Mark 13:28-31

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"28 Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. 29 Even so, when you see these things happening, you know that it is near, right at the door. 30 Truly I tell you, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. 31 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away. ~ Mark 13:28-31

Today, we continue our study of Mark 13 where in context the disciples have asked the Lord Jesus how they would know that the end had come. Of course, the disciples had no idea that they would not be on the earth when the end arrived, but the Lord Jesus, nevertheless, answered their question. He answered their question for the benefit of those who will be on the earth during the Tribulation and the end comes.

In v.28 of today's passage we read, "Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near."

In order to help His followers to understand when the end will come, the Lord Jesus used an illustration from the fig tree. "As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near." When these events that the Lord Jesus had been accentuating in this chapter come to fruition, then the end will come. But, the main idea here is the certainty of the Word of God. Just as sure as summer follows winter, the Word of the Lord will come to pass. 

For us who are learning to be defined by the Lord Jesus, we are being convinced that He is trustworthy. Trust is a prevalent theme throughout the Bible, appearing 186 times. Trust is a vital part of our relationship with the Lord, and, to have a healthy relationship with Him, we must be in the habit of proving His Word. Of course, if we are not in His word and we do not know what He has said, we lack the vantage point to know whether He is trustworthy or not.

In v.29-30 of today's passage we read, "29 Even so, when you see these things happening, you know that it is near, right at the door. 30 Truly I tell you, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened." 

Some people see the budding fig tree as a picture of nation of Israel becoming a nation again in 1948. I do not see it that way because the Lord Jesus in context has been describing the happenings of the Tribulation period. He was saying that the generation that sees the events of the Tribulation, they will know that the end will be near and the coming of the Lord Jesus to this earth will be very near.

In v.31 of today's passage we read, "Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away."

Those words were given to undergird our faith in a time when it might appear that the Bible will be wrong and events appear to be going a different route. When it will seem that perhaps the biblical record is just a dream and cannot be trusted, the followers of the Lord Jesus must remember these words: "Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away." 

His words represent His definition of things, and, His Word will endure for eternity. Sadly, we live in a world full of people who are trying to change the definitions to everything. In this we see the rebellion of man against the definitions of God. And, the sad part about it, man's rebellion will not stand. And, for those who refuse to be defined by God, It is sad.

To illustrate the point, we have learned that for many years, Naval Observatory astronomers “observed” the motion of the earth, in relation to the heavens, to accurately measure time. All clocks in this country were set in relation to these very precise measurements. It was God who made the Master Clock of the Universe! He set the heavens in motion and mankind learned how to use its wonderful accuracy. As marvelous as this Great Clock is, the story does not end here.

To illustrate the point, in the early 2000's, scientists discovered that time can be measure by light. Now, time is measured by counting the number of times mercury ions vibrate in a second. Optical frequencies regularly oscillate at one million-billion times per second. By using lasers and mercury ions, scientists have harnessed the most precise measurement of time. Optical clocks only slip by ONE SECOND EVERY 30 BILLION YEARS it is estimated! 

All of this is to say, the God of all of creation has given us a book that we might know Him, to really know Him. His word, the word of God is the most substantive thing in this world. If we do not spend meaningful time in it, we lose out. For it is the word that keeps us from capsizing in a world of torrential waters. We must be diligent to not let anyone or anything turn us aside from spending time in the Word of God searching for God Himself. Investment in the Word of God for ourselves, and investment of the word of God in the souls of people must be our top priority. This is what life is truly all about. Life is not about figuring out the mysteries of prophecy. No, this life is about figuring out the mystery of God.

Mark 13:21-27

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21 At that time if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Messiah!’ or, ‘Look, there he is!’ do not believe it. 22 For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. 23 So be on your guard; I have told you everything ahead of time. 24 “But in those days, following that distress, “‘the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; 25 the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.’ 26 “At that time people will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. 27 And he will send his angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of the heavens." ~ Mark 13:21-27

Today, we continue our study of Mark 13 where the Lord Jesus had been responding to the question of the disciples about the end times. It was Wednesday evening of the passion week before Friday when the Lord Jesus would be crucified. The answer the Lord Jesus gave was threefold. Having considered the first two of His threefold response, today, we will consider His third response, it will be a time of religious deceit.

In v.21-22 of today's passage we read, "21 At that time if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Messiah!’ or, ‘Look, there he is!’ do not believe it. 22 For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.'"

The emphasis in today's passage is on seeing. In Hebrews 11:3 we read, "By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not brought into being from anything observable." 

During the Tribulation it will be a time of world-wide religious deceit. The false messiahs and the false prophets will be the agents of the anti-christ who will openly rule and reign in that day. These will be people who will appear and perform signs and wonders. Those not defined by God's word will be taken in and deceived.

In v.23 of today's passage we read, "So be on your guard; I have told you everything ahead of time."

With the emphasis on what we see, the Lord encourages His hearers to evaluate out of the posture that is informed by the word of God. This is why we must be in the word daily, allowing it to frame up life for us. Even though there was clear application of these words for the first disciples, these words will be most applicable to those who will be on the earth at the end of time. We have not yet entered into the time of tribulation, but the birth pains have come. Wars, rumors of wars, disease, disasters, and famines abound. And, the persecution of God's people is on the rise. Therefore, we must take notice of the signs that are before us, and, we must be about the Father's business, looking for those areas He is working and being useful to Him in leading others to the Lord Jesus.

In v.24-25 of today's passage we read, "24 But in those days, following that distress, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; 25 the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken."

Most theologians believe that the anti-christ, in the middle of the Tribulation, will do something awful in the rebuilt temple in Jerusalem, causing those who will be in the habit daily of being there, to leave. Thus, the abomination that causes desolation will be realized. This is why most have always watched with great interest the possibility of the reconstruction of the temple in Jerusalem.

