by Gary L. Evans
(revised 7/31/2023)
Mark — Part 16
Mark 13:7-8 And when ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars, be ye not troubled: for such things must needs be; but the end shall not be yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: …
Jesus taught us that we must not be concerned about the end as long as there are continued wars and reports of wars in the world, because as long as wars continue, the end has not come yet.
1Th 5:2-4 For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape. But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief.
Paul explained that The Day of The Lord will sneak upon the world like a thief in the night so that no one will be expecting it. But when people all over the world are saying, “Peace and Safety,” that’s when the end will come. And this makes sense. What is the opposite of constant wars and danger? Peace and safety.
Dan 8:23-25 And in the latter time of their kingdom, when the transgressors are come to the full, a king of fierce countenance, and understanding dark sentences, shall stand up. And his power shall be mighty, but not by his own power: and he shall destroy wonderfully, and shall prosper, and practise, and shall destroy the mighty and the holy people. And through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand; and he shall magnify himself in his heart, and by peace shall destroy many: he shall also stand up against the Prince of princes; but he shall be broken without hand.
Daniel taught that in “The Latter Time” which are The Last Days that one would come that was wise and powerful. This will be The Antichrist when he comes. Note that he will bring peace and prosperity to the whole world through his government.
THE SECOND SEAL: Wars until the very end, until The Antichrist brings world peace and prosperity, then The Lord will return.
Mark 13:8 … and there shall be earthquakes in divers places, and there shall be famines and troubles: these are the beginnings of sorrows.
The word “earthquakes” means exactly what the word literally means. There will be earthquakes around the world in various places right up until the end.
The meaning of the word “famines” is its literal sense and also another meaning in the figurative sense.
The word “troubles” is from the Greek “tar-akh-ay’” which means “disturbance, that is, (of water) roiling, or (of a mob) sedition.”
So these troubles come like a continuous churning of water in the world and include dangerous disturbances such as seditions by mobs of people. Today, we must include in this description of “troubles” what we have only recently been calling Terrorism and Terrorist Attacks against innocent people.
Now consider the figurative meaning of the word, “famines.”
Amo 8:11-12 Behold, the days come, saith the Lord GOD, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD: And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east, they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the LORD, and shall not find it.
The word “hearing” implies “understanding” in the context. So these verses say that in The Last Days there will come a world wide “Famine,” a global lack of understanding God’s Word. And people will be running this way and that going from one place to another trying to find it, but they will not find it.
And this fact is quite logical. Because we learn in The First Seal that the world is full of antichrists deceiving many people, so it is very hard to find a true teacher of God’s Word in this world. There just are not very many.
The word “sorrows” means “birth pangs of a woman in labor.” Paul mentioned this when he addressed The Second Seal above in 1Th 5:2-4.
Mic 4:9-10 Now why dost thou cry out aloud? is there no king in thee? is thy counsellor perished? for pangs have taken thee as a woman in travail. Be in pain, and labour to bring forth, O daughter of Zion, like a woman in travail: for now shalt thou go forth out of the city, and thou shalt dwell in the field, and thou shalt go even to Babylon; there shalt thou be delivered; there the LORD shall redeem thee from the hand of thine enemies.
So this is the condition of Israel and in turn the condition of true Christians in The Last Days. To us, this entire world is like a woman in labor of childbirth. And we know that each pang is painful for the woman, but then she gets a little rest. And then there is another pang, more pain for her to endure, and then a little more rest. And as the time approaches, the pangs become more and more painful and come closer and closer together, until the pain becomes overwhelming and suddenly it’s time to push. This describes how this world will end.
THE THIRD SEAL: Earthquakes, trouble, famines, and a global lack of understanding God’s Word, which gets worse and worse as the end approaches.
Whosoever has eyes to see and ears to hear, let him hear.
Mark — Part 17
Mark 13:9 But take heed to yourselves: for they shall deliver you up to councils; and in the synagogues ye shall be beaten: and ye shall be brought before rulers and kings for my sake, for a testimony against them.
The word “councils” is from “soon-ed’-ree-on” which means “a joint session, that is, (specifically) the Jewish Sanhedrim; by analogy a subordinate tribunal.”
The Very Elect will be arrested and taken before religious tribunals, and taken before political officials and leaders. Why? For The Lord’s Name’s Sake. When The Antichrist comes, he will perform miracles in the sight of the entire world such that everyone will believe that he is God, that he is Jesus Christ returned as promised. But The Very Elect WILL NOT WORSHIP HIM, because we will discern that he is That Old Serpent, Satan, The Devil.
