Luke versus Mark -- Comparison and Contrast of the two gospels
The idea is that Luke is the gospel to those who are raptured prior to the tribulation and Mark is the gospel to those who have to go through the tribulation and are raptured in the middle of it. I want to drill down on this idea and compare the two gospels.
Mark is significantly shorter, approximately 60% of the size of Luke. Mark is the “cliff notes” version of the gospels. Luke presents one long journey to Jerusalem whereas Mark bounces around some Galilaen towns and some Gentile territory. In Luke you have a goal and you are pressing towards that goal the entire time, in Mark you are more reactionary. In Mark it starts with “the beginning of the gospel” and the ministry of John the Baptist. At the beginning of the tribulation you will have the rapture of some saints and then the ministry of the two witnesses, who are called the olive trees and the lampstands. Luke begins by saying it is an orderly account. It is like a book to your honor students describing them getting everything in order before the semester begins. We then see the birth of Jesus and John with the accounts of Elizabeth and Mary. In Luke they are preparing for Jesus and His ministry a year before He is born whereas in Mark they are reacting to events thirty years later as though they were caught by surprise. The first event of Jesus ministry is also very telling. In Luke the first event is Jesus reading the account that this is the year of the Jubilee from Isaiah. Quite striking since this year is also the year of the Jubilee and that began October 26th (the new moon for the festival of Trumpets was the evening of October 16th and on a Jubilee year you celebrate that on the same day as the day of atonement, October 26th). However, Mark begins with Jesus casting demons out of someone in a synagogue in Capernaum. It says that He entered the synagogue and began to teach and they were amazed because He didn’t teach like the teachers of the law. In Mark the major opponents are the pharisees, priests, scribes and elders. The Herodians are also an issue, these are Jewish leaders who have become married to the world. So the picture here is of the “synagogue of Satan” described in Revelation 3. Philadelphia is raptured as a church and then “those of the synagogue of Satan” realize that God was truly in their midst. The Last words on the cross are also very telling. In Mark it is “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me!” Sounds like those who are left behind after the rapture. In Luke it is “Father forgive them for they know not what they do” directed at those that crucified Him. “This day you’ll be with me in paradise” directed to the thief on the cross with Him. And “into thy hand I commit my spirit”. Mark focuses on the crucifixion as a tragedy. This event is a tragedy to those who are left behind. Luke focuses on Jesus' innocence. It is far more than that, but for this overview I’ll keep it short. The last major event is also very telling. In Mark it is an empty tomb with the women leaving in fear and silence. Again, this is what those who are left behind will be seeing. In Luke it is the ascension, the rapture with the disciples returning to Jerusalem with joy and praising. Luke is one long journey with this one goal at this one moment. Also in the two books you see Jesus in two different aspects. In Mark He is always arguing with religious leaders while in Luke He is always healing and forgiving. In Mark the message to the disciples is to persevere in faith despite suffering whereas in Luke it is to leave everything and to accept everyone, especially outcasts, poor, and even enemies. In Luke we see the Spirit moving in these kids from conception along with a prophetic anointing on each one. In Mark we see the Spirit at the Baptism. The Baptism is a public declaration for all to see, whereas the events in Luke are far more hidden that only a select community would see and know about. In Mark the basis for judgement is whether you persevere in faith despite persecutions: Mark 13:13 Everyone will hate you because of me, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved. In Luke there is a far more detailed basis for judgement: Luke 16:9 I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings. You need to use whatever you have so that you will be “welcomed into eternal dwellings”. When my cousin died it seemed the entire town turned out because he had been very active to raise money for the local high school’s Lacrosse team and for a hospital that treats those who are paralyzed. It was as though they were all welcoming him into eternal dwellings. Luke 16:16 “The Law and the Prophets were proclaimed until John. Since that time, the good news of the kingdom of God is being preached, and everyone is forcing their way into it. “ Those who are raptured are often those who are “forcing their way into the kingdom”. The context is that you cannot change one jot or tittle from the law and yet every one of us is condemned by the law. Therefore we plead the blood of Jesus, we literally will tell God that He must honor His son’s sacrifice in order to fulfill all righteousness. If He does not forgive us our sins then He is the unrighteous one because Jesus paid the full price. Finally we are told to listen to Moses and the Prophets: Luke 16:31 “He said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.’” In Luke we see the fulfillment of God’s plan and a reversal of fortunes. Rich rulers living in luxury suffer torments while sinners and tax collectors believe and are saved. In Mark the Lord’s return is a secret and the main disciples do not understand while minor characters believe and receive.
