Daily Bread 2010 - Mark 13
Daily Bread 2010 – Mark 13
Signs of the End of the Age
1As he was leaving the temple, one of his disciples said to him, "Look, Teacher! What massive stones! What magnificent buildings!"
2"Do you see all these great buildings?" replied Jesus. "Not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down."
3As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter, James, John and Andrew asked him privately, 4"Tell us, when will these things happen? And what will be the sign that they are all about to be fulfilled?"
5Jesus said to them: "Watch out that no one deceives you. 6Many will come in my name, claiming, 'I am he,' and will deceive many. 7When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. 8Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places, and famines. These are the beginning of birth pains.
As Jesus moves closer to His mission, much like he does in Matthew 25, he starts describing what the end of the world will look like. First of all, he warns the disciples to not put their trust in buildings. The disciples are still focused on worldly signs of strength, and Jesus clues them in that none of the brick and mortar will last.
His inner circle of disciples try to get the inside scoop on when this will happen, Jesus gives them some general signs, but nothing specific. Further down in this chapter, he asserts that no one knows the day or hour, not even Him. But there are several signs signaling the end may be near including but not limited to:
• Wars, famines, false Messiahs, earthquakes, moral anarchy, and finally the abomination which causes desolation.
There are many interpretations of what the abomination which causes desolation means, but I would summarize it best by saying, a complete mockery of God in the place where His Name is supposed to be honored and praised (ie. the house of worship). Of course, we see many of these things occurring now, and many others likely to happen in the future. There are many cults around that claim to be the truth but are only filled with lies.
This is why it is so important to stay well-versed in the truth. The best antidote for lies is to know the truth so well that you don’t buy into them. The truth also exposes and uncovers the lies. The light exposes the darkness. God has given us His truth in His Word and as we cling to it, we will not be swayed/deceived by falsehood.
Prayer: God we know that in some sense, we are in the end times. As we live in this world help us to live such lives that others will see Your truth and find the truth that will set them free. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Signs of the End of the Age
1As he was leaving the temple, one of his disciples said to him, "Look, Teacher! What massive stones! What magnificent buildings!"
2"Do you see all these great buildings?" replied Jesus. "Not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down."
3As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter, James, John and Andrew asked him privately, 4"Tell us, when will these things happen? And what will be the sign that they are all about to be fulfilled?"
5Jesus said to them: "Watch out that no one deceives you. 6Many will come in my name, claiming, 'I am he,' and will deceive many. 7When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. 8Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places, and famines. These are the beginning of birth pains.
As Jesus moves closer to His mission, much like he does in Matthew 25, he starts describing what the end of the world will look like. First of all, he warns the disciples to not put their trust in buildings. The disciples are still focused on worldly signs of strength, and Jesus clues them in that none of the brick and mortar will last.
His inner circle of disciples try to get the inside scoop on when this will happen, Jesus gives them some general signs, but nothing specific. Further down in this chapter, he asserts that no one knows the day or hour, not even Him. But there are several signs signaling the end may be near including but not limited to:
• Wars, famines, false Messiahs, earthquakes, moral anarchy, and finally the abomination which causes desolation.
There are many interpretations of what the abomination which causes desolation means, but I would summarize it best by saying, a complete mockery of God in the place where His Name is supposed to be honored and praised (ie. the house of worship). Of course, we see many of these things occurring now, and many others likely to happen in the future. There are many cults around that claim to be the truth but are only filled with lies.
This is why it is so important to stay well-versed in the truth. The best antidote for lies is to know the truth so well that you don’t buy into them. The truth also exposes and uncovers the lies. The light exposes the darkness. God has given us His truth in His Word and as we cling to it, we will not be swayed/deceived by falsehood.
Prayer: God we know that in some sense, we are in the end times. As we live in this world help us to live such lives that others will see Your truth and find the truth that will set them free. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Comments
Post a Comment