The Skies will Shake so Stay Awake...
Throughout our lives, we have all seen and heard various people predict when Judgment Day will occur. One such individual was Harold Camping, a popular Christian radio host and author. In 1992, Camping wrote a book predicting that Judgment Day would occur on September 6th, 1994. When the date came and went, Harold pushed the end of the world to September 29th and then again to October 2nd. In 2005, Camping returned with a freshly calculated date of May 21st, 2011 which was then revised to October 21st. Of course, none of the aforementioned predicted dates were correct and sadly, these failed prophetic predictions led to his retirement and eventual collapse of the ministry he had built since 1958.
Undoubtedly, it is very easy for us to judge Camping and the many others who have very publicly predicted dates that are later proven to be incorrect. However, before we judge others too harshly, we must look at ourselves to see when and where we do the exact same thing. For example, do you look around at the immoral actions of politicians and other prominent people and conclude that the end must be near? Perhaps you follow world news and see all of the wars, famines and natural disasters occurring and think that Christ must be returning soon. Or, maybe you have gotten caught up in the fictional “Left Behind” series of books and movies and have allowed that to influence your mind into believing that the rapture and tribulation will occur at any moment. As humans, the temptation to predict when the world will end is very strong. However, to be true to Holy Scripture, we must keep at least two interpretive principles in mind. First, the fulfillment of biblical prophecy is usually layered; there are usually contemporary fulfillments (in the short term) with a future fullness of fulfillment that will take place much later. For example, Mark 13:2-8 speaks of the destruction of the temple and Jerusalem (occurred in 70 A.D) and the future fulfillment of events that are yet to come. Additionally, we must not skip past what Jesus told the disciples (and us today) in Mark 13:32 when he says the following: “But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.” Stated succintly, we must not guess or predict when current or future events will occur. Instead, we must, as Jesus states in verse 35, “stay awake” so that we are not caught off guard when these very difficult and turbulent times come.
In addition to the strong warnings detailed in the above paragraph, today's featured passage, Mark 13:24-37, also presents three principles for Christ followers. The first principle is….
The Son of Man is Returning for His own
In the first 23 verses of Mark 13, we see the events surrounding the destruction of the temple and what comes next. Specifically, these verses mention false messiahs who will attempt to deceive, earthquakes, wars and betrayals, all of which will occur on the physical Earth itself. However, in verses 24 -27, we see a shift as these verses speak of cosmic events involving the stars, sun, clouds and angels (entities and beings beyond the physical Earth) which coincide with the arrival of the real Messiah, Jesus Christ. Christian, let us make no mistake; the true Messiah’s return will be undeniable and unlike anything ever seen before. Why? because it will include things that only God controls - heavenly bodies and heavenly beings. Brothers and sisters, these words are meant to give strong protection against being deceived. By understanding these specific differences and their practical implications, born again believers can both stand guard against all false messiahs and fully recognize the ummistakable and glorious day when our true Messiah returns to gather His own unto Him!....
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