At the end of time, as we know it, the Lord Jesus Christ will appear in the heavens with great power and glory. Previous to His appearing, volcanoes will erupt and tidal waves arise. The havoc on the earth at that time will be the result of the heavens being shaken and the lights will be turned off. The Lord Jesus will appear in the sky for all on earth to see. This will be the second coming of the Lord Jesus. The main difference between the rapture of the church and the second coming of the Lord Jesus will be the fact that His feet will touch the earth at the second coming. At the rapture of the church, we will be raised to meet the Lord in the air.

In v.26-27 of today's passage we read, "26 At that time people will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. 27 And he will send his angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of the heavens."

The climax of all of human history will be the appearing of Jesus Christ as Lord, with great power and great glory. At the second coming, the angels will be engaged in the gathering of God's people to Himself.  The sign of the end will be return of the Son, in full power and full glory. According to Revelation 6 the people of the earth at that time will say to the mountains, "Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb." This, of course, will be unnecessary because they could have avoided having to suffer the wrath of God for themselves. 

All of this underscores the fact that salvation is a free gift for the taking. Of course, it came at a great cost for the Lord Jesus. He laid down His life for anyone willing and humble enough to receive the free gift. When man yielded to the sinful desires of this fallen world, it resulted in the disordering of our loves. When we trust the Lord Jesus, we are enabled to see love anew, and, our loves are rendered to what God intended them to be. For all of eternity, it will be His love for us that will capture our hearts in such a way that we will fully exist for His glory.

Mark 13:14-20

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14 "When you see ‘the abomination that causes desolation’ standing where it does not belong—let the reader understand—then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. 15 Let no one on the housetop go down or enter the house to take anything out. 16 Let no one in the field go back to get their cloak. 17 How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers!   
18 Pray that this will not take place in winter, 19 because those will be days of distress unequaled from the beginning, when God created the world, until now—and never to be equaled again. 20 If the Lord had not cut short those days, no one would survive. But for the sake of the elect, whom he has chosen, he has shortened them." ~ Mark 13:14-20

Today, we return to our study of Mark 13 where the main theme is the end times and when the Lord Jesus will return to the earth for a second time. According to Matthew's Gospel, today's passage is predicated upon the prophecy given in Daniel 9:24-27. In order to understand today's passage, we must have a working knowledge of Daniel 9:24-27 which reads...

"24 “Seventy ‘sevens’ are decreed for your people and your holy city to finish transgression, to put an end to sin, to atone for wickedness, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the Most Holy Place. 25 “Know and understand this: From the time the word goes out to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until the Anointed One, the ruler, comes, there will be seven ‘sevens,’ and sixty-two ‘sevens.’ It will be rebuilt with streets and a trench, but in times of trouble. 26 After the sixty-two ‘sevens,’ the Anointed One will be put to death and will have nothing. The people of the ruler who will come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end will come like a flood: War will continue until the end, and desolations have been decreed. 27 He will confirm a covenant with many for one ‘seven.’ In the middle of the ‘seven’ he will put an end to sacrifice and offering. And at the temple he will set up an abomination that causes desolation, until the end that is decreed is poured out on him." ~ Daniel 9:24-27

This was a prophecy specifically about the nation of Israel. In that prophecy there were decreed 70 sevens which covers a 490 year period of time. When we multiply 70 x 7 we have 490, which is speaking of a prophecy which describes a 490 year period of time, specifically for the nation of Israel. As we read in Daniel 9:25-27, this prophecy is divided into three segments: 7 sevens = 49 years (Daniel 9:25), 62 sevens = 434 years (Daniel 9:25-26), and 1 seven  = 7 years (Daniel 9:27). When we add the totals, we have 490 years.

The first two segments (the 7 sevens and the 62 sevens) of time have already been fulfilled. The last seven which is a seven year period is yet to be fulfilled but the last seven is yet to be fulfilled. Most theologians refer to this 70th seven as the "Tribulation", although it is never described as such in the New Testament. The Lord Jesus does refer to the second half of this seven year period as "a time of great tribulation." In Jeremiah 30:7 it is referred to as "a time of Jacob's trouble." Of course, Jacob was Israel as an unbeliever and Israel is Jacob as a believer. So, the design of the Tribulation is to bring Israel to faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

According to Daniel 9:25, from the issuing of the decree to restore and rebuild the temple (the issuing of the decree to restore occurred in Nehemiah 2:1-8 which was 444 BC and it was completed in 395 BC) until the messiah there will be 7 sevens (Jerusalem was completed in 395 BC which took 49 years or seven sevens) and 62 sevens which is 434 years (444 BC to the day the Lord Jesus rode into Jerusalem on the donkey = 483 yrs). And, then there is the final seven.

According to Daniel 9:26, after the 62 sevens the messiah will be cut off March 30, 33 AD. And then, the prince is one who will destroy the city and the sanctuary (this occurred in A.D. 70 under the leadership of Titus). According to Daniel 9:27 the one seven is a 7 year period of time (this is a time of tribulation on earth as described by the Lord Jesus in Matthew 24.)

According to Daniel 9:26-27, the ruler or the prince will make a covenant with the many including Israel for one seven. This prince will be the anti-christ who is mentioned in Daniel 11:21. In the middle of this seven the anti-christ will discontinue sacrifice and worship and he will break his covenant with Israel. This 70th seven or the tribulation period is also described in Revelation 6:1-8:2 (7 seals) 8:3-10:11 (7 trumpets) 16:1-16 (7 bowls).

According to today's passage, when the Abomination of Desolation happens, at the middle of the Tribulation, there will be three results: First, according to Mark 13:15-18, there will be immediate trouble to those believers who are in Jerusalem and the surrounding area. Second, as seen in Mark 13:19-20, there will be an outbreak of a world-wide time of unprecedented trouble. It will be a time of great economic difficulty. That will be the time that the people will be required to take the mark of the beast to eat. The third result, which we will consider tomorrow, as listed in Mark 13:21-23, there will be a time of incredible religious deceit.