So who was Luke, he was a doctor who was a companion to Paul. Many consider Paul to signify Jesus’ heavenly ministry. This is the gospel to those concerned with healing the situation and who accompany the Lord during His heavenly ministry wherever He goes. Mark is the disciple that abandoned Paul and that Paul refused to have accompany them on the next journey. Later he worked with Peter and got reconciled to Paul. So Luke typifies a believer who would be raptured prior to the tribulation while Mark typifies one who would be raptured in the middle of the tribulation.
There is a concept that it is better and preferred to be raptured at the beginning of the tribulation. I have a different view of this. When the Japanese made samurai swords they used two different types of steel. One steel was very hard and could be sharpened to a razor thin point. This steel is also brittle. So the spine of the blade used a different steel that would bend without breaking. Put the two together and you have the best of both worlds. There are two different groups, two different worlds being molded together with these two gospels. So from my point of view of course, I want to be raptured at the beginning of the tribulation. But from God’s point of view in making us into a sword to defeat the enemy it is better to have both.
For the most part the two gospels contain the same stories concerning the Lord’s ministry. However, there are a couple of key differences. Luke of course has accounts of Jesus genealogy going all the way back to Adam and it has the early accounts of Jesus birth and childhood. That is not in Mark. On the other hand Mark has this account of a Gentile woman coming to Jesus to save her demon possessed daughter and He says “it is not right to give the children’s bread to the dogs” and she says that even the bread that falls from the table is fed to the pet dogs. In Mark Jesus is the bread that has fallen from the table, He is the scraps.
Then in Luke we have the road to Emaus where Jesus has risen from the dead and is appearing to disciples and opening the word to them. You don’t have that in Mark. If you consider that the Lord’s ministry began back in 2017 when we had the appearance of the great sign in the heavens, it is leading up to another “crucifixion” by the evil rulers in this evil age (to fulfill the times of the Gentiles) which we are seeing carried out in this election fraud, at which time the resurrected Jesus is walking among us teaching us about Himself, and then this is followed by the ascension (the rapture at the beginning of the tribulation).
The idea is that Luke is the gospel to those who are raptured prior to the tribulation and Mark is the gospel to those who have to go through the tribulation and are raptured in the middle of it. I want to drill down on this idea and compare the two gospels.
Mark is significantly shorter, approximately 60% of the size of Luke. Mark is the “cliff notes” version of the gospels. Luke presents one long journey to Jerusalem whereas Mark bounces around some Galilaen towns and some Gentile territory. In Luke you have a goal and you are pressing towards that goal the entire time, in Mark you are more reactionary. In Mark it starts with “the beginning of the gospel” and the ministry of John the Baptist. At the beginning of the tribulation you will have the rapture of some saints and then the ministry of the two witnesses, who are called the olive trees and the lampstands. Luke begins by saying it is an orderly account. It is like a book to your honor students describing them getting everything in order before the semester begins. We then see the birth of Jesus and John with the accounts of Elizabeth and Mary. In Luke they are preparing for Jesus and His ministry a year before He is born whereas in Mark they are reacting to events thirty years later as though they were caught by surprise. The first event of Jesus ministry is also very telling. In Luke the first event is Jesus reading the account that this is the year of the Jubilee from Isaiah. Quite striking since this year is also the year of the Jubilee and that began October 26th (the new moon for the festival of Trumpets was the evening of October 16th and on a Jubilee year you celebrate that on the same day as the day of atonement, October 26th). However, Mark begins with Jesus casting demons out of someone in a synagogue in Capernaum. It says that He entered the synagogue and began to teach and they were amazed because He didn’t teach like the teachers of the law. In Mark the major opponents are the pharisees, priests, scribes and elders. The Herodians are also an issue, these are Jewish leaders who have become married to the world. So the picture here is of the “synagogue of Satan” described in Revelation 3. Philadelphia is raptured as a church and then “those of the synagogue of Satan” realize that God was truly in their midst. The Last words on the cross are also very telling. In Mark it is “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me!” Sounds like those who are left behind after the rapture. In Luke it is “Father forgive them for they know not what they do” directed at those that crucified Him. “This day you’ll be with me in paradise” directed to the thief on the cross with Him. And “into thy hand I commit my spirit”. Mark focuses on the crucifixion as a tragedy. This event is a tragedy to those who are left behind. Luke focuses