Here’s Your Sign
Read This Week: Mark 13
Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign when all these things are about to be accomplished? Jesus said to them: “Watch out that no one deceives you. Many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am he,’ and will deceive many. – Mark 13:4-6 NIV
Mark 13 captures some interesting thoughts and teachings from Jesus about the immediate and distant future. These things come up after the disciples ask him to observe the beauty of the Temple and the magnificence of its structure. Jesus responds to this by telling them the Temple will not last and that their hope and trust better not lie in its walls. The Jewish leaders had already defiled the Temple, and Jesus would depart from it and leave it desolate. Ultimately, the Romans would destroy it and leave those who follow Christ to scatter.
As any of us would have inquired, the disciples ask Jesus when these things will transpire and what signs will warn them when it is about to happen. The Lord tells them of the things that will not be real signs. He says there will be false teachers (v. 5-6), wars, rumors of war (v. 7-8), earthquakes (v. 8), famine (v. 8), and persecution (v. 9-13), but these things have always been with us and will always be.
Jesus is ultimately saying that they and we do not have to depend on signs to have faith and serve Him. We must rely solely on God’s unchanging, eternal word. He reiterates this truth in verse 31: Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.
Christ then proceeds to tell us what we should be concerned with instead of searching for signs. He says to make sure that we do not get led astray (v. 5), to not be alarmed (v. 7), to be on guard (v. 9), do not be anxious (v. 11), endure (v. 13), and stay alert (v. 33). It is clear the things we should be doing daily as Christians. We should live for Jesus and follow the Holy Spirit with great urgency instead of speculating on earthly signs and attempting to predict the future about Him. We are Christ-followers, not fortune-tellers.
May the earmarks of believers in these hard times be that of faith, hope, peace, service, and love. May it not be retreating in fear from the news cycle, cowering to the vain philosophies of the world, and giving in to the ever-increasing hostile culture toward people of faith. We can, in God’s power, do everything that Jesus instructed the disciples to do as we await our eternal destiny.
We don’t need a sign. The cross of Christ and His resurrection are the only signs we ever needed to have full confidence and trust in the will of God and His purpose for our lives. God said to us, here is your sign, now go live for me and be successful.
I wanted to share this out of Mark 13 v.26:
Spiritual sight has its very own eye
It sees Jesus returning on clouds in the sky.
It sees the peace of a kingdom coming
It can see His glory over the earth flooding.
Spiritual sight has its own insight
It can envision everlasting delight.
Spiritual eyes have their own sight
They can see everything through Jesus’ saving light.
What that means to me is to see this cloud in all His magnificence, there will be such brightness that it will light all of Heaven because God is light. He is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. I believe we will see the glorified Lord. God rules over everything in the earth, under the earth, and above the earth. There is no greater power.
This is so powerful and deeply theological, Jeri. It is an artistic expression of the majesty and supremacy of God and the way He imparts truth to us through the Holy Spirit. As the Scriptures say, He gives us “eyes to see” and you capture that beautifully with these lines:
Spiritual eyes have their own sight
They can see everything through Jesus’ saving light.
Mark 13:32-33 says, But of that [exact] day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son [in His humanity], but the Father alone. “Be on guard and stay constantly alert [and pray]; for you do not know when the appointed time will come.
We do not know when Jesus will come back, only the Father knows. For me I feel God saying to me like He was telling those who loved him and He loved them, He loves us too. So be on guard, guard my heart, and to watch out, and stay constantly alert on what’s going on, and be ready, make sure my heart is ready when He comes, I don’t know when my time is up here, to go be with Jesus.
Our Father’s presence is, I don’t know if I’ll be here when Jesus comes back (Revelations 19 ) riding on a white horse from heaven. I know that will be something to see, beautiful, amazing, exciting for everyone who loves Him. But for now, all I want to do is continue to grow in His ways, put Him first, seek Him with my whole heart, and be a good servant and let His love flow from to them.
I expect there will be people who will not want to listen to the truth, people will come against me, try to trip me up, because I love Jesus. So, Father God is my boss, so I’m going to do the best job I can until that day comes.
