Rev. Don Campbell
Mark 13
THOUGHT FOR TODAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2019
“THE KEY TO PREPARING FOR THE SECOND COMING”
For thousands of years infallible humans have been predicting the second coming of Christ, and each time someone sets a date it turns out not to be true. This obsession with fixing the date of the second coming has spawned several “millennial” theories. Premillennialism teaches a literal thousand-year reign of Christ on earth, following the second coming. Postmillennialism ascribes this period to a glorious church age ushered in by the preaching of the gospel under the power of the Holy Spirit. Amillennialism means “no millennium,” but really advocates a spiritual millennium, with Christ reigning over the disembodied spirits. We need not align ourselves with any of these theories, because even if one or the other were right, the key of being ready is not in times and seasons or date setting, but in the clear words of Jesus.
The setting of today’s study is the statement of Jesus that not one stone would be left standing of the temple when it was destroyed (Mark 13:1-2). Jesus then gave several discernible signs of that looming destruction (vv. 3-31). He summed up his words by saying, “This generation will not pass away until all these things take place” (v. 30). Matthew’s account makes it clear that the disciples asked three questions—although they did not realize it: “Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?” (Matthew 23:3, KJV, NASV). The first two questions involved the destruction of the temple and all Jerusalem, which took place in 70 AD. Then, in sharp contrast, he said: “But concerning that day or that hour, no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Be on guard, keep awake. For you do not know when the time will come. It is like a man going on a journey, when he leaves home and puts his servants in charge, each with his work, and commands the doorkeeper to stay awake. Therefore stay awake—for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or in the morning— lest he come suddenly and find you asleep. And what I say to you I say to all: Stay awake” (vv. 32-37).
If Jesus did not know the timetable, then it isn’t secretly coded into this discourse, any OT prophecy, the Book of Revelation, or any human’s interpretations.
The true key is not this theory of that theory of Christ’s second coming, but “Be Ready all the time and you will be ready any time.” We repeat the words of Jesus: “Be on guard, keep awake. For you do not know when the time will come. It is like a man going on a journey, when he leaves home and puts his servants in charge, each with his work, and commands the doorkeeper to stay awake. Therefore stay awake—for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or in the morning— lest he come suddenly and find you asleep. And what I say to you I say to all: Stay awake.”
CONNECTIONS
One question today: ARE YOU READY?
