Mark 13:14-27 (CLICK HERE FOR BIBLE VERSES)
Hi GAMErs,
Today’s passage is Mark 13:14-27. With an open mind and a humble heart, read this passage and see what sticks out to you in this passage. Is there a verse, a phrase, or a lesson you think the Holy Spirit may be highlighting for you in this passage? After you’ve thought about the passage yourself a bit, read the GAME sharing below. Let’s go!
Mark 13:14-27 (NIV)
14 “When you see ‘the abomination that causes desolation’ standing where it does not belong–let the reader understand–then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.
15 Let no one on the roof of his house go down or enter the house to take anything out.
16 Let no one in the field go back to get his cloak.
17 How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers!
18 Pray that this will not take place in winter,
19 because those will be days of distress unequaled from the beginning, when God created the world, until now–and never to be equaled again.
20 If the Lord had not cut short those days, no one would survive. But for the sake of the elect, whom he has chosen, he has shortened them.
21 At that time if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or, ‘Look, there he is!’ do not believe it.
22 For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform signs and miracles to deceive the elect–if that were possible.
23 So be on your guard; I have told you everything ahead of time.
24 “But in those days, following that distress, “‘the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light;
25 the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.’
26 “At that time men will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory.
27 And he will send his angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of the heavens.
On verses 14-27: Many scholars believe that verses 14-23 are referring to two periods of time: first, the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD and second the end times when Jesus comes again.
To the extent that these verses deal with the end times, what can we learn from these verses? While we don’t need to obsess over trying to figure out when exactly the end times will happen, Jesus does want us to be alert and aware of what the end times will look like. Jesus describes the end times as “days of distress unequaled from the beginning…and never to be equaled again” (v19). A big reason for the distress will be the arrival of the “abomination that causes desolation” (v14), a term from the book of Daniel to describe something that Satan’s Anti-Christ will one day set up. It is not clear exactly what that abomination is, although the book of Daniel describes it as something that greatly disturbs the people’s worship of God. Jesus even tells his followers to flee the moment they see it (v14-17).
Jesus describes such times as the fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecies in Isaiah 13:10 and 34:4 about the sun being darkened, the moon not giving its light, stars falling from the sky and the heavenly bodies shaking. Jesus says that false prophets and false Christs will appear and try to deceive people (v22). However, they will not compare to when Jesus comes again in the clouds with great power and glory (v26) and, with the help of his angels, gathers his people from around the world (v27).
Why must the end times be so dramatic? It’s because the end times are the culmination of the war between good and evil, God and Satan, Jesus’ kingdom of light against the kingdom of darkness. This is Satan’s last ditch effort where he pulls out all the stops to overcome God’s kingdom. This is God coming in full force to put an end to Satan once and for all. That is why the end times are so intense and dramatic, like the final fight scene in an epic story.
Whereas Jesus came as a suffering servant the first time, He will come back as a conquering king the next time. So the best and wisest thing a person can do is submit to Jesus’ rule now before it’s too late.
Jesus, please give me the right heart and perspective when it comes to the end times, that I would focus on what’s most important and be on my guard the way You want Your church to be. In Jesus’ name, AMEN!
copyright © 2022 Justin Lim. All rights reserved.
