Recreate Church, Pastor Michael Shockley—Service, Sunday, June 13, 2021

A Storm on the Horizon.

Today Pastor Michael is continuing his studies on the end times.  The message today is about knowing that end times (the ‘end game’ to use a term from chess) are coming and what we do to prepare for them.  Jesus and His disciples are leaving the temple and his disciples point out the magnificence of the temple.  Jesus warns his disciples not to be misled by the magnificence and that, “not one stone will be unturned”.  

Essentially Jesus is letting his followers know that folks can be misled by earthly things and there is no permanence to them, either.  Jesus is focusing on preparedness, on readiness to suffer and on trust.  

So, if we see a storm system on the horizon, why not just get out the rain?  Meaning, prepare!

Some background on the temple, to show how it so centrally figured on life in Jerusalem in those days and why it struck the disciples as such a statement from Jesus that it would not survive:

(New Living Translation (NLT) Study Bible Notes) Leaving the Temple, Jesus was heading to the Mount of Olives (13:3). • look at these magnificent buildings! The sight of the Temple would have been awe-inspiring.  It was the largest temple complex in the world, with immense stones. One stone that has been uncovered in the the western wall is estimated to weigh 600 tons. With its white stones, gold trim, and the gold-covered roof, the Temple complex looked like a snow-covered mountain; in the sun it was a blinding sight (Josephus, War 5.5.6). The Talmud says that “He who has not seen the temple in its full construction has never seen a glorious building in his life” (Babylonian Sukkah 51b).

Today’s bible verses are found in Mark 13: 1-8.  Additionally, this same message is covered, from a different view, in Matthew chapters 24 and 25 as well as Luke, chapter 21.