As mentioned, the final seven of Daniel's prophecy is yet to be fulfilled. The world could enter that period at any moment. Before that event takes place, the rapture of the church must happen. During the Tribulation, it will be most difficult to believe in the Lord Jesus, partly due to the fact that with the rapture of the church, the influence of the Holy Spirit in this world will be much different than it is today. With that said, you can avoid the Tribulation simply by trusting in the finished work of the Lord Jesus on the cross for the forgiveness of your sin. If you have not done this, I encourage you to talk with God right now, tell Him that you know that you are a sinner in need of His salvation and ask Him to come into your life. 

In Romans 10:9-10 we read, "If you declare with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord,' and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved."

Mark 13:6-13

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"6 Many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am he,’ and will deceive many. 7 When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. 8 Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places, and famines. These are the beginning of birth pains. 9 You must be on your guard. You will be handed over to the local councils and flogged in the synagogues. On account of me you will stand before governors and kings as witnesses to them. 10 And the gospel must first be preached to all nations. 11 Whenever you are arrested and brought to trial, do not worry beforehand about what to say. Just say whatever is given you at the time, for it is not you speaking, but the Holy Spirit. 12 Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child. Children will rebel against their parents and have them put to death. 13 Everyone will hate you because of me, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved." ~ Mark 13:6-13

Today, we return to our study of Mark 13 where the main subject is the End Times. The Lord Jesus and His Jewish disciples had just departed from the Temple in Jerusalem and now they are on the Mount of Olives where He is teaching them.

In v.6-8 of today's passage we read, "6 Many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am he,’ and will deceive many. 7 When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. 8 Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places, and famines. These are the beginning of birth pains." 

The first sign that the Lord Jesus gave to His disciples that end is near is that of false Christs. Since the time of the Lord Jesus, at least 64 different individuals have come claiming to be the Messiah. His word of warning to His disciples: "... do not be alarmed." We must be careful that it is the Jesus Christ of the Bible that we are following, or, we will end up following the wrong leader.

There's always been deception. As believers in Christ we should never be astonished or taken off guard that there is such a thing as spiritual warfare. And, as followers of the Lord Jesus Christ, we are engaged in a battle that is not for the kingdoms of this world. We are engaged in His battle which is for the eternal souls of people. 

The second threat leading up to the end is given in v.7-8, disasters like wars, famines, earthquakes, natural disasters, will occur. There have been wars and rumors of wars right from the very beginning. There are going to be famines and earthquakes in various places in the future, but, at the end of time, the escalation of these things will be a tip that we are near the end.

At the end of v.8, we are given a key phrase: "These are the beginning of birth pains." Five times in the Old Testament this very sentence is employed to speak of God's judgement upon sin. It speaks of it as the birth pangs of a woman, as God intervening in history in a very judicial and direct manner. It is a key phrase, because although we have always had wars, earthquakes, famines, that phrase "birth pangs" is a pull back the curtain type of statement. There are normal birth pains that happen, like wars and rumors of wars and famines and earthquakes. But, as when a woman is having a baby, when the contractions become more frequent and more intense, then we know the birth of the judgment of God in unbelieving man is close. 

In v.9-10 of today's passage we read, "9 You must be on your guard. You will be handed over to the local councils and flogged in the synagogues. On account of me you will stand before governors and kings as witnesses to them. 10 And the gospel must first be preached to all nations."

Right from the very first century these words were fulfilled. The book of Acts tells us how the Apostle Paul, and the other apostles, and the early Christians, were often beaten in the synagogues, dragged before governors and kings, and gave testimony before them, as was predicted by Jesus here in this passage.

In the middle of this statement about being brought before governors and kings, He says the gospel is to be preached, indicating that there is some tie between the two. This suggests when the gospel has penetrated a culture, those in positions of authority will be threatened. But this is not a sign of the end, because it has been going on through the whole course of the age, and will characterize the age until its end. 

After the church is raptured off the earth, during the Tribulation there will be two witnesses in Jerusalem who will do miraculous signs and will show great powers and when they die and when they're resurrected, the whole world in one instant will be able to see it. Then, there will be 144,000 Jewish Christian evangelists who will come on the scene. Then, at the end of the tribulation period God will send a special angelic messenger who will finish the job. At that time, "the gospel will be preached to all nations, then the end will come."

In v.11 of today's passage we read, "Whenever you are arrested and brought to trial, do not worry beforehand about what to say. Just say whatever is given you at the time, for it is not you speaking, but the Holy Spirit."

This is a promise to persecuted believers. In Luke 21:15 we read, "None of your opponents will be able to refute your testimony." That’s what happened. Virtually all of the apostles were martyred; the last of them, John, ended up as an exile, a kind of permanent martyrdom. They were killed in a myriad of ways, but, that didn’t stop the spread of the Gospel. In the moment of their deaths, the Spirit of God was there to lift them above human strength, to say things that were basically generated out of their hearts by the work of the Holy Spirit. 

In v.12-13 of today's passage we read, "12 Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child. Children will rebel against their parents and have them put to death. 13 Everyone will hate you because of me, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved."

Superficial faith collapses under persecution. Authentic, God-given faith will endure, because the Holy Spirit will provide strength and grace to endure in the faith. "The end" here is talking about the end of a person's life. As followers of the Lord Jesus Christ, we are called to be faithful to death. 

"The one who stands firm to the end will be saved" means genuine faith in the God of the Bible will survive the test of the age. This does not mean we earn our salvation. Think of the slap in the face of the Lord Jesus this would be. If it meant that we earn our salvation, it would be saying that the work of Christ to earn our salvation was not enough. It is like saying, "Christ plus our good works equals salvation." If anyone believes that, well, you are not following the Jesus Christ of the Bible. The genuineness of our faith is not a product of none other than the presence of God in our lives. Anything is holy because God is there. God makes us holy, righteous and acceptable before Him. 

