HOLY SPIRIT TEACHINGS
Destruction First Before the Rebuild
Mark 13:3-8 [See also: Luke 21:10-13; Matthew 24:6-8; 2 Chronicles 15:5-7]
3 As He was sitting on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter and James and John and Andrew were questioning Him privately, 4 “Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign when all these things are going to be fulfilled?” 5 And Jesus began to say to them, “See to it that no one misleads you. 6 Many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am He!’ and will mislead many. 7 When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be frightened; those things must take place; but that is not yet the end. 8 For nation will rise up against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; there will be earthquakes in various places; there will also be famines. These things are merely the beginning of birth pangs.
The above section of these verses mentioned from Mark in various versions of the Bible give an idea as to what Jesus was speaking about beyond occurrences that would take place in the natural. Some of the various titles include: Things to Come, Temple Destruction Foretold, Jesus Foretells Destruction of the Temple, and The Temple’s Fate, to name a few. Oftentimes God is speaking through natural events in the earth to reveal what’s happening in the spiritual realm also, so I am not saying these things will not occur because they will in the natural. However, one must be able to see by God’s Spirit (prophecy, Revelation 19:10) what He’s truly revealing and doing in and among people (the earth). Paul said that our bodies were the temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). So, if that’s the case then that would mean that what Christ was truly getting at in His message, from a deeper perspective is the temple of man: his carnal temple, his worldly temple, his ‘old man;’ his earthly form would be destroyed (or made dead) in order that Christ could raise it again (1 Corinthians 15:35-49; John 10:17). This is through the authority of God, by His Holy Spirit. We have to come in to this place as Jesus was, in Him, by His Spirit, in order that we are able to stand completely against all whiles of the enemy of him which is in the worldly nature:
I will not talk with you much more, for the prince (evil genius, ruler) of the world is coming. And he has no claim on Me. [He has nothing in common with Me; there is nothing in Me that belongs to him, and he has no power over Me.]
A claim can mean an established or recognized right on something; as an example would be property. Christ is saying in the above Scripture that the enemy has no right to claim Him as his. Why? Christ belongs to His Father in heaven and not the father of lies, a murderer from the beginning who doesn’t stand or walk in the truth of all things. This also gives a clue as to those that are the ones considered in Mark 13:6, the ones what will come in Christ’s name (claiming His name as their own, as if they belong to Him),speaking as if they are Christ’s (Father God’s children—“I am He!”). These are the ones that will mislead many as they walk in disobedience to God and His Holy Spirit.
You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desire. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies. 45 Yet because I tell the truth, you do not believe me! 46 Can any of you prove me guilty of sin? If I am telling the truth, why don’t you believe me? 47 He who belongs to God hears what God says. The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God.”
Jesus was speaking to the Jews who didn’t believe Him in the previous Scripture. As Jesus asked them the question why they didn’t believe Him when He was telling the truth, He then followed up with answering the question Himself, as God saw it; that the ones who heard Him but didn’t believe Him by the way they listened, revealing that they may have a hardened heart, fulfilling Mark 8:17-21 when Jesus spoke to the Pharisees:
And Jesus, aware of this, *said to them, “Why do you discuss the fact that you have no bread? Do you not yet see or understand? Do you have a hardened heart? 18 HAVING EYES, DO YOU NOT SEE? AND HAVING EARS, DO YOU NOT HEAR? And do you not remember, 19 when I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces you picked up?” They *said to Him, “Twelve.” 20 “When I broke the seven for the four thousand, how many large baskets full of broken pieces did you pick up?” And they *said to Him, “Seven.” 21 And He was saying to them, “Do you not yet understand?”
