Wrong Conclusions
I have been amazed over the years at how simple God has made eternal truths to every man who deeply longs to find the meaning of all that God has said. One of the major problems is that we come to the Bible with preconceived ideas and wrong conclusions which have come from those who have used pamphlets, books, radio, television, campaigns and lectures. So, when we read the Bible, these preconceived ideas block our ability to just let God teach us. Whenever we read the Bible, we must make a distinct difference between the thoughts we bring into the Bible and the thoughts which come forth from the divine words given by the Holy Spirit.
A vivid illustration of this is in the application of Jesus’ discussion of “…wars, rumors of wars…nations shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom…famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes…” Individuals have read these words almost since He said them, and then they apply these words to whatever has just happened or whatever looms on the horizon. In my lifetime these words have been applied to WWII, Berlin blockade, the Cold War and threat of Russia, the Korean War, Vietnam, Cuban crisis, the Six Day War, ongoing conflict between Israel and the Arab nations, the invasion of Iraq, rise of the military power of China, the conflict in Afghanistan—the list seems endless. How on earth could one ever know when the words of Jesus actually had application? How often have you heard others mention the words of Jesus and then say, “The end is at hand”?
Are you aware that if one hears all the words of Jesus and puts them in the context where they were spoken, any person who can read can see how many teachers have led so many astray? One question, when we let God lead us to truth, can enable the most uneducated among us to find the truth and see just how simple the truth of these wars, earthquakes, etc. really is.
That question is, “Who did Jesus say would hear of these wars?” Forget what you have heard others say and let Jesus tell you. It is very simple to answer. Read what Mark reveals to us. There were only four people who heard Jesus speak these words and they were: Peter, James, John and Andrew (Mark 13:3). Now answer the question posed above. Who did Jesus say would hear of these wars and disasters? The KJV uses a two-letter word (“ye”) and a three-letter word (“you”). These words have nothing to do with any war beyond the life of these four apostles! These four men were the ones who were told they would hear of the wars. The plain truth is you cannot believe what you have heard others say. Listen to Jesus and it will change how you read all He said in this chapter.