Mark 13:1-5

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1 As Jesus was leaving the Temple, one of his followers said to him, “Look, Teacher! How beautiful the buildings are! How big the stones are!” 2 Jesus said, “Do you see all these great buildings? Not one stone will be left on another. Every stone will be thrown down to the ground.” 3 Later, as Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, opposite the Temple, he was alone with Peter, James, John, and Andrew. They asked Jesus, 4 “Tell us, when will these things happen? And what will be the sign that they are going to happen?” 5 Jesus began to answer them, “Be careful that no one fools you." (Mark 13:1-5)

Today, we transition into Mark 13 where the main theme is the teaching of the Lord Jesus on the End Times. This chapter begins with the temple. You see, I find it very interesting to discover that the Lord Jesus Himself never entered the temple itself. He only went into the outer court. Only selected priests were allowed into the temple sanctuary. And only the High Priest, once a year on the Day of Atonement, could go into the Holy of Holies in the inner sanctuary of the temple. 

The temple that existed when the Lord Jesus walked this earth was called the "second temple" because the "first temple," which had been built by Solomon, was completely destroyed by the Babylonians in 586 BC when they overthrew the kingdom of Judah and took the remaining Jews captive. After almost 60 years in captivity the Persian Emperor Cyrus allowed the Jews to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the temple, led by a man named Zerubbabel. For this reason the second temple was also sometimes called “Zerubbabel’s Temple” because he was the one who began its construction.

In v.1 of today's passage we read, "As Jesus was leaving the Temple, one of his followers said to him, 'Look, Teacher! How beautiful the buildings are! How big the stones are!'"

Mark 13 is the longest section in Mark where the Lord Jesus preached a sermon. We call it the Olivet Discourse. The whole chapter is the message of the Lord Jesus on the Mount of Olives speaking about the End Times. 

One of the disciples, as they were leaving the temple, spoke of how big and beautiful the temple was. Right was that disciple about the temple for the temple complex was one-fifth of the total landmass of the city of ancient Jerusalem. The temple of their day covered thirty-six acres. It took eighty thousand laborers over eighty years to build the temple. The pinnacle of the temple or the southeast corner down to the Kidron Valley was 158 feet tall. It was huge. 

In v.2 of today's passage we read, "Jesus said, “Do you see all these great buildings? Not one stone will be left on another. Every stone will be thrown down to the ground."

In response to the disciples statement about the temple, the Lord Jesus weaved together a near prediction of the destruction of the temple that happened in 70 AD, and, a far off prediction about the end of the world, the coming of the Antichrist, the great tribulation, all of the happenings on earth written in the book of Revelation. The Lord Jesus did this because these disciples were not thinking in terms of 2,000 years later, they were thinking in terms of like a week or a month from then. But, it is obvious that the Lord Jesus anticipated and knew there was going to be quite a length of time between the now at that time and the then that would come at the end of the world.  

The Jews believed that the existence of the temple in Jerusalem was the evidence of God's blessing upon the nation. But, the Lord Jesus said these stones, as great as they were, will be cast down, and the temple would be destroyed. His answer bothered Peter, James, John and Andrew, who later went to Him inquiring when will be the sign of these End Times. 

In v.3-4 of today's passage we read, "3 Later, as Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, opposite the Temple, he was alone with Peter, James, John, and Andrew. They asked Jesus, 4 “Tell us, when will these things happen? And what will be the sign that they are going to happen?"

The disciples had been with the Lord Jesus for three Passovers, and, for them to think that the dwelling place of God, the temple, was no longer going to be, it was difficult for them to believe and accept. In order to understand this passage, here in Mark 13, we must read Matthew 24-25 and Luke 21. God determined that each of the gospel writers would select certain things he wanted to emphasize. This was the Lord's way of giving us a more complete understanding of what the Lord Jesus taught that day.

Matthew makes a great deal over what happened to Israel. Luke is the only one who tells us of the fall of Jerusalem, and the subsequent captivity of the Jews and domination of the city by the Gentiles. Mark is the one who emphasizes the danger to faith which is going to arise in the age which follows the crucifixion and resurrection of the Lord.

In v.5 of today's passage we read, "Jesus began to answer them, “Be careful that no one fools you."

The phrase "be careful" is the Greek means to see or to be very aware of or literally "stay awake." The word the Lord Jesus used for "fools" means to deceive or to cause to wander away from. The Lord Jesus was saying, "Deception will mark history, beware of it." 

As I am sure that you know, there is the law of motion that says, "Every action has an equal and opposite reaction." There's also that same law in the spiritual realm: every divine action brings an opposite satanic reaction. If there's truth, there's going to be lies. If there's veracity, there's going to be deception. 

We must be so attentive to the word of God that the deceptive powers of the enemy, which are increasingly great, must not distract us from the Lord Himself. In today's passage, the Lord Jesus was training the disciples to think like He. This is always  the beginning point of every believer's sanctification. You will remember that justification is a one time event. It is when we were made right with God by believing that His Son's death on the cross paid the penalty for our sin. Sanctification, on the other hand, is the process whereby God is changing us from the inside out, and He starts this process by correcting the way we think. It is through the process of sanctification that God imparts to us His culture and wisdom which enables us to recognize the deception of the enemy.

The disciples had long been taught wrongly to value the wrong thing, in this case the temple. You see, the value of the temple was who was inside it, the LORD Himself. He is to be our first love. He is to be our first God before all others. So, today, we do well to lay down our lives before Him, and, in so doing we do well to value nothing more than we do Him for that which we value the most will define us.

Mark 12:41-44

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41 Now Jesus sat opposite the treasury and saw how the people put money into the treasury. And many who were rich put in much. 42 Then one poor widow came and threw in two copper coins, which make less than a penny. 43 So He called His disciples to Himself and said to them, “Assuredly, I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all those who have given to the treasury; 44 for they all put in out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all that she had, her whole livelihood.” ~ Mark 12:41-44

Today, we conclude our study of Mark 12 where the Lord Jesus and His disciples are in Jerusalem and it was the last week of His life on earth. In context, we have read about the contrast between the life defined by the flesh or religion and the life lived by faith in the God of the Bible.