Rev 12:7-9 And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.
There will be war in Heaven between Satan and his forces and Michael and his forces, and Michael will defeat Satan and cast him out of Heaven to the Earth. So we know that before The Lord Returns, Satan will come to the Earth pretending to be Jesus Christ, pretending to be God.
Rev 12:10-12 And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night. And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death. Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.
When Satan is cast out of Heaven, they will be rejoicing in Heaven because Satan, The Accuser will be cast down to Earth. Satan is The Slanderer, who slanders The Lord’s Servants continuously. But WOE TO THE INHABITERS OF THE EARTH! Why? Because The Devil will come down to us, and he will be in a hurry. And it will be The Very Elect who will be feeling that WOE, because The Antichrist and his government will arrest us for not bowing down to him.
Recall this verse:
Zec 14:2 For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished; and half of the city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city.
Half of the city of Jerusalem will go into captivity.
Recall this verse:
Dan 8:24 And his power shall be mighty, but not by his own power: and he shall destroy wonderfully, and shall prosper, and practise, and shall destroy the mighty and the holy people.
The Antichrist will “destroy the mighty and the holy people.” My friends, THIS IS OUR DESTINY. We are The Holy People. The lost of this world will believe that everything is wonderful, peace and prosperity, and will rally to That Old Serpent like Old Time Religion. But The Very Elect will be arrested as trouble makers because we will not bow to Satan.
The word, “destroy,” is from the Hebrew, “shaw-khath’,” which means, “to decay, that is, (causatively) ruin (literally or figuratively).”
So The Antichrist and his minions will ruin our lives. But remember, Jesus promised us that not even a hair of our heads would perish. So do not be afraid, my friends.
THE FOURTH SEAL: The Captivity of The Elect
Whosoever has eyes to see and ears to hear, let him hear.
Mark — Part 18
Mark 13:10 And the gospel must first be published among all nations.
The Good News about The New Covenant between God and Man which was sealed by The Blood of The Only Begotten Son of God must first be published all over the world. My friends, for two thousand years many people have claimed to have the religious authority to teach about The Gospel, but they have failed miserably, no doubt but they were fakes, frauds, con-artists just trying to make a living selling religious sounding words and rituals. But they have simply been those many antichrists deceiving many.
It is easy to tell when someone who claims to be a Christian has ever been taught the truth, even people who have attended a church regularly all their lives. Ask them, “What is sin?” They will answer any number of things, like “don’t drink beer” or “don’t smoke cigarettes,” etc, which have nothing to do with “sin.”
1Jn 3:4 Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.
Sin is the transgression of God’s Law. In fact, we could not have ever known about sin except that God’s Law taught us about it and how deadly it is.
Now if so-called religious “experts” do not know what sin is, then it is impossible for them to have ever repented and ceased from sin. Therefore it is impossible for them to have entered into The New Covenant and received Eternal Life. Therefore it is impossible for them to teach anyone else how to obtain Eternal Life. Therefore it is impossible for them to teach The Gospel of Jesus Christ. No, my friends, The Gospel has not yet been taught world-wide.
The whole world has been under the deception of those many antichrists for two thousand years, so that now today there is a global famine for understanding The Word of God.
Mark 13:11 But when they shall lead you, and deliver you up, take no thought beforehand what ye shall speak, neither do ye premeditate: but whatsoever shall be given you in that hour, that speak ye: for it is not ye that speak, but the Holy Ghost.
Now Jesus explains when The Gospel will be preached world-wide. It will be after The Very Elect are taken into captivity. And guess what? WE ARE THE ONES WHO WILL PREACH THE GOSPEL WORLD-WIDE after we are taken into captivity by The Antichrist. THIS IS OUR MISSION AND OUR DESTINY. Jesus also told us not to even try to think of what we might say, because we will not be doing the speaking, but THE HOLY SPIRIT in us will do all of the speaking at that time.
Act 2:1-4 And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
On the Day of Pentecost, the fiftieth day after Passover, all of the disciples were gathered together along with a large number of other people. And the fullness of The Holy Spirit came upon them and they began to speak in foreign languages.
The old English word “tongues” means “foreign languages,” and so does the Greek word, “glōssa,” from which it was translated.
Act 2:5 And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven.
There were there converts to Judaism, Jehovah worship, in that meeting place from every nation under heaven.
