121. Endure to the End – Mark 13:12–13
Mark Devotional #121 – Jesus says that everyone will hate you because of Him. And that’s why Jesus says that the one who stands firm to the end will be saved. This isn’t about believing some intellectual truth. The call of Jesus goes much deeper than that. What do you need to be doing today so that you will be able to stand firm tomorrow?
122. Terrible Days Ahead – Mark 13:14-20
Mark Devotional #122 – “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. Let no one on the housetop go down or enter the house to take anything out. Let no one in the field go back to get their cloak. How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers! Pray that this will not take place in winter, because those will be days of distress unequaled from the beginning, when God created the world, until now—and never to be equaled again. 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.” – Mark 13:14-20
What Jesus is saying here is that the prophecies of Daniel are important. How long has it been since you took a look at the book of Daniel? I encourage you to take another look at it and get to know it. Jesus certainly did.
123. False Messiahs and False Prophets – Mark 13:21-23
Mark Devotional #123 – “At that time if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Messiah!’ or, ‘Look, there he is!’ do not believe it. For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. So be on your guard; I have told you everything ahead of time.” – Mark 13:21-23
The word “Christ” is simply the Greek translation of the Hebrew word “Messiah.” Jesus very clearly warns his followers here that at the time of the end, there will be many false Christs. There will be all kinds of movements and people who will claim to be or to represent Christ and his message.
They will even be supported by false prophets who will perform signs and wonders. The purpose of these Satanic signs and wonders will be to try to deceive the true followers of Jesus.
Your only safety lies in relying on the words of Jesus. That’s why he says, ‘be on your guard; I have told you everything ahead of time.
124. The Powers in the Heavens – Mark 13:24-25
Mark Devotional #124 – “But in those days, following that distress, “‘the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.” – Mark 13:24-25
125. The Coming of the Son of Man – Mark 13:26-27
Mark Devotional #125 – We have come to the very climax of Jesus’ prophecy. He is responding to the question of his disciples about when the temple would be destroyed. Jesus makes it very clear that he hasn’t been just talking about the destruction of the temple, but of his second coming and the end of the world.
“At that time people will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. 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.” – Mark 13:26-27
126. The Lesson from the Fig Tree – Mark 13:28-29
Mark Devotional #126 – Do you remember that fig tree that Jesus cursed: the one that withered and died? It wasn’t just something pointless that he did out of annoyance. Not at all. He had in mind to use it for an important lesson, in fact, for all time. “Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. Even so, when you see these things happening, you know that it is near, right at the door.” – Mark 13:28-29
The lesson here is not merely that when you see the signs that Jesus has mentioned, you will know that the end is near. It’s not just that. You must remember what happened to the fig tree, because that’s what Jesus wants to bring to mind.
The fig tree had put out leaves, indicating that summer was near. And so Jesus came looking for fruit, but it had none. It was all “show” but no fruit. This is a warning for his followers everywhere, especially at the end of the world. Jesus will come, and he will come looking for fruit.
The Jewish nation at that time did not bear the fruit that Jesus sought. And the fig tree that Jesus cursed became a symbol for all the trees around Jerusalem, because when the Romans besieged the city, the first thing they did was cut down every single tree to build their siege works.
What is the fruit that Jesus will come looking for? Some people think it’s the fruit of your sharing of the Gospel. That’s good, but that’s not what Jesus is talking about.
Jesus is talking about what Paul later calls “the fruit of the Spirit”: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, and so on. Is it the goal of your life to produce these kinds of fruit, or do you have a different goal?
127. This Generation Will Not Pass – Mark 13:30-31
Mark Devotional #127 – “Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.” – Mark 13:30-31 (NKJV)
128. No One Knows the Day Nor the Hour – Mark 13:33-34
Mark Devotional #128 – Jesus has been speaking about the end of the world and His return in glory. Now, He gives his disciples a critical warning. “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Take heed, watch and pray; for you do not know when the time is. It is like a man going to a far country, who left his house and gave authority to his servants, and to each his work, and commanded the doorkeeper to watch.” – Mark 13:32-34 (NKJV)
Jesus is indicating that in His earthly humanity, the Father had not yet revealed the time of His second coming when He spoke these words. However, today, the Son who sits at the right hand of the Father on the throne of heaven certainly knows when He will return.
When Jesus says that His going away will be like a man who leaves His house and assigns a servant at the door to keep watch, the purpose of the man at the door wasn’t to keep watching to see when the master would return.
His task was to stand at the door watching, protecting the house and its contents from thieves and damage. Jesus tells us that our most important mission until He returns is to look after His house. However, the most important thing that Jesus is warning about is the danger of predicting the exact time of His return.
After His resurrection, Jesus said to His followers: It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by His authority. Even when you cannot know them, are you willing to fully trust Jesus with the times and seasons of your life?
129. Watch! – Mark 13:35-36
Mark Devotional #129 – Jesus has just told His disciples that He is like a man who leaves his house to go away and puts his servants in charge. He gives each of his servants specific tasks and puts one at the door to keep watch. Now, Jesus draws out the lesson.
“Watch ye therefore: for ye know not when the master of the house cometh, at even, or at midnight, or at the cockcrowing, or in the morning: Lest coming suddenly he find you sleeping. And what I say unto you I say unto all, Watch.” – Mark 13:35-37
Jesus emphasises that we cannot know precisely when the second coming will be. And Jesus repeats the word, “watch.” The most important task He has for us is to watch over his house and keep it safe from robbers and those who would harm it.
This means continuing His work on earth.
This means holding on to the message of Jesus.
It means preserving and nurturing His people.
The worst thing that a guard could do was fall asleep.
The disciples would forget these instructions of Jesus all too soon. In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus would tell them to watch, but they would all fall asleep, and in the end, they would all run away and desert him.
The question is: Are you watching? You watch when you devote priority time to your relationship with Jesus. You do this by making time for reading God’s word, The Bible, and by taking solid time out to pray. It’s not about what you are watching out for but who you watch. We have to watch Jesus.
130. Politics and Piety – Mark 14:1-2
Mark Devotional #130 – The high point of the Jewish calendar was the Passover. It was, for the Jews, one of the holiest times of the year. However, while Jesus is encouraging and preparing His disciples for what is to happen, the religious leaders are engaged in a very different activity.
“After two days was the feast of the Passover, and of unleavened bread: and the chief priests and the scribes sought how they might take him by craft, and put him to death. But they said, Not on the feast day, lest there be an uproar of the people.” – Mark 14:1-2
This passage presents us with a bizarre contradiction. On the one hand, we are coming up to the holiest time of the Jewish year, in which the Passover festival is observed, representing salvation and life.
On the other hand, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, who are responsible for being the spiritual leaders of the people in this observance, are plotting to kill the Son of God.
This passage highlights the evil and self-delusional nature of religious hypocrisy. In the end, the plans of the chief priests and the teachers of the law came to nothing. They ended up arresting Jesus on the eve of the Passover and murdering him during the Passover itself. And in the end, Jesus returned from the grave anyway.
These religious leaders who thought they were so carefully manipulating everything eventually lost it all in the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70.
There is a vital lesson here for us. The chief priests and the teachers of the law ended up in this situation of gross hypocrisy because they were intent on protecting their interests first.
If we claim to be followers of Jesus, we must put Jesus first in every aspect of our lives; otherwise, we will even unknowingly slide into hypocrisy. Is it time to examine our priorities?