The whole purpose of life is to be led to this ultimate truth: that God is the One who loves us and He is the only One who can fully satisfy us. The problem with this truth is we will not realize the fulness of it until we get to heaven and are snatched out of the sphere of the effects of sin upon us. 

God's love meets the deepest needs of our lives. I find that many resist this truth. We resist receiving love from God because we are so insistent that it come from people. But, when we try to meet our love needs by people, we discover those needs cannot be fully met by them. And, that reality leaves us feeling alone or lonely. We can be with people who are trying to love us with all their hearts and yet feel lonely. Love needs are met only by God Himself and the design of living in this fallen world is to be convinced of this most profound truth.

In v.41 of today's passage we read, "Now Jesus sat opposite the treasury and saw how the people put money into the treasury. And many who were rich put in much."

The religious performance among the religious leaders of Israel had reached such an absurd level that some of them, before they made their contributions, actually summoned a trumpeter to go before them to get everybody's attention. Then they went up to the treasury and proudly deposited their coins, garnering the attention of all who were present.

In v.42-44 of today's passage we read, "42 Then one poor widow came and threw in two copper coins, which makes less than a penny. 43 So He called His disciples to Himself and said to them, 'Assuredly, I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all those who have given to the treasury; 44 for they all put in out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all that she had, her whole livelihood.'"

Although there were many others who gave more, this one poor woman was the one who really caught the attention of God. She was the only one who moved the heart of the Lord Jesus. Her poverty in this world enabled her to see her rich status in the next. Even though her contribution to the kingdom of God was small, the equivalent of less than a penny today, this unnamed and unknown widow captured the attention of the Lord Jesus. She put in two tiny copper coins that added up to less than a penny; but because she loved the Lord her God with all her heart, all her soul, all her strength, and all her mind, she gave it. This led the Lord Jesus to say, "She has put in more than all those who have given to the treasury."

Religion, if we let it, will convince and enslave us to believe that God wants some kind of activity from us in order to be acceptable to Him. We think that the way to serve God is to do showy things, to win a lot of people to Christ, or to expend our energies in ways noticeable to others. Yet, the Scriptures tells us that the only thing that pleases God is the Lord Jesus Himself. 

God always looks at and accentuates to us our hearts. As we see with this woman, nobody was watching her, yet, God says the kingdom of God is advanced most by her heart response to Him. The Lord Jesus has always had an eye for the insignificant among us. But, who wants to choose insignificance?

The difference in this poor widow was she was being defined by the God who embraced her through her misery which enabled her to see as He does. This is one of those times when less is more. This widow is a clear example of the teaching that the Lord Jesus had previously given: "Love the Lord your God with your whole heart, soul, mind, and strength." This "poor" woman "gave out of her poverty, she put in all that she had, her whole livelihood." The rich didn't miss a cent of what they gave that day, but, this poor woman didn't either! She didn't miss it because she was defined as complete or whole through the grace of God. 

Earlier, the Lord Jesus taught "whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it." It may look to some as if she had thrown away her "whole" life, but the Lord Jesus saw in her surrender what His call requires of us if we are to go deep with Him. She "lost" her whole life to gain intimacy and dependency upon the God of all creation. Giving our "all" means giving in ways that we will find discomforting. Perhaps the time to give more is when we feel least comfortable about giving more.

When we seem to be throwing away our lives, we’re saving it. We don't save it, it is made whole by having been made whole by the God of the Bible whom we are learning to trust with each and every passing day. It is then, we discover that we are being saved from constantly worrying about things that end up in the don’t matter and don’t last category, like the little money that we have. 

"The Lord Jesus Christ, though He was rich, became poor so that we through his poverty might become rich." The greatness of Christ is most profoundly understood in His willingness to stoop to take notice of the insignificant. Because the Son of God emptied Himself, therefore, we can say with Paul, "But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us and gave Himself for us."

Mark 12:38-40

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38 Then He said to them in His teaching, “Beware of the scribes, who desire to go around in long robes, love greetings in the marketplaces, 39 the best seats in the synagogues, and the best places at feasts, 40 who devour widows’ houses, and for a pretense make long prayers. These will receive greater condemnation. ~ Mark 12:38-40 

Today, we return to our study of Mark 12 where the Lord Jesus has been highlighting why the religious leaders of Israel were so close to the kingdom of God, yet they lacked what was essential: a personal relationship with God. 

In context, the religious leaders had unsuccessfully pummeled the Lord Jesus with question after question in order to get Him to say something that they could have used against Him. At this point in the narrative, they had concluded that they needed a different approach. As it turned out, they bribed Judas Iscariot to betray Him. It was clear that the religious leaders of Israel were corrupt. 

When the Lord Jesus wiped out their corrupt business in the temple just the day before, many of the regular people were attracted to Him because they knew the corruption of the religious leaders. They knew they were paying ten times the price they should pay for a sacrificial animal. They knew they were being over-charged in the exchange of coins when they brought their temple tax offering. And, the Lord Jesus even said, "This is My Father’s house, it’s to be a house of prayer, but you turned it into a den of thieves."

In today's passage the Lord Jesus was, yet again, in the outer court of the temple, teaching in the court of the Gentiles which was a gathering place for all ethnic people, Jews and Gentiles. Closer toward the temple itself was a covered porch known as the court of the women where the people would linger after the sacrifices were made just to worship or to spend time in God's presence. One of the chambers was called the chamber of the silent. Around the chamber of the silent were thirteen trumpet-shaped boxes where people would pay their tithes.

It was into one of those boxes that most of the worshippers gave anonymously without fanfare. It was also a place where the poor received financial help without being embarrassed. But, as always, there were those who loved to give lots of coins so others could hear the coins drop one after another. They did so that others would notice their generosity. They gave for the effect of notoriety, and, the Lord Jesus was there watching.

