Notes: Mark 9:45 To Mark 13:32

*Mark 9:45-46 / *Mk. 9:45 -

What is eternally punishing (Matthew 25:46, Revelation 14:10-11) about the future, "Gehenna" hell (Luke 12:5, Greek: G1067) is fire eternally burning the physical body, and worms eternally eating the physical body (Mark 9:46, Isaiah 66:24). The physical bodies of non-Christians in Gehenna need not be exactly like people have now, which do not regenerate parts of themselves if those parts are burned or eaten. For before non-Christians are cast into the Gehenna hell (also called the lake of fire), they will be physically resurrected (Revelation 20:12-15, John 5:29b). And their new, physical resurrection bodies could eternally regenerate parts of themselves whenever those parts are burned or eaten. But then the regenerated parts could be burned or eaten again, only to regenerate again, only to be burned or eaten again, and so on, forever: an everlasting suffering (Revelation 14:10-11).

In Gehenna the fire will never go out (Mark 9:46). It will never run out of fuel, but will continue to punish non-Christians forever (Matthew 25:41,46, Revelation 14:10-11, Revelation 20:10,15). The fact that the fire will already be burning before the physical resurrection bodies of non-Christians are cast into it (Matthew 25:41, Revelation 20:15) means that their bodies will not be the fire's fuel. The fire will have its own source of fuel by which it will burn/punish non-Christians forever (Revelation 14:10-11, Revelation 20:10,15, Matthew 25:41,46, Mark 9:45-46).

(See also Matthew 25:41 above)

~

(Re: Is Mark 9:45b-46 hyperbole, like Mark 9:45a?)

No, Mark 9:45b-46 is literal while Mark 9:45a is hyperbole, just as, for example, the "gnat" part of Matthew 23:24 is literal while its "camel" part is hyperbole.

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*Mark 10:11-12 / *Mk. 10:11 -

(Re: *2nd marriage *adultery) / (*Divorce)

(See Matthew 19:9 above)

A husband is not to divorce his wife (1 Corinthians 7:11b), and a wife is not to divorce her husband (1 Corinthians 7:10). If a wife does divorce her husband, she must remain unmarried or be reconciled to her husband (1 Corinthians 7:11). Regarding becoming reconciled, a Christian must always completely forgive everyone who has wronged him or her in any way (Mark 11:25), no matter how great the wrong, and no matter how many times a wrong has been committed (Matthew 18:21-35). For if a Christian refuses to forgive anyone for anything, God will refuse to forgive that Christian for his or her own sins (Mark 11:26).

If a husband divorces a valid wife and marries another woman, he is committing adultery (Mark 10:11). And if a wife divorces a valid husband and marries another man, she is committing adultery (Mark 10:12). The exception for fornication (as distinguished from adultery) in Matthew 19:9 permits a husband to divorce a valid wife for having had pre-marital sex, and to marry another woman without his committing adultery. But this applies only to cases where a husband does not discover until after he is married that his newlywed wife is not a virgin (cf. Deuteronomy 22:14, Matthew 1:19). There is no such pre-marital-sex exception granted to a wife. Also, there is no pre-marital-sex exception granted to a man who marries a divorced woman. If a man marries a woman divorced from a valid husband for any reason, he is committing adultery (Luke 16:18b).

1 Corinthians 7:15 means that a Christian spouse is not under the bondage of having to keep together a valid marriage to a non-Christian when the non-Christian is determined to get a divorce. But 1 Corinthians 7:15 does not mean that a Christian wife, after being divorced by a non-Christian, yet valid, husband, can then marry someone else. For if a man marries a woman divorced from a valid husband, he is committing adultery (Luke 16:18b). But the Bible does not forbid a man divorced from a valid wife to marry a second, single woman who is not divorced from a valid husband, so long as it was his first wife (whether a non-Christian or Christian) who divorced him. But then in God's eyes he will be married to two women at the same time (so long as both remain alive), which, while the Bible does not require is a sin in itself, because it is not the best situation, it disqualifies him from taking any leadership positions in the Church (1 Timothy 3:2,12).