on Jesus' innocence. It is far more than that, but for this overview I’ll keep it short. The last major event is also very telling. In Mark it is an empty tomb with the women leaving in fear and silence. Again, this is what those who are left behind will be seeing. In Luke it is the ascension, the rapture with the disciples returning to Jerusalem with joy and praising. Luke is one long journey with this one goal at this one moment. Also in the two books you see Jesus in two different aspects. In Mark He is always arguing with religious leaders while in Luke He is always healing and forgiving. In Mark the message to the disciples is to persevere in faith despite suffering whereas in Luke it is to leave everything and to accept everyone, especially outcasts, poor, and even enemies. In Luke we see the Spirit moving in these kids from conception along with a prophetic anointing on each one. In Mark we see the Spirit at the Baptism. The Baptism is a public declaration for all to see, whereas the events in Luke are far more hidden that only a select community would see and know about. In Mark the basis for judgement is whether you persevere in faith despite persecutions: Mark 13:13 Everyone will hate you because of me, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved. In Luke there is a far more detailed basis for judgement: Luke 16:9 I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings. You need to use whatever you have so that you will be “welcomed into eternal dwellings”. When my cousin died it seemed the entire town turned out because he had been very active to raise money for the local high school’s Lacrosse team and for a hospital that treats those who are paralyzed. It was as though they were all welcoming him into eternal dwellings. Luke 16:16 “The Law and the Prophets were proclaimed until John. Since that time, the good news of the kingdom of God is being preached, and everyone is forcing their way into it. “ Those who are raptured are often those who are “forcing their way into the kingdom”. The context is that you cannot change one jot or tittle from the law and yet every one of us is condemned by the law. Therefore we plead the blood of Jesus, we literally will tell God that He must honor His son’s sacrifice in order to fulfill all righteousness. If He does not forgive us our sins then He is the unrighteous one because Jesus paid the full price. Finally we are told to listen to Moses and the Prophets: Luke 16:31 “He said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.’” In Luke we see the fulfillment of God’s plan and a reversal of fortunes. Rich rulers living in luxury suffer torments while sinners and tax collectors believe and are saved. In Mark the Lord’s return is a secret and the main disciples do not understand while minor characters believe and receive.
So who was Luke, he was a doctor who was a companion to Paul. Many consider Paul to signify Jesus’ heavenly ministry. This is the gospel to those concerned with healing the situation and who accompany the Lord during His heavenly ministry wherever He goes. Mark is the disciple that abandoned Paul and that Paul refused to have accompany them on the next journey. Later he worked with Peter and got reconciled to Paul. So Luke typifies a believer who would be raptured prior to the tribulation while Mark typifies one who would be raptured in the middle of the tribulation.
There is a concept that it is better and preferred to be raptured at the beginning of the tribulation. I have a different view of this. When the Japanese made samurai swords they used two different types of steel. One steel was very hard and could be sharpened to a razor thin point. This steel is also brittle. So the spine of the blade used a different steel that would bend without breaking. Put the two together and you have the best of both worlds. There are two different groups, two different worlds being molded together with these two gospels. So from my point of view of course, I want to be raptured at the beginning of the tribulation. But from God’s point of view in making us into a sword to defeat the enemy it is better to have both.
For the most part the two gospels contain the same stories concerning the Lord’s ministry. However, there are a couple of key differences. Luke of course has accounts of Jesus genealogy going all the way back to Adam and it has the early accounts of Jesus birth and childhood. That is not in Mark. On the other hand Mark has this account of a Gentile woman coming to Jesus to save her demon possessed daughter and He says “it is not right to give the children’s bread to the dogs” and she says that even the bread that falls from the table is fed to the pet dogs. In Mark Jesus is the bread that has fallen from the table, He is the scraps.
Then in Luke we have the road to Emaus where Jesus has risen from the dead and is appearing to disciples and opening the word to them. You don’t have that in Mark. If you consider that the Lord’s ministry began back in 2017 when we had the appearance of the great sign in the heavens, it is leading up to another “crucifixion” by the evil rulers in this evil age (to fulfill the times of the Gentiles) which we are seeing carried out in this election fraud, at which time the resurrected Jesus is walking among us teaching us about Himself, and then this is followed by the ascension (the rapture at the beginning of the tribulation).