It was at that point that the Lord Jesus said, "Beware of the scribes." In saying those words He was warning against religion which is rules without reason. It is a system without substance. It's belief without Bible. Those most at odds with the Lord Jesus  were the religious. They sought to put Him to death. This explains why the harshest words of the Lord Jesus were designated for the religious, especially the religious leaders. 

It was religion that motivated the Crusades, two hundred years of history from 1095 AD to 1291 AD that pitted belief system against belief system at the point of the sword. It was religion that brought civil conflict to Ireland between Catholic and Protestant for years. It was religion that brought airplanes into New York's Twin Towers on September 11, 2001. It was religion that motivated ISIS to take Christians and behead them on the beaches of Northern Africa, and also, it was religion that motivated them to put other Muslims in cages who didn't agree with their religious beliefs and burned them to death. 

Described in the remainder of this passage is the endless road that religion or false godliness leads. The problem is, like the proud, we know the lure of religion which leads us into the wicked den of self-worship. Pride and arrogance are tangled up in self-worship and it is the very essence of sin.

The robes that the religious leaders wore went all the way to the ground. They were fancy, unique and expensive. These robes had tassels on them, little reminders that they belonged to God and were accountable to His Word. As the centuries passed by, the religious leaders of Israel decided that these were the symbols of their glory, not God's glory. This caused people to inaccurately conclude they the religious leaders were holy. 

Luke tells us that the religious leaders loved the symbols of their glory. In fact, they were so exalted in their own minds that it was more punishable to act against the words of a scribe than the words of Scripture. They had exalted themselves over the Word of God.

Like the religious leaders of Israel, when we base our relationship with God on our ability to perform spiritual duties, we deny the power of God's grace in and through our lives. God does not love us because we dress a certain way, pray, read our Bibles, attend church or witness, yet, millions think God is mad if they don’t perform these and other duties perfectly. As a result, for those who yield to religion, they struggle to find true intimacy with the God who created them. 

Like the religious leaders of Israel, when we are religious we deceive ourselves into believing that we can win God’s approval through a religious dress code, certain spiritual disciplines, particular music styles and even doctrinal positions. And, religious people rarely interact with nonbelievers because they don’t want their own superior morals to be tainted by them. When we ingest this poison, we typically struggle with sinful habits ourselves, sinful habits that we cannot admit to anyone else.

When we get to the point that we hate religion that we know to be in us, we can be assured that this a step in the right direction. This is what separates the authentic from the religious. This disposition that is in all of us is a mere reminder that we desperately need the Lord Jesus, the Lord of Grace, to be the only One whom we worship. And, when we get to this point in life, we become increasingly aware that it is He who puts all of our enemies under His control, even the sinful desires within us which clamor for the notoriety from others that we know to be still in us.

Mark 12:35-37

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35 While Jesus was teaching in the temple courts, he asked, “Why do the teachers of the law say that the Messiah is the son of David? 36 David himself, speaking by the Holy Spirit, declared: “‘The Lord said to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand until I put your enemies under your feet.”’

37 David himself calls him ‘Lord.’ How then can he be his son?” The large crowd listened to him with delight. ~ Mark 12:35-37

Today, we return to our study of Mark 12 where the Lord Jesus and His disciples are in Jerusalem. As the Lord Jesus spent time in the Temple court just days before His death, He was repeatedly confronted by the antagonistic religious leaders of Israel. Their questions were attempts to trap Him in His words, but one after another He turned the questions back on them. After their questions had run out the Lord Jesus took an opportunity to ask a question of His own. And while He could have used this chance to shame or embarrass them, instead He asked a question that pointed them to toward the truth. Their questions came from wicked hearts with wicked intentions, but His’ offered them the chance to see clearly.

In today's passage, we are given a brief conversation that the  Lord Jesus had with the people in the temple. It was Wednesday of His final week on earth and He asked the people the most important question He could ask them. No one answered His question. His question was in response to the question the religious leaders had asked back in Mark 11:27, "By what authority are You doing these things? And who gave You this authority to do these things?"

In that question they referred to what He had just done the day before in the temple when He threw out those who were greedily making huge profit from the worship system that was there. Responding to them, the Lord Jesus asked yet another question which was a quote from Psalm 110:1 which reads, "How can the Messiah be David's Lord and still be his son?" In Hebrew it reads, "Yahweh said to Adonai." Both Yahweh and Adonai are terms for God, and, the literal rendering of this portion of the verse is: "God said to God." 

David, according to the Lord Jesus, would never have called a mere physical descendant of himself his Lord. But, in Psalm 110:1, David called him his Lord. The Lord Jesus posed the obvious question, "Why do you call the Christ the Son of David when David called Him Lord?" Graciously, the Lord Jesus was showing the religious leaders that the Messiah is more than a physical descendant of David, that He is God Himself. 

The answer to this question the Lord posed to the religious leaders, of course, is found throughout the Old Testament. It is not that God has not told us. All of the promises in the Old Testament regarding the Messiah are grounded in the Abrahamic Covenant and expanded in the Davidic Covenant. The problem was that the Jews assumed that the Messiah would be a human being and nothing more, and that He would use power that was beyond any king that the world had ever known. They did not see the Messiah as the Savior of individual souls, they arrogantly saw Him as the Savior of the Jews only. 

The identity of the Lord Jesus is the most important thing in all of life. My mind goes to John 8:46 which reads, "Can any of you prove that I am guilty of sin?" In context, the Lord Jesus was having a heated conversation with the religious leaders and He asked them this question. Perhaps the loudest display of Christ' divinity is the silence of these men to this most important question from the Lord Jesus. And, of course, there are many other arguments for the divinity of Christ: the many prophecies He fulfilled, the many miracles He performed, and the fact that He rose from the dead.