The now-abolished letter of the Old Covenant Mosaic law (Ephesians 2:15-16, Colossians 2:14-17, Romans 7:6) permitted a divorced woman to marry someone else (Deuteronomy 24:2). But if her second marriage ended, the letter of the Old Covenant Mosaic law forbade her to remarry her first husband (Deuteronomy 24:4). The New Covenant rules turn this on its head. For now a woman divorced from a valid husband cannot marry anyone else (Mark 10:12, Luke 16:18b), but she can remarry her valid husband (1 Corinthians 7:11). It was because the letter of the Old Covenant Mosaic law permitted a divorced woman to marry someone else, that Jesus Christ, while the letter of the Old Covenant Mosaic law was still in effect, could acknowledge the woman of Samaria's five marriages (John 4:18, assuming that all five did not end in the death of her husband: cf. Luke 20:29-31). The New Covenant rules forbidding a woman divorced from a valid husband to marry anyone else did not come into legal effect until Jesus' death on the Cross brought the New Covenant into legal effect (Hebrews 9:16-17, Matthew 26:28), and abolished the letter of the Old Covenant Mosaic law (Ephesians 2:15-16, Colossians 2:14-17, Romans 7:6).

God never said that marriage would be easy. And He has set such strict, New Covenant rules regarding divorce and second marriages (Matthew 19:9, Mark 10:12) that His apostles said that it is better not to get married at all (Matthew 19:10). He answered by saying that whoever can accept not getting married, and remaining celibate, should accept it (Matthew 19:11-12). The apostle Paul said the same thing, that unmarried celibacy is the best thing for a Christian if he or she can handle it (1 Corinthians 7:1,7-8,32-35). But if someone who has not been married cannot contain himself or herself sexually, then he or she should get married to avoid fornication (1 Corinthians 7:2,9).

The strict, New Covenant rules regarding divorce and second marriages cut both ways, in that if Christians find themselves in a miserable marriage which is an adulterous affair in God's eyes (Mark 10:11-12), then they can escape their misery and their unrepentant sin at the same time by divorcing their invalid spouse. But if they find themselves in a very pleasant marriage which is an adulterous affair in God's eyes, then they have to be willing to give it up to escape their unrepentant sin, and thereby avoid ultimately losing their salvation due to unrepentant sin (Hebrews 10:26-29, Galatians 5:19-21, Luke 12:45-46).

The only unforgivable sin is blaspheming God's Holy Spirit (Mark 3:28-29), such as ascribing a work of the Holy Spirit to Satan (Mark 3:22-30). Any other sin can be forgiven if it is repented from and confessed to God (1 John 1:9). Just as if Christians find themselves living in the sin of an adulterous affair, they cannot continue in that sin, so if they find themselves living in the sin of second-marriage adultery (Mark 10:12, Matthew 19:9), they cannot continue in that sin (or any other sin) and expect God's grace to forgive them (Hebrews 10:26-29, Galatians 5:19-21; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10). Instead, they must break off with the second, invalid spouse, even if they have had children with the second spouse (cf. Ezra 10:3), just as married people must break off an adulterous affair even if they have had children as a result of that affair.

After breaking off an adulterous second marriage, a wife must remain unmarried or be reconciled to her first, valid husband (1 Corinthians 7:11), if she has one. And if she does have one, then she cannot marry someone else, even if, for example, that would help her and her children to escape poverty. For just as escaping poverty would not justify the wife continuing in the sin of an adulterous affair with a man who financially supports her and her children (or would not justify the sin of her becoming and remaining a well-paid prostitute), so escaping poverty would not justify the sin of her entering into another case of second-marriage adultery (Mark 10:12) with a man who financially supports her and her children.

Romans 3:31 means that Christians establish the Old Covenant Mosaic law not in its letter, but in its spirit (Romans 7:6), by loving others (Romans 13:8-10, Galatians 5:14, Matthew 7:12). Part of loving others is warning them if they are living in sin (Revelation 3:19; 2 Thessalonians 3:15, Hebrews 3:13, James 5:19-20). The worst thing that a Christian can do is to coddle people who are living in sin, instead of sharing with them the hard (yet saving) truths of God's Word the Holy Bible (2 Timothy 4:2-4, cf. Jeremiah 23:14,22,29). Telling the truth to people can sometimes hurt them, but that is better than deceiving them with something which makes them feel good (Proverbs 27:6, Proverbs 28:23). The reason that second-marriage adultery (or any other sin) is so common in the Church today is because so much of the Church has stopped teaching and believing the hard truths of God's Word the Holy Bible (2 Timothy 4:2-4, cf. Jeremiah 23:14,22,29).

~

(Re: Is to *put away different than divorce?)

