Mark part twenty three

We are at Mark 13:5. Jesus is going to give a speech about the signs that will happen when the temple is about to be destroyed. It is probably a retroactive prophecy. Here are the various signs:
1. People who are not Jesus claiming to be Jesus or the messiah/christ.
2. Wars and rumors of wars.
3. Earthquakes and famines.
4. Flogging of the disciples of Jesus. (That's who Jesus is talking to, and he says "you." It would be wrong to say this applies to future christians in general.)
5. Arrests of disciples of Jesus after they preach the gospel to all nations and their appearance before governors and kings.
6. Betrayal by family members.
7. Hatred of the disciples because of Jesus. (Again, he says "you.")

When they see the  "abomination that causes desolation standing where it does not belong" they must escape Jerusalem, not stopping for anything. (There is no consensus as to what abomination of desolation means.) It will be a time of great distress and not safe for the weak. However, that turmoil will not last long, "for the sake of the elect." Here, the elect could be Jews, who traditionally considered themselves Yahweh's elect, or Jesus's disciples. It is not clear here specifically who the elect are. However, if this was written after Paul wrote and preached, it may be referring to Paul's teaching in Romans chapter 11. There, the elect are a "remnant chosen by grace," not Jews, but gentiles.

The disciples are to be aware of the possibility of false christs and false prophets who will try to perform signs and miracles to deceive them. After the distress (the 70CE fall of Jerusalem?), "the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken." Jesus is quoting a passage from Isaiah 13:10. Its context is a supposed prophecy against Babylon, which in the symbolism of the New Testament book of Revelation, is equated with Rome. However, Mark seems to be equating it with Jerusalem/Israel. If one was living in Rome at the time, it might also be an apt description of the 79CE eruption of Vesuvius. That would make the original date of Mark even later.

The earliest Biblical symbolism of sun, moon and stars, is in Genesis, where Joseph dreams about the sun, moon, and stars bowing down to him. The sun and moon represented his parents. The stars represented his brothers. The sun= Jacob= Israel= the Jewish nation. The sun is also a universal symbol for a king or divine ruler. The moon represents his consort. The stars/constellations/heavenly bodies are the divine children. Notice that there are twelve zodiac constellations and twelve tribes of Israel. There are also twelve disciples. This may not be a coincidence. All of this is my speculation.

In verse 26, the author makes Jesus say that at "that time men will see the son of man coming in clouds with great power and glory." This never happened, unless we are missing a record of it. The son of man is supposed to send his angels to gather his elect. Either this is metaphor for something like apostles teaching to the gentiles or it is meant to be literal. In that case, it didn't happen.

Jesus goes on to say that the above signs will let the disciples know when the destruction of the temple will occur. Then he says "this generation will not pass away until all this things have happened." That seems quite straightforward to me. That generation has passed away, so these things must have already happened right?  Jesus continues on to say neither the angels nor the son know the exact time of these coming events, only the father (god). Clearly then, Jesus is not god.

Philppians, part one

As we begin the letter to the Philippians, we see that the letter is not just from Paul, but from Timothy also. The letter goes on to thank god for the Philippians. They are told that they are prayed for with joy because of their good work. Paul longs affectionately for all of them. He prays that they will  continue to have an abundance of love, discernment, purity, and righteousness.

In verse twelve, Paul talks about his incarceration. He is in chains, under the oversight of the palace guard. At the end of the letter (4:22) we see this is Caesar's palace, which would be in Rome. The palace guard knows that the reason for his imprisonment is his religious proselytizing. His chains have actually encouraged other believers to speak "the word of god"more courageously.

 Verses 15-18, Paul speaks of two groups of people who preach Christ: 1. Those who do it out of envy, rivalry, and selfish ambition, just to stir up trouble for Paul. (This makes absolutely no sense to me) 2. Those who do it out of good will and love. Then Paul goes on to say it doesn't matter. Either way, the gospel gets preached. If it doesn't matter, why mention it? Who are these people who preach the right thing for the wrong reasons? If they are preaching the same gospel as Paul, wouldn't they end up in chains also?

So, no matter what, Paul will rejoice. He knows that the prayers of the Philippians and help from the spirit of Jesus Christ will cause him to be released. (Magical thinking) Paul also hopes that he will have enough courage to not do anything he will be ashamed of later. He wants Christ to always be exalted in his body, even if that means becoming a martyr. "For me, to live is Christ, to die is gain."
This is what Christians all over the world claim to believe, but their actions say otherwise. Most of them don't really want to die. They make every effort to stay alive as long as possible.

Paul, on the other hand, says he is torn between living or dying. He wants so bad to die and be with Christ, because that is the best possible outcome. However, it would be better for the Philippians if he stayed alive. That's why he knows he won't die yet. Then, he will get to continue on with them and their joy in Christ will overflow because of him. Conceited or what?

At the end of chapter one, Paul tells the Philippians that whatever happens, they need to behave themselves. That way Paul will know they are standing firm in the gospel and are not afraid of those who oppose them. The Philippians' lack of fear will prove to those unnamed others that they will be destroyed, but the Philippians will be saved by god. I bet those other people were quaking in their boots. (Not) Paul says the Philippians were not only given the privilege to believe in christ, but also to suffer for him. Proof of this is they are going through some unnamed struggle that is just like Paul's struggle was/is, whatever that was/is.

My study bible refers us to Acts 16:11-38, to read about Paul's time in Philippi. There Paul and Silas were put in jail after exorcising a "spirit" from a little girl. They were miraculously released from their jell cell by an earthquake, but did not leave. After preaching to the jailor, he and his household were baptized. The magistrates let Paul and Silas go after they were found to be Roman citizens. Another important convert in Philippi was a woman named Lydia. This letter to the Philippians does not mention Lydia, Silas, the jailor, or the events depicted in Acts.