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In Christ, Mark
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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.
You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.
Matthew 24:6-7a
When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.
Mark 13:7-8a
When you hear of wars and uprisings, do not be frightened. These things must happen first, but the end will not come right away.
Then He said to them: “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.
Luke 21:9-10
This ends today’s reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.
It was Tuesday and in three days, Jesus would be dead, suffering a criminal-like execution while crucified on a cross at Calvary. He had told His disciples it would happen but they didn’t completely understand. He also told Him that He wouldn’t remain dead but rise again on the third day, a promise they also didn’t understand even though they knew their Master possessed amazing resurrection powers Himself. But as we see in this series of devotions simply titled “The Signs”, Jesus continued to prepare His followers for what was to come. For not only would He rise on the third day, brought back to life from death itself, but He would then leave the earth altogether with the vow that He would return, not to save the world, He had already done that, but rather to judge it. And although He had assured His disciples that no one would know the time of that return, we see in Matthew 24, Mark 13, and Luke 21 that He did share signs to look for, signs that would signal that His second coming was on the horizon.
Yesterday, we found Jesus warning His followers about others who would appear and impersonate Him, claiming to be the Messiah while seeking to deceive. You’ll recall that one way to prevent this deception from happening would be to commit oneself to really know who Jesus is so that it would be easy to spot an imposter and avoid them. Unfortunately, there will be people who don’t do this and they will be easy prey for the deceiver.
As we turn to today’s devotion and the second sign Jesus talks about during what is known as His final Olivet Discourse, I think it’s interesting to first examine the landscape of our world in real time as we enter 2021. As we do, here’s a question I want you to ponder:
How many wars are actively going on in our world today?
Now I’m not talking about disagreements or exchanges of threats. These things happen all the time and they will continue to happen,
What I am talking about is real war which would involve active military engagement between two nations, rival fighting forces engaging on the battlefield with one nation seeking to gain victory over the other.
How many conflicts like this are in progress as we enter this new year?
Maybe you know of one but I don’t. Frankly, this may be as close to a time of peace in our world than we’ve ever had short of before nations and empires even existed.
And yet, because we are in the midst of a global pandemic that has put people at risk of sickness and has frankly changed the way we live, at least temporarily, we find people making statement like, “I wouldn’t be surprised if Jesus comes back tomorrow.” Such talk is incredibly shallow, of course, and that what makes this series of devotions (and I would say a separate study of the Book of Revelation) very important. For before Jesus returns, there is no doubt left by the scriptures that events are going to happen and not just one but a series of events. These events are not going to be subtle. They won’t be easily overlooked by people. Rather, they will be huge, news occupying events that will leave many people baffled and confused. And those perplexed people will be the ones with no knowledge of the word of God. Their very bewilderment will reveal this.
Back to the scriptures for today where we find Jesus telling Peter, James, John, and Andrew about another sign to watch out for. Here’s what He said:
You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. Matthew 24:6-7a
Note that prior to Jesus return or the end of the age, there will not just be rumors of wars but wars themselves. This won’t necessarily be a world war, even though we have had two of them in earth’s history. We don’t know the scale or scope of any one war but we do know that nations and/or kingdoms will rise up one against another. And note that it’s not a matter of if, but when these things will happen. In fact, Jesus said the wars must happen in advance of the end which would be still yet ahead.
What will that end be?
Well, we know that the earth as we know it will pass away along with the heavens in order for a new heavens and earth to emerge. Think of it as God hitting the reset button on His creation and when He starts over, it will be with those who accepted His Son Jesus as Savior. They will receive God’s promise of eternal life. As for those who rejected Jesus, their fate will be far worse than a global pandemic or a war for they will be destined for eternal damnation and torment. Think about your worst day ever, multiply it by a million, and then think about living that day over and over and over again.
Listen, do yourself a favor. Accept Jesus today as your personal Savior. Read the Gospels and learn about who He was and model the way you live after Him. You’ll not only gain the assurance of everlasting life but you’ll become a better person, a righteous person who will always live in God’s favor. If you do, the future signs Jesus talked about won’t bring you any fear or worry. Rather, they will indicate that the glorious day of His return is soon, a day when you will join Him to live forever, free from all the hardships and afflictions of this world.
I don’t know about you but it’s a day I am so looking forward to.
Amen.
In Christ,
Mark
PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might
be blessed by it.
Send any prayer requests to Gods4all@aol.com
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