There were many examples in the Scriptures that showed what ones walked in (the forms of darkness they walked in or abided in, or the dark spirits they walked in) which caused them NOT to truly listen to God. It’s the same for today. There are people that claim Christ’s name and speak as if they walk in Him, but still walk in dark spirits, which hinder them from listening to and obeying the Holy Spirit in all things. It leads to a false witness AND reveals that they do not walk in Christ because what’s in them cannot agree with the Holy Spirit, so therefore there’s a battle within (Amos 3:3; Mark 3:24; Matthew 12:25). Eventually, if not dealt with rightly in the Lord (subdued entirely under His Spirit’s leading) it will cause the person not to stand in the faith. They will instead walk in a delusive spirit which God gives them over to (2 Thessalonians 2:9-12).
This also causes them not to understand rightly the things of God (by His Spirit alone, John 16:13) and instead cause them to be led astray into believing lies (led by the dark spirit in them like Peter was led by at one time, Matthew 16:22-23). Jesus said that those that walk in the spirit of Satan (under the leading of the father of lies because of what’s in them), would also set their interests on what men want over what God wants them to do in their lives and they worship other things before God and serve other things over Him, feeding their idolatry within their hearts (Matthew 16:23; Matthew 4:10). He also said that Peter did not have in mind the concerns of God, but instead the concerns of men (Mark 8:33); in other words, his interests were more set on worldly things rather than heavenly things. The world was more so his nation and he spoke the native language that came with it, under the guidance of the father of lies (John 8:44). This would ultimately lead to (if not dealt with rightly in the Lord), not being able to hold onto truth (it would be stolen from them, leading to death, John 10:10) or murder (either killing out or quenching the Spirit of God which is Life, or doing it to others who produce this Life, who sow truly by the Spirit of God, 1 Thessalonians 5:19-20; Luke 13:34; Matthew 23:37; Jeremiah 35:17).
Examples of other forms of darkness that people may walk in which causes them to not stand nor truly believe, and agree with God by His Spirit’s leading, nor understand the things of God correctly through His eyes:
• Jeremiah 5:21 says that people who do not see nor hear rightly in God walk in foolishness and are senseless, according to God (Ephesians 5:6-20).
• Ezekiel 12:2 reveals that people who walk in a spirit of rebellion will not see nor really hear the things of God the way they should. It will be perverted. They will try to control things their own way, never allowing the Holy Spirit to show them the right way. God sees rebellion as a sin of witchcraft or divination (1 Samuel 15:23).
• Mark 4:12 says because people want to continue walking in the things of this world, not led by the Spirit of God, then they will hear things of God as if they’ re stories or parables. They will never make sense to them and they will relate them to worldly ways of seeing things, never coming to the actual truth of what they mean.
It is very important to understand these things so that one can prepare spiritually to stand in dark times, otherwise if this darkness is not cleansed from the individual, it will overtake them (have a claim on them because it’s the way the prince of this world carries out his business, not the way Christ does in the Father’s business led by the Holy Spirit alone, Luke 2:48-50). There is a way to not allow the enemy to have claim on you and that’s by walking in complete obedience to the Holy Spirit in all areas of one’s life. As Christ leads you by His Spirit, out of darkness by subduing it under His feet, at some point one can become holy as He is holy through His Power (1 Corinthians 1:24; Acts 1:8; Ephesians 2:21). Eventually you will become one with God, where there is no darkness in Him (1 John 1:5). How does this all pertain to the beginning verses mentioned when Jesus spoke of the temple destruction and rebuild (Mark 13:3-8)?