Today's passage provides for us the final invitation the Lord Jesus gave to the religious leaders of Israel. This was one more moment in which the people could have ceased their open rejection of their promised Messiah. The Bible is very clear that the Lord takes no pleasure in the damnation of the wicked. In fact, in Luke 19, we read of the Lord Jesus looking out over Jerusalem and He wept because it had largely rejected His salvation.

Sadly, v.37 ends with, "The large crowd listened to him with delight." They didn't fall on their faces in the presence of the incarnate God. They were entertained by God and they missed Him and they ended up in hell. How sad are those words. The people there that day were so resolute in the darkness of their own sin that they couldn’t see the light when He was shining in front of them. 

Mark 12:28-34

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"28 One of the teachers of the law came and heard Jesus arguing with the Sadducees. Seeing that Jesus gave good answers to their questions, he asked Jesus, “Which of the commands is most important?” 29 Jesus answered, “The most important command is this: ‘Listen, people of Israel! The Lord our God is the only Lord. 30 Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.’ 31 The second command is this: ‘Love your neighbor as you love yourself.’ There are no commands more important than these.” 32 The man answered, “That was a good answer, Teacher. You were right when you said God is the only Lord and there is no other God besides him. 33 One must love God with all his heart, all his mind, and all his strength. And one must love his neighbor as he loves himself. These commands are more important than all the animals and sacrifices we offer to God.” 34 When Jesus saw that the man answered him wisely, Jesus said to him, “You are close to the kingdom of God.” And after that, no one was brave enough to ask Jesus any more questions." ~ Mark 12:28-34

We return to our study of Mark 12 where another religious inquirer comes to the Lord Jesus with another question. Much of life is made up of the pursuit of the answers to our questions. And, although often frustrating, our questions are some of our greatest friends because they push us to pursue the Lord.

In v.28 of today's passage we read, "One of the teachers of the law came and heard Jesus arguing with the Sadducees. Seeing that Jesus gave good answers to their questions, he asked Jesus, “Which of the commands is most important?"

Whether sincere or not, the Lord Jesus answered the question of yet another religious leader of Israel. The question was: "Which of the commands is most important?"

Of the 613 commands found in the Old Testament, 248 were positive and 365 were negative. More don'ts than do's. No two rabbis agreed on which were the most crucial of the commands. There was always a debate as to which were the greatest. 

In v.29-31 of today's passage we read, "29 Jesus answered, 'The most important command is this: Listen, people of Israel! The Lord our God is the only Lord. 30 Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength. 31 The second command is this: ‘Love your neighbor as you love yourself.’ There are no commands more important than these.’"

In response to the question, the Lord Jesus quotes Deuteronomy 6 which begins with a command to love God. Loving God begins with giving our hearts to the Lord on a daily basis, especially when we lack understanding. Giving our hearts to God involves our worship of Him. Worship is ascribing worth to Him. We do so by believing His word, allowing it to define us on a daily basis.

What the religious leaders of Israel did not understand was they could not merit God's favor through their good behavior. No human, this side of the Fall, has ever loved God with his whole being. This is why the Lord Jesus came to be the Lamb of God who would take away the penalty of our sin and put us into a personal relationship with God.

We discover truth through observation. We see things, we feel things, we hear things, we read things about God, we observe, we experience, and truth comes to us first in our minds. That is why the Lord Jesus said that we are to love the Lord our God with all our minds.

Next, the truth impacts our emotions, or our souls, as it is listed here. Truth comes to our minds and then it moves to our emotions, and we begin to feel moved by the truth that our minds understand.

Next comes the will or the heart, as it is translated here. The word "heart" is used in several ways in the Scriptures. Sometimes it refers to the will, sometimes the emotions, but here it describes our will. We choose with our hearts or our wills. Once our will (heart) is moved, then we love God with our strength. Which means to give ourselves fully to what He says. 

In v.32-33 of today's passage we read, "32 The man answered, “That was a good answer, Teacher. You were right when you said God is the only Lord and there is no other God besides him. 33 One must love God with all his heart, all his mind, and all his strength. And one must love his neighbor as he loves himself. These commands are more important than all the animals and sacrifices we offer to God."

Our problems are potentially solved when we respond to God's love which is discovered primarily through His word within the arena of every day life. Understanding God's love positions us to turn our lives, including our blessings and our problems, over to Him. And, having experienced His love for ourselves, we are poised to love others naturally. 

God's love meets the deepest needs of our lives. In fact, when we try to meet our love needs through people, we find that those needs cannot be fully met, and we feel lonely. We can be with people who are trying to love us, yet be lonely. 

You will remember one of the last quotes made by the late Robin Williams, "I used to think that the worst thing in life was to end up alone. It’s not. The worst thing in life is to end up with people who make you feel alone." Our love needs are ultimately only met by God Himself and that is why we have to start with God.

In v.34 of today's passage we read, "When Jesus saw that the man answered him wisely, Jesus said to him, 'You are close to the kingdom of God.' And after that, no one was brave enough to ask Jesus any more questions."

The Lord Jesus commended this scribe, because the scribe understood that love is more important than ritual. That who we are is even more important that what we do, because what we do is determined by who we are. But, he had still not experienced the kingdom of God. He was close to salvation, but the scribe had not been apprehended by the truth. He didn't grasp the fact that our good works are not enough, our sin must be atoned for, and, we must be born again.

Of course, this is why the Lord Jesus came. All of those Old Testament animal sacrifices pointed us to the Lord Jesus who came to remedy our problem with sin which is what separated us from God in the first place. He came to earth to die so that we could truly live. He came to be separated from God so that we could love God and others.

