May 31, 2012 See the Signs

See the Signs Mark 13:4-8 “Tell us, when will these things happen? And what will be the sign that they are all about to be fulfilled?” 5 Jesus said to them: “Watch out that no one deceives you. 6 Many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am he,’ and will deceive many. 7 When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. 8 Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places, and famines. These are the beginning of birth pains.” YOU’VE heard the bad news. “A storm’s coming!” You want to know when, don’t you? You want to know the details, so you’ll be prepared. Maybe, just maybe, you can do something to prevent the storm. As Jesus prophecies the temple’s destruction, the disciples ask the “When?” question. Jesus doesn’t tell them specifically when it will be, but he tells them signs they will see as the “Judgment Storm” approaches. Jesus paints a grim picture. Imagine you are Jesus’ disciple, and he talks to you of impending doom. What would you do? Or should I say, “What will you do?” If you call yourself Jesus’ disciple, you must listen to Jesus’ warnings telling you that wars will rage, earthquakes will destroy, and many false teachers will turn people from Jesus. These things are happening. All creation is scheduled for the final “Judgment Storm”. As Jesus’ disciples then, you don’t know the precise answer to the “When?” question, but you can trust Jesus’ words it will occur. No, you cannot stop the destruction, but if you believe in the Jesus’ words, you will live in God’s new creation. A good Jesus disciple is properly prepared. Pause and consider: are you ready?