Act 2:6 Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and were confounded, because that every man heard them speak in his own language.
And each one of them heard the disciples speak in his own native language, and because of this, they were all dumbfounded.
Act 2:7-8 And they were all amazed and marvelled, saying one to another, Behold, are not all these which speak Galilaeans? And how hear we every man in our own tongue, wherein we were born?
Now this word “tongue” is from “dialektos” which means dialect. So the disciples under the power of The Holy Spirit were speaking in the very language and even the dialect of the towns in which each of these men had grown up as children. And there were men there from every nation on earth! No man can fake this act, my friends.
Act 2:9-11 Parthians, and Medes, and Elamites, and the dwellers in Mesopotamia, and in Judaea, and Cappadocia, in Pontus, and Asia, Phrygia, and Pamphylia, in Egypt, and in the parts of Libya about Cyrene, and strangers of Rome, Jews and proselytes, Cretes and Arabians, we do hear them speak in our tongues the wonderful works of God.
There were people assembled together from all over the known world. It is quite special to speak in all languages of mankind simultaneously, and exactly what was being spoken about? THE WONDERFUL WORKS OF GOD. They literally spoke with THE VOICE OF GOD ALMIGHTY! And the Day of Pentecost was AN EXAMPLE FOR US in these Last Days.
Act 2:16 But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel;
There was naturally a lot of confusion and debate about what was going on. And Peter speaks up and explains that this was actually AN EXAMPLE of what the prophet Joel had prophesied about.
Act 2:17-18 And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams: And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy:
Peter quotes from the book of Joel. The “Last Days” are the two millennia and years and days leading up to and finally culminating with the appearance and deception of The Antichrist. These are those Last Days, my friends, when The Lord will POUR OUT HIS SPIRIT UPON HIS VERY ELECT and they will PREACH THE GOSPEL WORLD-WIDE. And our preaching will be in every language of mankind simultaneously, so that the whole world will know that what they are hearing from our mouths is a miracle.
THE FIFTH SEAL: THE TESTIMONY OF THE ELECT
Whosoever has eyes to see and ears to hear, let him hear.
Mark — Part 19
Mark 13:12 Now the brother shall betray the brother to death, and the father the son; and children shall rise up against their parents, and shall cause them to be put to death.
The word, “death,” is from the Greek, “than’-at-os,” which means “death (literally or figuratively).”
Why will people and even members of our own families turn against us? Because they will believe that The Antichrist is Jesus Christ returned, but we will not believe. Why would they turn us over to “Death?” What kind of “death?”
2Th 2:1-2 Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him, That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand.
Paul begs us regarding The Return of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering to Him, that we not jump to any conclusion as to that The Day of The Lord has already come.
2Th 2:3 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;
The term, “falling away,” is from, “ap-os-tas-ee’-ah,” which means, “defection from truth (properly the state), (“apostasy”).”
Jesus CANNOT RETURN UNTIL AFTER the APOSTASY or Falling Away from The Truth, when almost all Christians Fall Away from The True Faith in God’s Word.
And Jesus CANNOT RETURN UNTIL AFTER the “Man of Sin,” who is also called, “The Son of Perdition,” is revealed. Well, we know that the Man of Sin is Satan, The Devil, because he sinned from In The Beginning.
The word, “perdition,” is from, “ap-o’-li-a,” which means “ruin or loss (physical, spiritual or eternal).” And it is from the word, “ap-ol’-loo-mee,” which means “to destroy fully (reflexively to perish, or lose), literally or figuratively.”
So this word means Fully Destroyed, Eternal Damnation or Death, which is The Second Death, the Death of the Soul. Only one son of God has already been condemned to the Death of the soul, and that one is Lucifer, alias Satan, The Devil.
2Th 2:4 Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.
And Paul goes on to describe what The Son of Perdition will do. He will exalt himself above God and go into The Temple claiming THAT HE IS GOD! Remember, my friends, SATAN IS DEATH!
Mark 13:13 And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake: but he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.
And because all people of this world including our family members and relatives will fall away into The Great Apostasy and will be deceived into worshiping Satan, The Antichrist, they will hate us for The Lord’s Name’s Sake, because we place all of our trust in The Name of The Only Begotten Son, The Word of God, and will not bow in worship to that Wicked One.
So people around us, even our own family, will turn us over to those religious tribunals to be tried and convicted for refusing to believe. They will TURN US OVER TO DEATH, because SATAN IS DEATH. So they will cause us to go into captivity to The Antichrist. And that is well and good, because then at the set time we will give our testimony.