Thank you Father God for all your love and sending Jesus here to help us to find our way back to You and we get to be with you all forever and ever!
I really appreciate your post, Heidi. I love how you blended the ideas of joyful expectancy of Christ’s coming with the desire to serve Him and make the most of our moments in the present. This line really captured that for us:
But for now, all I want to do is continue to grow in His ways, put Him first, seek Him with my whole heart, and be a good servant and let His love flow from to them.
As I read that, all I could think about was how the desire and joy of seeing Jesus should fuel and inspire us to serve Him and others until that day. I pray that will be our motivation and reality.
I love this song, People Get Ready by Crystal Lewis. We should be ready every day to live for Jesus. We never know when our time is up here on earth.
Lord, I’m ready now
I’m waiting for Your triumphant return
You’re coming so soon
This world has nothing for me
I find my peace and joy solely in You
Only in You
I want the world to see that
You’re alive and living well in me
Let me be a part of the harvest
For the days are few
He’s coming soon
People get ready Jesus is coming
Soon we’ll be going home
People get ready Jesus is coming
To take from the world His own
There will be a day
When we will be divided right and left
For those who know Him
And those who do not know
Those who know Him well
Will meet Him in the air
Hallelujah
God is with us
Those who do not know
They will hear “Depart, I knew you not”
For my friends you see
There will be a day when well be counted
So know Him well, know Him well
People get ready Jesus is coming
Soon we’ll be going home
People get ready Jesus is coming
To take from the world His own
People get ready Jesus is coming
Soon well be going home
People get ready Jesus is coming
To take from the world His own
Thank you for sharing this with us, Heidi. I haven’t heard it in so long yet the message of it still resonates so deeply.
I lost one of my dearest friends this week and your opening comments about being ready and never knowing when our time on earth is done is so profound and true. May we all live like that.
oh no I’m so sorry for your loss. We never know when our loved ones will leave us, it’s so hard to be without them!!
even when we think were prepared and know, still missing them makes our heart miss them more, but the good news is we will see them one day too!
Praying for comfort for you and everyone who loves your friend.
Thank you so much for the words and prayers, Heidi! I am so thankful. He was a wonderful, godly man. He is in heaven. Finding comfort and peace in that.
This Week in the Life: Mark 13
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This is what I got from Mark 13. Watch and take heed because you face the danger of being unprepared for His coming. If you watch, you will not be caught by surprise. The right response you should have is I don’t know when Jesus is coming, so I have to be alert, eager, and ready for His coming. The church belongs to Jesus, He entrusts it to each of you. You are responsible to live and serve in the authority of Jesus. Each servant has his work to do. You are responsible for your own work.
What this said to me is to Watch! Jesus is coming soon and I have to live like he is coming soon. I need to continue filling my mind with Jesus and keep serving Him each day as if it were my last day. I have work to do and I am responsible for My work to be done.
This really grabbed my attention and heart, Kathy: I need to continue filling my mind with Jesus and keep serving Him each day as if it were my last day.
We all need a sense of urgency, don’t we? Perhaps we need a little more pep in our step to pursue Jesus, be filled by the Holy Spirit, and serve others out of His capacity. The time is always now no matter where we are or station in life that we find ourselves.
This week, God gave me a song from Mark 13 called “No Fear”
Jesus is coming
Jesus is coming
Our Lord Jesus is coming one day
Don’t be fooled, don’t be scared
Have no fear, our Lord is with us
Some will lie, some will try to trick you
Just remember our Lord is all about love, kindness, and comfort
He gives us hope, faith, and understanding
He is our light shining bright, bright, bright. Amen.
Thank you, God, for loving us giving us strength through all things. You are the best.
Beautiful song and word from the Lord, Alma. Just the thought of Jesus coming for us one day that you captured in your post brings comfort, peace, and hope. Sometimes, it is all the reminder we need to not be afraid or give up. Lines like these can do so much for the heart and soul:
Don’t be fooled, don’t be scared
Have no fear, our Lord is with us
Thank you for that!