. “Look, Teacher, what wonderful stones and what wonderful buildings!” This was the statement (or question) raised by a disciple as they looked on the massive temple. Indeed, the temple was wonderful. It was a magnificent structure. The Roman-Jewish historian Josephus records that the sanctuary of the temple included stones that were 6 cubits high, 5 cubits deep, and 45 cubits long. That is a massive stone. 45 cubits is about 67.5 feet long! I calculate that one stone would weigh around 683k pounds or 342 tons. To put that into perspective, this church building weighs somewhere between 280k to 420k pounds. That means that one stone in the sanctuary weighed more than this entire building! Wow! That is impressive…or is it? If the external realities are the limit of your conception of greatness, then the temple was truly impressive. And yet Jesus said, “Do you see these great buildings? There will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.”

Jesus knows all things and He knew that the temple would be destroyed within forty years. He knew that the Romans would raze the entire city and not leave so much as a single stone unturned. As impressive as this massive edifice was, it would not remain. For the Jews, God’s presence with them was intricately woven into the temple complex and the sacrificial system. The notion that the temple would be destroyed was seemingly blasphemous to them. Naturally the apostles wanted to know, “when will these things be, and what will be the sign when all these things are to be accomplished?” In other words, “Jesus, you can’t drop a bomb on us like this and not furnish a little more detail. This is major! We need to know what to look for and what to expect and what to do when the time comes and…and…and…”

They only asked one question, but Jesus gave them more than one answer. In His response, Jesus addressed the destruction of the temple as well as the end times generally. Jesus provided these warnings to the apostles:

• Don’t be lead astray. Many will come pretending to be connected with the name of Jesus. But it will be a lie. Do not be lead astray.
• Don’t be alarmed. You’ll hear about wars, rumors of wars. This isn’t the end. These things must take place. It is part of God’s plan. Nation against nation, kingdom against kingdom, earthquakes, famines, but these are only the beginning of the calamities that will occur before the end. Don’t be alarmed at these worldly events.
• Be on your guard. The apostles would be detained, handed over to the authorities, beaten, stand trial before governors and kings to whom they would bear witness to Christ. You may recall that the apostle Paul did stand trial before the governor (Felix, then Festus) as well as King Agrippa and he preached the Gospel to them!
• Preach the Gospel. It must be proclaimed to all nations! Don’t be anxious about what you’ll say, God will give you the words to say. Only preach the good news, that Jesus Christ has come, that He died for the sins of the whole world, that salvation has come in His name. Preach the Gospel.
• Expect to be hated for the name of Jesus. Family members will hand over their own and some will even be put to death. The one who endures in the faith to the end will be saved. Expect to be hated.

Over the centuries since Christ’s resurrection, humanity has witnessed tragedy. Wars, famines, disease, etc. When those disciples looked on the temple complex, they could not have seen the horrors that would come forty years hence. Josephus estimated based on census data from the time, that 1.1M people were killed in the siege of Jerusalem in AD 70. Afterwards, Emperor Vespasian ordered General Titus (his son) to raze the entire city. To many people at the time, they thought this was the end of the world. Perhaps you have suffered a tremendous loss, one that made you feel like this was the end of the world, like you are living in the last days. Jesus says, “Relax. Take a deep breath. Many calamities will come. It may feel like the world is collapsing in on you. Only take heart. I have overcome the world.” And with His very body and blood, given and shed for you for the forgiveness of your sins, He has redeemed you! In the waters of Holy Baptism, you have been claimed as God’s own child. Take heart. “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling.” Psalm 46:1-3. Stand firm in the Lord and the power of His grace and mercy. In God we take refuge and He will not fail you.

The peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.