Mark 12:18-27

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18 Then some Sadducees came to Jesus and asked him a question. (Sadducees believed that people would not rise from the dead.) 19 They said, “Teacher, Moses wrote that if a man’s brother dies, leaving a wife but no children, then that man must marry the widow and have children for his brother. 20 Once there were seven brothers. The first brother married and died, leaving no children. 21 So the second brother married the widow, but he also died and had no children. The same thing happened with the third brother. 22 All seven brothers married her and died, and none of the brothers had any children. Finally the woman died too. 23 Since all seven brothers had married her, when people rise from the dead, whose wife will she be?” 24 Jesus answered, “Why don’t you understand? Don’t you know what the Scriptures say, and don’t you know about the power of God? 25 When people rise from the dead, they will not marry, nor will they be given to someone to marry. They will be like the angels in heaven. 26 Surely you have read what God said about people rising from the dead. In the book in which Moses wrote about the burning bush, it says that God told Moses, ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’ 27 God is the God of the living, not the dead. You Sadducees are wrong!” ~ Mark 12:18-27

In today's passage, we are told the Lord Jesus received a visit from the Sadducees. The word "Sadducee" literally means "the righteous ones." This group of "quasi religious leaders" did not believe in the resurrection. Like the Pharisees, they wanted to minimize the Lord Jesus, because His popularity was a threat to their comfortable and affluent lives. 

In v.18-22 of today's passage we read, "18 Then some Sadducees came to Jesus and asked him a question. (Sadducees believed that people would not rise from the dead.) 19 They said, “Teacher, Moses wrote that if a man’s brother dies, leaving a wife but no children, then that man must marry the widow and have children for his brother. 20 Once there were seven brothers. The first brother married and died, leaving no children. 21 So the second brother married the widow, but he also died and had no children. The same thing happened with the third brother. 22 All seven brothers married her and died, and none of the brothers had any children. Finally the woman died too."

 

The Sadducees were trying to show how ridiculous was the idea of the resurrection, so they presented a scenario to the Lord Jesus based on Deuteronomy 25 which called for a man to marry his brother’s wife in the event of his brother’s death. With this argument, they referred to a law in the book of Moses called the law of levirate marriage which was given by God in order to protect the widow, her land and the name of the family. And so a brother or a kinsman, a relative, could marry that lady, and then the family name would be preserved, and the inheritance would be passed on from generation to generation for that woman. 

In v.23 of today's passage we read, "Since all seven brothers had married her, when people rise from the dead, whose wife will she be?"

Trying to minimize the Lord Jesus, the Sadducees asked Him who would be the husband of the woman in heaven, especially since she had been married so many times. Of course, they weren't on a journey to discover the truth, they were just trying to cause the people to no longer follow Him, especially since they benefitted the most from the sacrificial system at the temple. And, the Lord Jesus was a threat to that commerce based on what He had done in the temple a day earlier.

In v.24-26 of today's passage we read, "24 Jesus answered, 'Why don’t you understand? Don’t you know what the Scriptures say, and don’t you know about the power of God? 25 When people rise from the dead, they will not marry, nor will they be given to someone to marry. They will be like the angels in heaven. 26 Surely you have read what God said about people rising from the dead. In the book in which Moses wrote about the burning bush, it says that God told Moses, ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’"

In His answer the Lord Jesus made it clear that in heaven there will be no marriage. As someone who has been married to the same woman for over thirty years, this is a difficult one for me. Notice the Lord Jesus did not say that in heaven we will be angels, but that we will be like the angels. We will be like the angels in that we will not cohabitate and reproduce. In addition, we will not die.  So, there will be no need for reproduction in heaven.

At this point the Lord Jesus directed the Sadducees attention to Exodus 3:6 in order to establish His point. This is important because He knew the Sadducees only accepted the first five books of the Bible as the word of God. It seems Exodus 3:6 doesn’t argue for the resurrection of the dead. But, when we consider that God made an everlasting covenant with Abraham, Isaac & Jacob after they had died, it takes on a different meaning. Since God made an everlasting covenant with them, he will raise them from the dead so that they may see the fulfillment of God's promises.

There is a great principle being given here which I have found to be an encouragement down through the years, especially when it seemed that all hope was lost. The principle comes in the form of a quote which is: "God’s most striking victories come out of graves of apparent defeat."

According to v.27, the Sadducees understood neither the Scriptures, which teaches the resurrection of the dead, nor did they know the power of God, who can and will raise the dead to life. This was their problem, they were not accustomed to being defined by the God of the Bible. In 1 Corinthians 15 the Apostle Paul established this very important point: if we do not have the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ, we do not have hope.

I find it striking that group after group was trying to trip the Lord Jesus up, yet He spoke the truth to them and in so doing He held out hope to each group. His has always been self-giving love which is a product of such hope. The Lord Jesus is the same with us. He knows the quickest way to our hearts is through our wounds. And, it is these wounds which create our skepticism or they can assist our ability to see Him with our hearts. We are to some degree hard-hearted like these religious leaders, at times. And, yet, He keeps offering us hope. And, He rarely blesses us with only us in mind.

Hope must be garnered by us through the thicks and thins of life. We must admit that we, at times, struggle seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. This honest struggle is necessary for us to be develop an authentic walk with the Lord and to be found anchored to His hope. Amid all of the negativity that we will face out in the world today, let's be poised to hold out this hope which is based on the truth of the resurrection from the dead for all those, who like us, are struggling, too. Like him or not, Napoleon brilliantly once said, "Leaders are dealers in hope."

From the book of Exodus, the Lord Jesus showed the Sadducees that there will be a resurrection and there will be an afterlife. While quoting from the burning bush passage, the Lord Jesus established that Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were dead when God spoke those words to Moses regarding them. He didn't say, "I was the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob," He said, "I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob." Using the present tense, He established life after death.

In v.27 of today's passage we read, "God is the God of the living, not the dead. You Sadducees are wrong!"

Since God is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, there has to be a resurrection from the dead. God is the God of the living because He is the God who conquered death. It was not enough for the Lord Jesus to die for us, but He also had to rise from the dead, proving His victory over the grave. The resurrection of the Lord Jesus changed everything. It is the resurrection of Jesus that promises us eternal life. I love that quote from C.S. Lewis who once said, "I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen: not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else."