Category: Uncategorized

Mark 13:19
   Every fulfillment of this prophecy will find this statement to be true. Which, of course, means that it must be worse in every case. The result of the Jewish revolt in the first century was not good, and was arguably the worst of all that had happened to them up to that point.
   The future judgment will be no different, and it will be unique in its horrific nature.

Heavenly Father, only you can care for us for all of our days. Only you can save our soul and give us heaven. Only you are always good and true. I will praise you for your greatness! Thank you! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise you, Amen.

Mark 13:18
   This is one of those short little verses that we just skip over. However, it is very revealing. How so? Well, why would Jesus tell them to pray for their escape to not have to happen in the winter if he already knew exactly when all of this would happen? It would be easier to tiptoe around this. But, it is important to ask such questions.
   There are two answers. First, as we have already mentioned and explained, this prophecy has a double fulfillment. So, we are not speaking of just one event. One could occur in the dead of summer, and another some other time. Secondly, God communicates to us within time. So, even though Jesus knew exactly what would happen, the future actions of the Jewish people could still change the timing of future events. Jesus alludes to this principle in his wheat and tares parable. God allows history to take its course, so to speak. He knows what we will do, and what he will do, and still tells us to pray and ask for his will to be done.

Heavenly Father, help us to be thankful for the little things. Every little incident, every circumstance, every happenstance, is something you have allowed to come across our path. We must not assume their are accidents, but only events that were unintended by us. You are the Great and Mighty God of all. You show us your Power and Love in everything you have made, no matter how small. Thank you! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise you, Amen.

Mark 13:17
   Being pregnant or trying to nurse the young would slow the mothers down of course. Jesus is really painting a picture of a very difficult and dangerous time. This applies very well to the events surrounding the Jewish revolt and subsequent quashing later in that century. But, it will also apply to the time to come when the people of the Antichrist take control in Jerusalem.

Heavenly Father, we are thankful for your deliverance. We will escape the wrath to come, and we pray for those who will face it. Lord, your mercy is great, even though judgement is coming. You have given humanity more than a fair chance to accept the truth. Thank you! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise you, Amen.

Mark 13:16
   This likely refers to the outer garment or robe which was worn over the inner garment, or garments. Thus, for travelling it would be desirable to have the outer garment. If a man was working busily in the field, he might have strayed some distance from his original spot. But, Jesus encourages such a needful flight that leaving the outer garment behind would be the wiser thing.

Heavenly Father, your daily blessings are such a mercy! You supply our every need. Thank you for loving us, and caring for us. You are worthy of all our praise. We will honor you and serve you all of our days. Your righteousness shines forth to us and we see your great love and wisdom. We continually try to understand you, for that is the best goal of our life. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise you, Amen.

Mark 13:15
   In those days they generally had a flat roof that could be reached by a flight of stairs from the outside. So, it would be easy to exit from the housetop without entering the house.
   One might ask how this would apply if a person happened to not have such a housetop setup? And the answer is that this is not to be taken to mean that all would, but it is (like the rest of these coming verses) meant to encourage swiftness. To escape from the impending destruction quickly is the point of the passage.

Heavenly Father, it is a great comfort to know that you know the end from the beginning. Even though we do not have that knowledge, you have shared so much with us. Thank you for your wisdom. I will praise you for your loving kindness is amazing! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise you, Amen.

Mark 13:14
   As is recommended here, be careful to understand what is being said here. The abomination of desolation, found in Daniel chapter 9, and also 11 and 12. But what is the abomination of desolation? It refers to any time that the temple is desecrated by an invading ungodly army. It happened not too long before the time of Christ with Antiochus Epiphanies. And, then it happened again not long after the time of Christ with Titus. It will happen again at the end of this age with the Antichrist, who as yet has not been revealed.
   This, so far, is fairly easy to understand. But, realize that many prophecies of Scripture have dual fulfillment. This is not a double meaning, but an additional meaning. The disciples had asked about the destruction of the temple, and the end of the age. Well, the abomination of desolation was a reality at the fall of the temple, but it will also be at the end of the age! So, what we see in connection with this prophecy has a fulfillment in the first century. But it is not, as some think, the only fulfillment. There is a yet future fulfillment outlined for us in the Revelation of Jesus Christ – let those that read understand!
   Some say that the direction to understand what one reads here is not said by Christ, but by Mark, or even is a later addition. Though it may have been inserted, it is not at all outside of the realm of possibility that Jesus actually interjected it. On several occasions Jesus reveals his eternal nature by his wording of things. He speaks from the perspective of a person that may speak to all of humanity, at all times in history – for he is there.

Heavenly Father, you are worthy of blessing and honor and power. All that we may ever hope to be we owe all to you! You are so wise and true. You have known the end from the beginning, for you are the God Who is there. Time is not a container for you, but a tool only. Thank you for your work in our lives! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise you, Amen.