As I said earlier, there are always deeper things to what God speaks in the Scriptures, from a spiritual aspect. Even though Christ spoke of natural events, He was also preparing His people to what they would have to endure spiritually in order to come to the knowledge of God and walk in it fully (Acts 14:22). Christ said that the kingdom of God is within you and will be among you. He also said it’s not something that would be observed (Luke 17:20-21; John 18:36). If it’s not something to be observed then what is Christ getting at? Hebrews 11:1 says this:
Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
The Holy Spirit is not seen actually. And if the Holy Spirit is in you, no one with their natural eyes would see it or if their trying to perceive God in you from a natural perspective (not being led by the Holy Spirit only by what they can see with their natural eyes) they would not see it either. They could miss it
because of: a hard heart, they’re interests are in men over God (idolatry in their hearts), they worship other things then God (Exodus 20:3; Deuteronomy 18:9-12; Deuteronomy 17:2-5; Jeremiah 27:9-10; Daniel 4:7; Daniel 5:7-9; 2 Kings 21:3, 2 Kings 21:5; Zephaniah 1:5; Job 31:26-28; Jeremiah 8:1-2), they don’t have the mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:14-16), or they walk in other dark spirits—not truly being one with Christ but other things as well (adulterers). One trying to attain the things of God rightly needs to grasp these things. The battle begins first within you and it has to be overcome by the Spirit of God that has been placed in you by Him. Christ must break-down or destroy the temple (or the body that is native to the earth, or natural things not led by the Holy Spirit). Anything that’s of the dark in you, must come to the Light and be exposed in order to be brought down and destroyed by Christ in you (1 John 4:3-5; Job 12:22; 1 Corinthians 4:5; Daniel 2:22). These are principalities in the heavenly realm, not of flesh and blood (or people, but of the spirit realm, Ephesians 6:11-12). In these days, as Christ rises in His people, He will begin to be the Man of war that He is (Exodus 15:3). He will begin to tear down the temple as the Father leads him to its death ( in a spiritual sense), so that once he is dead He can raise it up again in His Life or Spirit completely (John 10:17-18; 1 Corinthians 15:27-28; John 6:39-40). God will rise up His people through His Son, by the leading of the Holy Spirit. No man in their own ways and understandings in the carnal nature can or will do this. It will be by His Power, in order that God will get His glory through it.
The destruction and rebuilding of the temple spoken of by Christ was also a representation of this spiritual process that He would do within God’s people by the Spirit:
• Mark 13:7 “ When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be frightened; those things must take place; but that is not yet the end.”
These wars in the spiritual sense could also mean: an opposition, a battle, an abiding (as if a dark spirit abiding in you and the Spirit also trying to abide in you), a befall, or a besiege. If you hear of wars or rumors of them then these are things that will be going on within you as the flesh is ‘threatening’ what is growing in you, God’s Seed, His Spirit. So some people may experience mental battles as a result of this, in order that you do not submit to the Spirit, the darkness in or around you will attempt to make you fear what is occurring with you instead of trusting God in what He’s doing through you and in you. Christ warns it’s not the end. He is saying this is just the start of the battle that He’s fighting for you and it must take place so that He may have you as His and that you may be with God in the end. It is for your own good.
• Mark 13:8 “For nation will rise up against nation, and kingdom against kingdom”
This nation is the nation of the world and its ways, the natural nation, not the one God’s building by His Spirit as a spiritual Israel (Galatians 6:6-16). So the nations will collide and rise up within. This is so Christ in His Light can expose it and by our obedience to His Spirit, we can subdue it and destroy its works against us, which is leading us into deception and ultimately sin and death, apart from God. As we grow in the Spirit we begin to focus on heavenly things and not see things as we did before (Colossians 3:1-3; Philippians 3:19-20).
• Mark 13:8 “there will be earthquakes in various places”
These earthquakes are ‘shakings in peoples’ lives. Anything that was not led by the Spirit before, will be torn down by God, so that when the Spirit rises in you, on good ground in Him, it begins to produce fruit or Life, the Life of Christ and not your own led by darkness (Mark 4:8; Matthew 13:8; Galatians 6:8; Proverbs 11:18; Hosea 10:13; Romans 6:23). These shakings are forms of threshing. The threshing floor is used to separate the wheat from the chaff or what is useful from what is not useful for God’s purposes (2 Timothy 2:14-21). Threshing and winnowing are common terms associated with judgment and testing (Daniel 2:35; Isaiah 21:10; Luke 3:17; Jeremiah 15:7; Jeremiah 51:2, Jeremiah 51:33; Hosea 13:3; Matthew 3:11-12).
