Today, I want to go even further in Mark 13.
Of course, the famous passage beginning in verse 24 reads, but in those days after that
tribulation, the sun shall be darkened and the moon shall not give her light and the
stars of heaven shall fall and the powers that are in heaven shall be shaken and then
shall they see the son of man coming in the clouds with great power and glory and then
shall he send his angels and shall gather together his elect from the four winds from
the uttermost part of the earth to the uttermost part of heaven.
Now look what the Bible says beginning in verse 32.
But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, know not the angels which are in heaven, neither
the son but the father.
Take ye heed, watch and pray, for ye know not when the time is.
For the son of man is as a man taking a far journey, who left his house and gave authority
to his servants and to every man his work and commanded the porter to watch.
Watch ye therefore, for ye know not when the master of the house cometh, at even or
at midnight or at the cock crowing or in the morning, lest coming suddenly he find you
sleeping.
And what I say unto you I say unto all, watch.
Now a lot of people say, well Mark 13 is just speaking to the Jews.
It's not speaking to believers, it's not speaking to saints because when you show them the passage
in Matthew 24 about the trumpet sounding, Jesus coming in the clouds, gathering the
elect and then you show them the same thing in Mark 13, they reject it as talking about
the rapture.
That's not about the rapture, that's only talking to the Jews.
But notice he uses a parable here of Jesus going on a far journey and giving authority
to his servants while he's gone and he's saying, watch, you don't know when he's going to return,
you don't know the day or the hour.
So let me ask you this, when Jesus left this earth and ascended to heaven, did he give
authority to the Jews?
Did he give the Jews authority while he was gone?
Or did he give that authority unto the saints, unto believers, unto the churches?
Obviously, clearly today the authority that God gave where he said, you know, all power
is given unto me in heaven and earth, go ye therefore and teach all nations baptized in
the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Ghost, when he said, you shall receive
power after that the Holy Ghost has come upon you and ye shall be witnesses unto me
both in Jerusalem and in Judea and in Samaria and under the uttermost part of the earth.
When he said, whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven and whatsoever
thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven, who did he give that kind of power
and authority to at this time?
Not the nation of Israel, not the Jewish people, quote unquote, but rather he gave it to believers
to the saved.
So saying that this is talking to the Jews makes no sense, especially when you read the
last verse, and what I say unto you I say unto all, watch, he says right there he's
talking to everybody.
So Mark 13 is not a passage that's for the Jews, quote unquote, it's a passage that's
for all saints and all believers and he says in verse 29, so ye in like manner when ye
shall see these things come to pass, know that it is nigh even at the doors.
We will see the sun and moon darken, we will know that it is near.