What do I know with Isaac Carroll
What do I know with Isaac Carroll
Mark 13, Stones of Jerusalem: Jesus Predicts the Temple's Fall
Jesus' prophecy about the temple's destruction opens a window into both historical fulfillment and future warnings. Standing before Jerusalem's magnificent structures—buildings that impressed even Rome—Jesus makes an unthinkable claim: not one stone would remain upon another. This prophecy, literally fulfilled when Romans destroyed Jerusalem in 70 AD, launches us into Mark 13's profound examination of what believers should expect as history unfolds.
When asked about timing and signs, Jesus expands beyond the temple's fate to broader end-time events. Wars, earthquakes, and famines become "birth pains"—intensifying signals of something greater approaching. Yet the most striking warnings concern persecution: believers standing before councils, enduring beatings, facing governors and kings. These trials serve dual purposes—testing faith while creating opportunities for powerful witness.
The passage contains one of Scripture's most challenging statements: "The one who perseveres to the end will be saved." This isn't about earning salvation through endurance but about genuine faith demonstrating itself through consistent practice. Just as doctors practice medicine with intentional daily effort, true believers practice God's love as an ongoing commitment. Galatians contrasts the acts of the flesh with the fruit of the Spirit, showing how authentic faith manifests in character transformation.
Today's world, with its division and hatred, makes Jesus' warning that "the love of most will grow cold" disturbingly relevant. Constant exposure to negativity builds protective calluses around our hearts. Yet Christ calls us to maintain vulnerable, loving hearts even when that vulnerability invites pain. This may be our greatest end-times challenge—not just enduring persecution but resisting the numbing effect of widespread hatred to continue loving authentically. Join us next time as we continue exploring Mark 13, starting at verse 14.
May God bless you and lead you always.
Welcome to the podcast. I'm Isaac Carroll, and this is what Do I Know? All right, in today's Bible study we're going to be in Mark, the 13th chapter. Let's begin at verse 1. And as he came out of the temple, one of his disciples said to him Look, teacher, what wonderful stones and what wonderful buildings. And Jesus said to him Do you see these great buildings? There will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down. And as they sat at the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, peter and James and John and Andrew asked him privately Tell us when will these things be and what will be the sign when all these things are about to be accomplished?
Speaker 1:And Jesus began to say to them yet, for nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places, there will be famines. These are all but the beginning of birth pains. But be on your guard, for they will deliver you over to the council and you will be beaten in synagogues and you will stand before governors and kings for my sake to bear witness before me. And the gospel must first be proclaimed to all nations. And when they bring you to the trials and deliver you over, do not be anxious beforehand what you are about to say, but say whatever is given to you in that hour, for it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit, and a brother will deliver brother over to death and the father his child, and the child will rise up against parents and have them put to death and you will be hated by All. Right, let's stop here at verse 13.
Speaker 1:Some of the disciples point out to Jesus the temple buildings. I can only imagine what they were looking at at that time. I've been to Israel and I've seen the ruins of some of the great structures that King Herod had built, or he had improvements done on them. I've been to Masada, caesarea, and it seemed that Herod had an eye for the extravagant. The Roman historian Tachtius called Jerusalem the most famous city in all the east, and it said its temple had enormous reaches. Now, this is from the Roman, and Romans were known for their architecture. The very Colosseum itself was finished only 10 years after the destruction of Jerusalem, and it was to commemorate the victory of Flavius and was believed to be funded by the spoils from the temple itself, the very temple that Jesus is speaking about being torn down. He says that not one stone will remain upon another. He says that not one stone will remain upon another. Now I can only imagine them seeing this great buildings, seeing the wonders of Jerusalem, and then Jesus telling them that it was going to be destroyed.
Speaker 1:So they come to Jesus privately and they ask him when is this going to happen and what would be the sign that it was about to happen? Imagine if you would, if someone read you Revelations and you had the opportunity at that point to ask Jesus anything about it. What would the first thing you'd want to know? I mean, for me, I'd want to know when is this stuff going to happen, when is it going to start, and what would be something I could pinpoint, something I could see that would let me know this was starting, so I could be prepared, because we all want to know, just like these apostles. They wanted to know.
Speaker 1:And the answer Jesus gives it seems like more like he was talking about the end of all things. In verse 7 it says and the end is not yet. He tells them that things will happen in the world, but not to let these things distract you from what is important. And he says that the true sign would be, the gospel would be preached to all nations and that they would be hated by all people. I thought about this a little bit and I wasn't sure if he was talking about the Jews or the Christians. I guess that makes really no difference.
Speaker 1:Looking at our society today, israel is hated among all nations. I mean, it's truly hated by most, even amongst our own people in America. There's a mixture between those who support Israel and those who despise it, even among the church. Some of the church love Israel, I mean, and I find it hard not to love Israel. I've spent my time reading the Bible talking about Israel, talking about God's love for Israel, the apple of his eye. How do you not love Israel? Because God loved Israel and Israel was. It was used to point to the nations the love of God and what he required of man and the promises he made to man.