No, for the original Greek word (apoluo: G0630) translated as to "put away" in verses like Mark 10:11-12, in the context of one's spouse, means to divorce. That is why the same Greek word is translated elsewhere as "divorced" (Matthew 5:32b).

In Matthew 5:32, in the Textus Receptus, the same Greek word (apoluo: G0630) is translated as both "put away" and "divorced":

Matthew 5:32 But I say unto you, That whosoever shall put away (apoluo) his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery: and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced (apoluo) committeth adultery.

Regarding the different Greek word (apostasion: G0647) translated as "a writing of divorcement" in Matthew 5:31, see the section below.

~

(Re: Is divorce and remarriage okay if you have a *certificate of divorce?)

That was the case under the letter of the Old Covenant Mosaic law (Deuteronomy 24:1-2), but not under the New Covenant. For now no piece of paper can override the one flesh principle:

[Matthew 19:3-9, underline 6a]

--

*Mark 10:18 / *Mk. 10:18 -

See Matthew 19:17 above.

--

*Mark 10:30 / *Mk. 10:30 -

(And in the world to come eternal life)

This is not contradicting that obedient Christians will be in immortal physical bodies during the current age's (or world's) final stage, which will be the future Millennium (Revelation 20:4-6), just as Mark 10:30b is not contradicting that Christians have eternal life in a spiritual sense currently (1 John 5:13).

(See section 2 of Ephesians 1:21 below)

Also, Mark 10:30b is not making any distinction between Jews and Gentiles, but refers to those in the Church, whether Jews (1 Corinthians 12:13, Romans 11:1, Acts 22:3) or Gentiles (Romans 16:4b, Acts 10:45, Romans 11:17), who will obtain eternal life (Titus 1:2) physically (Romans 8:23-25) at Jesus Christ's future, Second Coming (1 Corinthians 15:22-23,52-54; 1 Thessalonians 4:14-16, Revelation 20:4-6).

--

*Mark 10:31 / *Mk. 10:31 -

This means that after the judgment of the Church (2 Corinthians 5:10, Romans 2:6-8, Luke 12:45-48, Matthew 25:19-30) by Jesus Christ at His future, Second Coming (Psalms 50:3-5, cf. Mark 13:27), many in the Church whom we now consider to be first in the Church will become last, and vice versa. For we usually position people in the Church based only on how their actions appear outwardly (cf. Matthew 23:5-7), without regard to their true motivations, that is, without regard to the actual condition of their hearts, which only God can know (cf. 1 Samuel 16:7b).

(Compare Luke 13:30 below)

--

*Mark 10:46-52 / *Mk. 10:46 -

(Re: Do we have to become *desperate for God to respond to us, and our minds to be renewed?)

God can respond to desperate people who cry to Him for help (Mark 10:46-52). But He can also respond to people who are not desperate (John 1:35-51, Matthew 7:7-11). And while a renewing of the mind is definitely needed (Romans 12:2, Ephesians 4:23), nothing requires that Christians have to become desperate before their minds can be renewed. Also, they should never try to work themselves into a state of desperation, or try to continue in such a state. For God wants them instead to be in a peaceful, restful state in which their hearts are not troubled (John 14:27, Matthew 11:28-30), in which they are not worried about anything (Philippians 4:6-7, Matthew 6:25-34), and in which their spirits are quiet and meek (1 Peter 3:4) as they humbly submit themselves to God (1 Peter 5:6-7).

--

*Mark 11:13-14 / *Mk. 11:13 -

See Matthew 21:19 above.

--

*Mark 12:1 / *Mk. 12:1 -

The original Greek word (hupolenion: G5276) translated as "winefat" is made up of two words which mean "under the winepress", that is, a vat to hold the juice from trodden grapes.

--

*Mark 12:14 / *Mk. 12:14 -

(Thou regardest not the person of men)

See Acts 10:34 below.

--

*Mark 12:26-27 / *Mk. 12:26 -

This may have been referring to the patriarchs being spiritually alive (cf. Luke 16:22-31), even though they have not yet been physically resurrected. That is, Jesus Christ could have been countering the "nor spirit" part of the Sadducees' doctrine (Acts 23:8).

(See also the "Soul Sleep?" section of 1 Corinthians 15:51 below)

--

*Mark 12:29-31 / *Mk. 12:29 -

See "Jesus Christ confirmed" under Revelation 13:4 below.