This is where the separation occurs between the good and the bad. The Spirit does this as He reveals, submits, and does away with (delivers) His people from darkness within (which is the resulting build up from walking in sin or the fleshly behavior) so that He may reign fully in them (Hebrews 4:12). When they have been cleansed they then come to the understanding of the Lord because they walk in opposition to any wickedness through obedience in the Holy Spirit—full repentance (Job 28:28; Proverbs 9:10; Psalm 111:10). This threshing process of testing and judgment in the leading of the Spirit will prepare your hands and your heart in purity so that you may draw near to the Lord (James 4:8). In complete obedience unto the Lord, we worship Him fully. The Lord says He rewards according to the cleanliness of one’s hands (2 Samuel 22:21; Psalm 18:20, Psalm 18:24). When we enter into complete obedience to the Holy Spirit, we enter into complete worship unto God or complete acknowledgement of God in all things (Proverbs 3:5-6). This will lead us into His dwelling place, His tabernacle, His house, His temple, or His tent. Only then does His tent, Himself become our tent or temple; not one made with men’s hands but God’s (Mark 14:58; Matthew 26:61; John 2:19; 2 Corinthians 5:1; Hebrews 9:11). This dwelling place is also known as the courts of the Lord (Psalm 84:1-12). In fact, in Psalm 84 David said it was better to have one day in the courts of God then a thousand days elsewhere! In other words, it’s better to be judged , sifted, and examined by a mighty Holy God than to even dwell in the tents of the wicked because this would lead to separation from Him, a reward of His wrath, and an avenging God in the end (Hebrews 10:30-31). No one can stand in Him or in His place, in His presence as a man with his dirty hands, impure heart, in his idolatry, and can expect a blessing from God. This is why we must be prepared by His Spirit fully, so that we may partake of Him (He’s the blessing, Psalm 16:5; Psalm 73:26; Psalm 119:57; Jeremiah 10:16).
Who may ascend the mountain of the LORD? Who may stand in His holy place? 4 The one who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not trust in an idol or swear by a false god. 5 They will receive blessing from the LORD and vindication from God their Savior.
• Mark 18:8 “there will also be famines. These things are merely the beginning of birth pangs”
These famines will be losses in one’s life as a result of the cleansings or afflictions (Matthew 13:46; Matthew 16:25; Matthew 10:39; Luke 9:24; Mark 8:35; Psalm 118:18; 1 Corinthians 11:32; Jeremiah 31:18). They are also used to refine His people so that they come to trust the Lord alone as their Provider (Philippians 4:19; Hebrews 13:5; Psalm 23:1; Psalm 34:9; 2 Corinthians 9:8).
These things are all the beginning of birth pangs which one will feel in their flesh as God takes them through it to refine and bring forth reformation in them. The birth that will come forth out of each individual that goes through it, will lead to a new birth, the born-again state in God. The old will pass away (2 Corinthians 5:17), even the body at some point, and the new creation fully in the Spirit-form will be created (1 Corinthians 15:52-54). The being will now walk, speak, appear, and exist in the I AM form, in the Spirit of God, His glory. He will be all in all of that person (1 Corinthians 15:28). What was formed on the inside will now exude on the outside, displaying the I AM and His glory, for His Light to be revealed to all in His transfigured form (Matthew 17:1-13).
So, I tell those reading this that the Lord will take you through these destructions in order to bring forth the Body of His glory (Philippians 3:20-21). The old must die so that the new may come. The question is will you perceive it when it’s occurring?
“Behold, I will do something new, Now it will spring forth; Will you not be aware of it? I will even make a roadway in the wilderness, Rivers in the desert.
I only hope and pray that you will be willing to submit to Him as He leads you through it.