Speaker 1:Jesus himself said to the woman at the well that salvation comes from the Jews. Jesus himself was born into the nation of Israel, to the people of Israel. It's hard not to love the country and the people because of this. In my opinion, it's hard not to, but why wouldn't you? I know that there's just as many lost people in Israel as there are in the rest of the world, and they need Jesus as much as anyone does. But it's hard not to just love them and want the best for them and pray for their success and pray for their safety because of the history and the love of God. But Jesus says that they would be hated by all people and Israel is truly hated. But he could be referring to Christians, because he said that they would be brought before kings on his account. And it says that brother would betray brother and father, his child and a child of parents because of the gospel.
Speaker 1:And then Jesus says something that probably has bothered a lot of scholars and believers alike. He says the one who perseveres to the end will be saved. Now I've studied this quite a bit and I've heard a lot of different people explain what this means using using Paul's writings to talk about salvation being something that's already taken place. So if it's already happened, then it's not something we have to aspire to, it's something we've already received. But why would Jesus say aspire to? It's something we've already received? But why would Jesus say the one who perseveres to the end will be saved? It makes people wonder what does that mean the way. I've come to understand the context of what Paul was saying when he talked about salvation being something that has already taken place. I believe he was referring to the fact that Jesus has already died for our sins.
Speaker 1:2 Corinthians 5, 18-19 reads All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation. That God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's trespasses against him. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. It says that he reconciled the world to himself, not holding men's sins accountable. Now, if he reconciled the whole world, wouldn't that mean the whole world was saved? And the answer is yes, but in the sense that all men were given the gift of salvation. They were offered the gift of salvation by what Jesus done. Jesus has already done the work. All we have to do is receive and accept that gift.
Speaker 1:Again, it says in Colossians 1, starting at verse 19,. It says For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him and through him, to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven and on earth. But we know that his word also says in 2 Corinthians 5, starting in verse 10, says. Verse 10 says Again in John 5, 28 and 29,. It says will hear his voice and come out those who have done good to the resurrection of life and those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgment. Now there would be no need for men to be judged if all had been forgiven. Now, if we look at this truth in Scripture, we can come to understand that it was the opportunity afforded us, through the sacrifice of Christ, to be reconciled to God. God would then not hold man's sin against him.
Speaker 1:Now, I believe the word in the Scripture is clear about those who practice evil, about those who practice evil Now, practice being the key word to understand, because we know that a doctor practices medicine. It's something that he does daily and it's something that he consciously does. It's with effort, he knowingly does this every day as a practice. Now, if we practice the love of God, if we practice the love of God, if we practice the commandments of God to love God and to love others, then we show that we believe that we believe Christ's words. His words tell us to do these things. We show that we believe that by doing them If we practice evil, as it says in Galatians 5, starting in verse 19,.
Speaker 1:The acts of the flesh are obvious Sexual immorality, impurity, debauchery, idolatry and sorcery, hatred, discord, jealousy and rage, rivalries, divisions and factions, envy, drunkenness, orgies and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. Jesus said himself that you will know them by their fruits. Well, this is the fruit of someone whose heart is far from God, the fruit of someone who loves God, practices things that are in verses, starting in verse 22. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. These are the fruit of those who really believe in Jesus and the ones who call on Jesus to help them, because we know that such things are impossible for those who are not in the Lord. They're hard for those who are in the Lord and impossible for them on their own. It is only through the love of God and the mercies that he gives us that these things are possible.
Speaker 1:So when Jesus says those who persevere to the end will be saved, what he's really saying? That those who truly believe truly believe. Well, they will practice these things for their entire life, because their whole life depends on Jesus. That's what it truly means to believe in Jesus is. That is your hope, that is your focus. It becomes your whole life. Each day that you wake up, the first thing you want to do is call on the Lord. The last thing you do before you go to bed is thank Him for the day that he gives you To watch over you while you sleep, to give Him praise and glory because of what he's done for us and what he gives us. That's the heart of a true believer. Sorry, I didn't mean to go that deep into that.
Speaker 1:The world has been crazy these days. The hatred, the division and everything that's going on in the world today. It seems to be progressively getting worse. I truly believe that the day that Jesus is speaking of is fastly approaching and I want it to come, but I also fear it coming because I know that the pain and so many people are lost. Jesus says that in the last days that the love of most will grow cold, and I can see that happening around me. I can see it happening in myself sometimes, and I fear it because we've become so immune, we've become so desensitized to the violence, to the hatred, to the godlessness that goes on in the world. We're permeated by it all the time. Every time we pick up our phone, every time we turn on the TV, every time we go into society and we're talking about things that are happening, and it's just constant. And when it's constant and it's all around you all the time, you want to kind of build up a calluses to it, a barrier to protect yourself from all the hate. It's hard to let yourself be open and vulnerable to love, to care, because who wants to feel pain, who wants to feel fear? I know I don't, but to love you have to have an open heart. An open heart can be hurt.
Speaker 1:I see a lot of Christians today walling themselves in. I pray for them, I pray for me. I pray for you, I'm for me, I pray for you. I'm going to end this one here. Jesus has much left to say on the last days. We'll pick back up at verse 14 in our next Bible study. Until then, I love you guys. Goodbye.