--

*Mark 12:34 / *Mk. 12:34 -

The original Greek word (nounechos: G3562) translated as "discreetly" is made up of two words which can mean "understanding-having". That is, the scribe's answer showed that he understood what the two greatest commandments meant.

--

*Mark 12:43-44 / *Mk. 12:43 -

This cuts to the root of the mistaken idea, held by some, that they need to become rich so that they can give more money to God. For Mark 12:43-44 shows that God does not count by how much one gives in an absolute amount, but by how much one gives in relation to what one has. That is, God counts only by the percentage of one's total wealth. The poor widow gave everything that she had to live on. Compare what Luke 14:33 and 1 Timothy 6:10-12 say.

--

*Mark 13:5-6 / *Mk. 13:5 / *Mk. 13:6 -

See Luke 21:8 below.

--

*Mark 13:9-13 / *Mk. 13:9 -

Read these verses as possibly applicable to you if you are a Biblical Christian. For in our future, "political correctness" could make even Biblical Christianity "hate speech", because the Bible says that homosexuality is a sin (Romans 1:26-27), and that Christianity is the only way to be saved from hell (John 14:6, John 3:36, Acts 4:12), and that all other religions are cursed, doubly cursed (Galatians 1:8-9).

Be prepared to be arrested and tried before courts of law for the violation of "hate speech" laws which could be instituted in our future (by the Supreme Court, without any approval from the People in Congress). If you are brought to trial, remember Mark 13:9-13, and testify as God's Holy Spirit gives you at that time. But do not expect to be set free after your testimony. You (just as I) must be willing to face imprisonment and even execution for the truths of Jesus Christ and His Word the Holy Bible (Matthew 24:9-13, Mark 8:34-38, John 8:31b).

(See also Luke 21:12, 2 Timothy 1:15, and 2 Timothy 2:12 below)

--

*Mark 13:19 / *Mk. 13:19 -

(Re: Partial preterism?)

See section 3 of Matthew 24:21 above.

--

*Mark 13:20 / *Mk. 13:20 -

(*Shortened)

(See Matthew 24:22 above)

Mark 13:20 does not mean that some of the prophecies of Revelation chapters 6 to 18, Matthew 24, Mark 13, and Luke 21 will never come to pass. For they must come to pass (Revelation 1:1, Revelation 4:1); they must all be fulfilled (Matthew 24:34-35).

Instead, Mark 13:20 can mean that all flesh on the earth would die if the Lord had not already shortened, as in "he hath shortened" (Mark 13:20b), the number of days of the future Tribulation of Revelation chapters 6 to 18, Matthew 24, Mark 13, and Luke 21. That is, the Lord could have already determined, from the beginning of Creation (cf. Isaiah 46:10), that He will return on the 1,335th day after the abomination of desolation (possibly a standing, android image of the future Antichrist) is set up in the holy place (the inner sanctum) of a future, third Jewish temple in Jerusalem (Matthew 24:15, Daniel 12:11-12, Revelation 16:15).

And the Lord will return "immediately after" the Tribulation (Matthew 24:29-31), immediately after its final event, the destruction of the cities of the nations during the seventh vial (Revelation 16:19, Revelation 19:2 to 20:6). So Mark 13:20 can mean that if the Lord had not shortened the number of days of the future Tribulation, then all flesh on the earth would die during the seventh vial's aftermath, which could be a nuclear-winter scenario (which the Lord will miraculously prevent at His return) brought on by the ten kings of the future Antichrist's empire nuking the cities of the nations at the seventh vial (Revelation 17:16-17a, Revelation 16:19).

(See also Revelation chapters 17-18 below, and Isaiah 13:13 above)

Mark 13:20 does not require that the time had been shortened compared with the 1,335 days of Daniel 12:11-12. For they can be the shortened time, compared with some longer period in which all flesh on the earth would die.

~

(No flesh should be saved)

Because Jesus Christ will return, some people in the Church will survive the future Tribulation of Revelation chapters 6 to 18, Matthew 24, Mark 13, and Luke 21. They will still be "alive and remain" to be raptured at His Second Coming (1 Thessalonians 4:15-17).

(See also the "Should be killed" section of Revelation 13:15b below)

~

(Re: Shortened length of days?)

See Matthew 24:22 above.

--

*Mark 13:21 / *Mk. 13:21 -

See Matthew 24:23 above.

