Mark 13:1-13; 1 Kings 6; Hosea 8

Mark 13:1-13

1 As He was going out of the temple complex, one of His disciples said to Him, "Teacher, look! What massive stones! What impressive buildings!"

2 Jesus said to him, "Do you see these great buildings? Not one stone will be left here on another that will not be thrown down!"

3 While He was sitting on the Mount of Olives across from the temple complex, Peter, James, John, and Andrew asked Him privately,

4 "Tell us, when will these things happen? And what will be the sign when all these things are about to take place?"

5 Then Jesus began by telling them: "Watch out that no one deceives you.

6 Many will come in My name, saying, 'I am He,' and they will deceive many.

7 When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, don't be alarmed; these things must take place, but the end is not yet.

8 For nation will rise up against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places, and famines. These are the beginning of birth pains.

9 "But you, be on your guard! They will hand you over to sanhedrins, and you will be flogged in the synagogues. You will stand before governors and kings because of Me, as a witness to them.

10 And the good news must first be proclaimed to all nations.

11 So when they arrest you and hand you over, don't worry beforehand what you will say. On the contrary, whatever is given to you in that hour-say it. For it isn't you speaking, but the Holy Spirit.

12 Then brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child. Children will rise up against parents and put them to death.

13 And you will be hated by everyone because of My name. But the one who endures to the end will be delivered.

1 Kings 6

1 Solomon [began to] build the temple for the Lord in the four hundred eightieth year after the Israelites came out from the land of Egypt, in the fourth year of his reign over Israel, in the second month, in the month of Ziv.

2 The temple that King Solomon built for the Lord was 90 feet long, 30 feet wide, and 45 feet high.

3 The portico in front of the temple sanctuary was 30 feet long extending across the temple's width, and 15 feet deep in front of the temple.

4 He also made windows with beveled frames for the temple.

5 He then built a chambered structure along the temple wall, encircling the walls of the temple, that is, the sanctuary and the inner sanctuary. And he made side chambers all around.

6 The lowest chamber was seven and a half feet wide, the middle was nine feet wide, and the third was 10 and a half feet wide. He also provided offset ledges for the temple all around the outside so that nothing would be inserted into the temple walls.

7 The temple's construction used finished stones cut at the quarry so that no hammer, chisel, or any iron tool was heard in the temple while it was being built.

8 The door for the lowest side chamber was on the right side of the temple. They went up a stairway to the middle [chamber], and from the middle to the third.

9 When he finished building the temple, he paneled it with boards and planks of cedar.

10 He built the chambers along the entire temple, joined to the temple with cedar beams; [each story was] seven and a half feet high.

11 The word of the Lord came to Solomon:

12 "As for this temple you are building-if you walk in My statutes, execute My ordinances, and keep all My commandments by walking in them, I will fulfill My promise to you, which I made to your father David.

13 I will live among the Israelites and not abandon My people Israel."

14 When Solomon finished building the temple,

15 he paneled the interior temple walls with cedar boards; from the temple floor to the surface of the ceiling he overlaid the interior with wood. He also overlaid the floor with cypress boards.

16 Then he lined 30 feet of the rear of the temple with cedar boards from the floor to the surface of the ceiling, and he built the interior as an inner sanctuary, the most holy place.

17 The temple, that is, the sanctuary in front of the most holy place, was 60 feet long.

18 The cedar paneling inside the temple was carved with [ornamental] gourds and flower blossoms. Everything was cedar; not a stone could be seen.

19 He prepared the inner sanctuary inside the temple to put the ark of the Lord's covenant there.

20 The interior of the sanctuary was 30 feet long, 30 feet wide, and 30 feet high; he overlaid it with pure gold. He also overlaid the cedar altar.

21 Next, Solomon overlaid the interior of the temple with pure gold, and he hung gold chains across the front of the inner sanctuary and overlaid it with gold.

22 So he added the gold overlay to the entire temple until everything was completely finished, including the entire altar that belongs in the inner sanctuary.

23 In the inner sanctuary he made two cherubim 15 feet high out of olive wood.

24 One wing of the [first] cherub was seven and a half feet long, and the other wing was seven and a half feet long. The wingspan was 15 feet from tip to tip.

25 The second cherub also was 15 feet; both cherubim had the same size and shape.

26 The first cherub's height was 15 feet and so was the second cherub's.

27 Then he put the cherubim inside the inner temple. Since their wings were spread out, the first one's wing touched [one] wall while the second cherub's wing touched the other wall, and in the middle of the temple their wings were touching wing to wing.

28 He also overlaid the cherubim with gold.

29 He carved all the surrounding temple walls with carved engravings-cherubim, palm trees and flower blossoms-in both the inner and outer sanctuaries.

30 He overlaid the temple floor with gold in both the inner and outer sanctuaries.

31 For the entrance of the inner sanctuary, he made olive wood doors. The pillars of the doorposts were five-sided.

32 The two doors were made of olive wood. He carved cherubim, palm trees and flower blossoms on them and overlaid them with gold, hammering gold over the cherubim and palm trees.

33 In the same way, he made four-sided olive wood doorposts for the sanctuary entrance.

34 The two doors were made of cypress wood; the first door had two folding sides, and the second door had two folding panels.

35 He carved cherubim, palm trees and flower blossoms on them and overlaid them with gold applied evenly over the carving.

36 He built the inner courtyard with three rows of dressed stone and a row of trimmed cedar beams.

37 The foundation of the Lord's temple was laid in [Solomon's] fourth year in the month of Ziv.

38 In [his] eleventh year in the eighth month, in the month of Bul, the temple was completed in every detail and according to every specification. So he built it in seven years.

Hosea 8

1 [Put] the horn to your mouth! One like an eagle comes against the house of the Lord, because they transgress My covenant and rebel against My law.

2 Israel cries out to Me: My God, we know You!

3 Israel has rejected what is good; an enemy will pursue him.

4 They have installed kings, but not through Me. They have appointed leaders, but without My approval. They make their silver and gold into idols for themselves for their own destruction.

5 Your calf-idol is rejected, Samaria. My anger burns against them. How long will they be incapable of innocence?

6 For this thing is from Israel- a craftsman made it, and it is not God. The calf of Samaria will be smashed to bits!

7 Indeed, they sow the wind and reap the whirlwind. There is no standing grain; what sprouts fails to yield flour. Even if they did, foreigners would swallow it up.

8 Israel is swallowed up! Now they are among the nations like discarded pottery.

9 For they have gone up to Assyria [like] a wild donkey going off on its own. Ephraim has paid for love.

10 Even though they hire [lovers] among the nations, I will now round them up, and they will begin to decrease in number under the burden of the king and leaders.

11 When Ephraim multiplied his altars for sin, they became his altars for sinning.

12 Though I were to write out for him ten thousand points of My law, they would be regarded as something alien.

13 Though they offer sacrificial gifts and eat the flesh, the Lord does not accept them. Now He will remember their guilt and punish their sins; they will return to Egypt.

14 Israel has forgotten his Maker and built palaces; Judah has also multiplied fortified cities. I will send fire on their cities, and it will consume their citadels.