In The Word
Read: Mark 13:1-23
Things to Come
As He was going out of the temple, one of His disciples *said to Him, “Teacher, behold what wonderful stones and what wonderful buildings!” 2 And Jesus said to him, “Do you see these great buildings? Not one stone will be left upon another which will not be torn down.”
3 As He was sitting on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter and James and John and Andrew were questioning Him privately, 4 “Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign when all these things are going to be fulfilled?” 5 And Jesus began to say to them, “See to it that no one misleads you. 6 Many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am He!’ and will mislead many. 7 When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be frightened; those things must take place; but that is not yet the end. 8 For nation will rise up against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; there will be earthquakes in various places; there will also be famines. These things are merely the beginning of birth pangs.
9 “But be on your guard; for they will deliver you to the courts, and you will be flogged in the synagogues, and you will stand before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them. 10 The gospel must first be preached to all the nations.11 When they arrest you and hand you over, do not worry beforehand about what you are to say, but say whatever is given you in that hour; for it is not you who speak, but it is the Holy Spirit. 12 Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents and have them put to death. 13 You will be hated by all because of My name, but the one who endures to the end, he will be saved.
14 “But when you see the abomination of desolation standing where it should not be (let the reader understand), then those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains. 15 The one who is on the housetop must not go down, or go in to get anything out of his house; 16 and the one who is in the field must not turn back to get his coat. 17 But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! 18 But pray that it may not happen in the winter. 19 For those days will be a time of tribulation such as has not occurred since the beginning of the creation which God created until now, and never will. 20 Unless the Lord had shortened thosedays, no life would have been saved; but for the sake of the elect, whom He chose, He shortened the days. 21 And then if anyone says to you, ‘Behold, here is the Christ’; or, ‘Behold, He is there’; do not believe him; 22 for false Christs and false prophets will arise, and will show signs and wonders, in order to lead astray, if possible, the elect.23 But take heed; behold, I have told you everything in advance.
New American Standard Bible (NASB) Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation
Walking In The Word
God knows everything. Most of us want to know what will happen in the future, what will happen tomorrow, next week, next year, and in the next generation. The good news is that the One True Living God knows exactly what will happen. The disciples, no different from the rest of us, wanted to know how they could know when the end time was near. So, they asked Jesus.
First, the Lord warned them about being misled, about listening to anyone other than His Word about these things. He told them about the signs that would signal the beginning of that time. Next, He admonished them to be on guard, to pay attention, because the end times would mean that His true followers would be hated and imprisoned for His name’s sake as a testimony to those who did not know Him.
We are to endure difficult times. When those times come, we are not to worry about what to say because the Holy Spirit will speak through us. His Word will be proclaimed to all the nations in order that all have the opportunity to know Him and follow Him and His teachings. He shortened those days so that we could endure them. Many want to argue about the end times, whether we will be caught up in the air with Him before tribulation, during tribulation or after tribulation. We don’t know those details, but we serve the One that does. Let’s live for Him today, ready to endure and go through whatever His will is for our lives, trusting in Him and His timing.