--

*Mark 13:23 / *Mk. 13:23 -

Bible prophecy is not missing any information, insofar as in it, Jesus Christ has told Christians everything that they need to know in order to not be deceived by anything that is coming: "take ye heed: behold, I have foretold you all things" (Mark 13:23). "Take heed lest any man deceive you" (Mark 13:5).

(See "the main" under the "relevant" section of Revelation chapters 6 to 22 (Overview) below)

--

*Mark 13:32 / *Mk. 13:32 -

(*Neither the Son)

Before His resurrection, Jesus Christ did not know the date (as in the year, month, and day) of His future, Second Coming (Mark 13:32). But He knew that He will return "immediately after" the future Tribulation of Matthew 24, Mark 13, Luke 21, and Revelation chapters 6 to 18 (Matthew 24:29-31; 2 Thessalonians 2:1-8, Revelation 19:2 to 20:6, cf. John 16:12). And He knew that the Tribulation will include the antitypical fulfillment of the abomination of desolation (Matthew 24:15, Daniel 11:31, Daniel 12:11-12, Revelation 16:15).

The reason that Jesus Christ did not know, before His resurrection, the date of His Second Coming (Mark 13:32), was because at His incarnation (John 1:1,14), He temporarily laid aside (Philippians 2:6-8) His divine omniscience with regard to His own conscious human knowledge (Mark 13:32), in order to completely share in our mortal human condition (Hebrews 2:17), and to be tempted in every way that we are tempted (Hebrews 4:15). Nonetheless, He still remained God (John 10:30, John 1:1,14; 1 Timothy 3:16). And after His physical resurrection into human immortality (Luke 24:39), He regained His divine omniscience (Colossians 2:2b-3), just as He regained his divine omnipotence (Matthew 28:18). So now He does know the date of His Second Coming.

God, including Jesus Christ, is also omnipresent, by His Spirit (Psalms 139:7-10, Matthew 28:20b). But Jesus (God the Word, God the Son) is now also at the same time in a human, physical body (Luke 24:39). It is in this body that Jesus ascended into heaven (Acts 1:9, Acts 3:21) and now sits at God the Father's right hand (Hebrews 10:12), and will return from heaven to set His feet on the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem (Zechariah 14:3-4, Acts 1:11-12). Jesus will remain in His human, physical body forever, so that He can serve as Christians' high priest/mediator forever (Hebrews 7:24-25, Hebrews 2:16-18; 1 Timothy 2:5).

One thing that Jesus Christ could not have put aside before His resurrection, and still have remained God, would have been His divine, Spiritual uncreatedness (John 1:1-3), His from-everlasting-to-everlasting, divine immortality (1 Timothy 6:16, Micah 5:2c). It was by this essential aspect of divinity ("I AM THAT I AM": Exodus 3:14, John 8:58) that Jesus had the power to revive His human life into human immortality even after His human death (John 10:17-18, Romans 1:4). Because He is God, even as a human it was not possible for Jesus to remain dead (Acts 2:24, John 10:17-18).

~

(Re: But in the mortal human condition, humans cannot read each other's minds like Jesus could)

Even before His resurrection, Jesus Christ at least sometimes was able to read minds (Matthew 9:3-4), just as He at least sometimes was able to do omnipotent-type things (Mark 4:41). These abilities may not have come from His human spirit, which is just like ours (Hebrews 2:17), but from His divine Spirit (Matthew 12:28), which indwells Him without measure (Colossians 2:9, John 3:34). Even in heaven now, Jesus is still our human mediator/high priest (1 Timothy 2:5, Hebrews 7:24-26), and He still has a human spirit no different than ours (Hebrews 2:17). But His divine Spirit is different than ours in its uncreatedness, innate immortality, infinitude, omnipotence, omniscience, and omnipresence.

Christians' human spirits also have interaction with His divine Spirit (Acts 8:29). And they receive His divine Spirit within themselves (John 20:22; 2 Peter 1:4, Hebrews 6:4), but only in a limited measure, some more than others. His Spirit gives different Spiritual gifts to Christians (1 Corinthians 12:8-11). For example, some Christians receive the Spiritual gift called the "word of knowledge" (1 Corinthians 12:8), by which the Spirit miraculously gives them specific knowledge regarding something which they could not possibly know otherwise. And some Christians receive such a large measure of the Spirit within them that they are able to perform amazing miracles (Romans 15:19; 1 Corinthians 12:10).

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