Mark 13:13
   The idea of being hated by others is offense I know. But look at what Jesus is saying. It is for his name that we will be hated. That serves as an important reminder of a reality that cannot be denied. Those who reject Christ tend to dislike him. And why? Because he is difficult to reject. The Holy Spirit convicts and people feel guilt for their sin, and they don’t like that. So, they respond with hatred.
   This part about enduring to the end need not be disturbing to us. Those who live much of their lives for Christ only to repudiate him in the last years, evidence for all the fact that they were not his to begin with. Christian life is a reality that remains with you. It is not simply a commitment that you dabble with for a time and then give up. Real Christians are ‘all in’ so to speak.

Heavenly Father, give us today the grace to remember your great love. Never will we forget that you have done all of this. It is your work. Salvation, grace, faith, heaven, it is all your plan. You are the Master of life and have made it possible for us to live for eternity. Thank you! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise you, Amen.

Mark 13:12
   Religion is divisive. It is statements like this that cause many to say that religion is evil and should be outlawed. But, so many other things are divisive. Politics, for example is divisive. Can we eliminate this problem? Well, if we were to eliminate the human race, then yes, the problem would cease to exist. We are by our very nature political, and religious. Though we may pretend to be neither, we are both by default. Even the so-called irreligious have adopted a religion. It is just part of being human.
   Thus, even though Christians believe and practice the truth, because it controls our religion, and our politics for that matter, it is going to cause conflict with others. We don’t have to be conflict lovers. We don’t need to seek it out and enjoy it as some do. But it is a reality that is not going away. When you believe something to be certain, somebody’s going to disagree with you.
   Jesus is here highlighting the fact that this division will not stop at familial relationships. The Jews were very close in their family life. And this is a good thing. But, Christians, though lovers of family, find their Christian brothers and sisters closer to them than they do their family. Now, there is an important point to make here. Christians a should not be the instigators of this division. Cults encourage severing ties with ‘unbelieving’ family members. That is not the Christian way. If your family will be civil to you in spite of your beliefs, don’t dare scare them away!

Heavenly Father, thank you for giving us a book like the Bible. It is intensely practical, and I like that! You are wise and good to us. Thank you for your graciousness as we deal with others. We want to win them to you, for you are worthy. You love us so much, and we want to share your love with our families and friends. I praise you for your provision in putting these blessed people in our lives. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise you, Amen.

Mark 13:11
   This is an important admonition. It applies directly to those giving testimony before officials, be they civil or religious. In other words, when we go to people with the gospel, trying to teach them, we may plan out our words beforehand. Whereas, when we are delivered up, meaning that our opportunity to testify is given to us due to persecution, we should not plan out what we will say on such an occasion.
   Why is this? Does this mean that the Holy Spirit only helps us when we are in these situations, and not at other times? No. The fact is that the Holy Spirit speaks through us in any case if we are God’s children. But, direct persecution is a special case, and God doesn’t want us taking vengeance on our enemies by having some planned speech to aim at them. Instead, he wants any judgment in our words to be directly from the Spirit. Some might say that our words are likely to be sharper in such a case. Maybe, but those who are recipients of such persecution have already proven their willingness to speak what the Lord would have them to say.

Heavenly Father, we can only stand in awe as we see your wisdom in your plan. You could have had the angels do all of this. You could have had them immediately carry the gospel to every part of our little globe. But, in your infinite wisdom, you chose to use humanity to reach humanity. And why is this the best? Because it was no angel that saved the lost from their sins, but the Perfect Human, Jesus Christ the Righteous One. A human Savior would have human messengers. And yet, as the Savior is also completely Divine, we humans are given the power of the Spirit to carry out this mission. In this way, we have every energy an angel could ever have for this task. I praise you Father, for you are so intelligent, so wise, so mighty! Thank you! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise you, Amen.

Mark 13:10
   This verse means several things, but the main point makes a lot of sense in the context. Before the end of the story, all the world will have been reached with the gospel of Christ. This goes back to the previous verse. The mission of the Great Commission is not simply one of conversion. We don’t preach only to those likely to believe. We preach to everyone. Why? Well, because not only does God want people to be saved, but he wants the lost to hear the truth, even if they never get saved.
   I believe that this means that before the end every governmental grouping of people will have been reached with the gospel. The question is exactly how small of a group that could entail, and that answer is not entirely clear. I believe it safe to say that any straggling pockets of persons that have not heard will only have not heard because they are in very closed groups that don’t explore much.
   Besides all this, in Revelation, the gospel will be proclaimed by an angel before it is all said and done. We find this in Revelation 14:6-7. So, ultimately the idea is that no ethnic group on earth could claim that they were ‘missed’ in the Great Commission.

Heavenly Father, thank you for allowing us to be part of your work. You have blessed us and made us able to minster. It is the joy of our lives to be able to share your truth with others. Thank you! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise you, Amen.