Mark 13:14 But when ye shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing where it ought not, (let him that readeth understand,) then let them that be in Judaea flee to the mountains:
This should be best translated as “the abomination of the desolator,” because it is a person, actually a cherub, because Lucifer, alias Satan, is a Cherub, higher than angel. And that abominable deed will be when he claims to be God. Jesus commanded us to run away from Jerusalem as fast as we can when we see The Antichrist do this Abominable Deed.
Dan 9:27 And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.
Jesus is referring to this passage in Daniel regarding The Desolator or Destroyer who will commit Abominations. Note that the “week” mentioned in this verse is a “Week of Years” which Daniel declared would be the time of The Antichrist at the end of the world. This seven year period then is also called, Daniel’s Week.
Isa 14:12-14 How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.
In The First Earth Age, Lucifer rebelled against our Creator and declared that he would exalt his throne above God’s children and sit in the place of The Most High. He prophesied that he would be as God. And this will be the time that Lucifer’s prophesy will be fulfilled, when he will go into The Temple and declare that he is God.
Note that the name “Lucifer” is from the Hebrew “hay-lale’” which means “morning star.” And our Lord and Savior, Jesus, The Messiah, is The Bright Morning Star. Please my friends, do not be deceived during The Great Apostasy and bow down to the wrong “morning star” when he comes. Wait for The True and Faithful to come.
Mark 13:15-16 And let him that is on the housetop not go down into the house, neither enter therein, to take any thing out of his house: And let him that is in the field not turn back again for to take up his garment.
When The Antichrist goes into The Temple and declares that he is God, don’t waste time to go back home to pack. And if you are out in the field harvesting, don’t even go back to get your coat. Just get out of Jerusalem immediately! Why? Is this the moment of imminent danger? Is this the time for a major earthquake to occur that will split open a deep chasm to cause The Temple of Abomination to sink down into the earth?
Mark 13:17 But woe to them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days!
The fallen angels will again be on the earth during this test and taking women as play pretties like they did before The Flood of Noah to produce the giants of ancient times. And recall that when Michael casts Satan out of Heaven, he will also cast out Satan’s Angels. So Satan and also his Fallen Angels will come to this earth together.
Mark 13:18 And pray ye that your flight be not in the winter.
The word, “winter,” is from, “khi-mone’,” which means, “to pour, meaning a storm (as pouring rain); by implication the rainy season, that is, winter.”
So this word means “winter” only in its figurative sense and in the fact that the rainy season was in the winter. But it literally means, Pouring Out. So Jesus is now commanding us to pray that we do not run away at this time. Have we studied anything about a “pouring out” in this lesson?
Joe 2:28-31 And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions: And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit. And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the LORD come.
And we know that The Day of The Lord is The Millennial Reign of Jesus Christ on earth. So Joel is describing what will occur before The Return of Jesus, The Pouring Out of The Holy Spirit upon all of God’s Servants, namely, The Very Elect, when we will all speak with The Tongues of Pentecost to give our Testimony.
Mark 13:19-20 For in those days shall be affliction, such as was not from the beginning of the creation which God created unto this time, neither shall be. And except that the Lord had shortened those days, no flesh should be saved: but for the elect’s sake, whom he hath chosen, he hath shortened the days.
The deception cast upon this world by Satan during this time will be the greatest since the beginning of this Second Earth Age. And the deception of The Antichrist will be so convincing that even The Very Elect will nearly be deceived, so that the original seven year period prophesied in Daniel had to be shortened because no one dwelling in a flesh body could resist believing The Antichrist for that long. Note that we learn from Revelation that this time will be shortened to Five Months, The Time of The Locusts.
Mark 13:21-23 And then if any man shall say to you, Lo, here is Christ; or, lo, he is there; believe him not: For false Christs and false prophets shall rise, and shall shew signs and wonders, to seduce, if it were possible, even the elect. But take ye heed: behold, I have foretold you all things.
Don’t believe anybody who tells you that Jesus has returned, my friends, because when Christ returns, we will have a change of body from flesh to angelic. There will be many antichrists and false preachers and teachers in the world, and then finally will come The Antichrist who will work miracles in an attempt to deceive everyone on earth. But our Lord has warned us about all of these things.
THE SIXTH SEAL: THE GREAT APOSTASY AND APPEARANCE OF THE ANTICHRIST
Whosoever has eyes to see and ears to hear, let him hear.