Mark 13:32-37 Watch, Be Ready For Jesus' Coming!

Mark 13:32-37  “No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.  Be on guard! Be alert!  You do not know when that time will come.  It’s like a man going away: He leaves his house and puts his servants in charge, each with his assigned task, and tells the one at the door to keep watch.  “Therefore keep watch because you do not know when the owner of the house will come back — whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or at dawn.  If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping.  What I say to you, I say to everyone: ‘Watch!’” 

You do not know when that time will come, but Watch!  This is the message to Christians over the centuries: Watch! Watch! Watch!  Violence has been a part of the Jewish experience from the time of Christ.  Violence and corruption have been an integral part of man's existence.  But someday all we call life in its present form will end, for God will put an end to it.  However, the Bible is very clear about one thing: No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. . .  You do not know when that time will come.  No man, not even the Son of man, knows the final day.  We do know when the temple was destroyed, we do know the Jewish people fled from the Romans, we do know the slaughter of the Jewish people, we do know of the diaspora.  But we do not have a clear knowledge of when the very last days will happen.  Many people have written books speculating on the timing of the last days, proposing elaborate suppositions or offering hypotheses for when and where the antichrist will appear and describing the geopolitical nature of the world at the end of time.  Of course as the decades and centuries pass, these varying predictors of the last days have had to adjust or to discard their ideas depending on how errant they were from the present realities.  Nevertheless, we do know for sure that Jesus warned us to watch with alert minds, always ready for the coming of the Lord.  We should be cognizant that these are the last days as Peter preached on the day of Pentecost:  No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: “‘In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people.  Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams.  Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy.  I will show wonders in the heaven above and signs on the earth below, blood and fire and billows of smoke.  The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord.  And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’" (Acts 2:16-21)  Because we are living in the last days, we should be ready and long for the return of Christ.

Though we may not know the exact day and hour, we who are born of Christ have reason to rejoice in the Lord's coming.  I declare to you, brothers, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable.  Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed — in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet.  For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.  For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality.   When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.”  “Where, O death, is your victory?  Where, O death, is your sting?”  The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law.  But thanks be to God!  He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.  (1 Corinthians 15:50-57)  We know whether Jesus comes to us in the last days or whether He comes to us in our demise, flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God.  We cannot be with Jesus unless we have been changed from the inside out, WE MUST BE CHANGED FROM THE MAN OR WOMAN OF DUST TO THE LIFE-GIVING SPIRIT: The first man Adam became a living being; the last Adam, a life-giving spirit.  (1 Corinthians 15:45)  The earth-bound or creatures of dust have no inheritance with the heaven-bound, those who have fixed their eyes on heavenly matters and not on earthly matters.  We must be prepared when Jesus comes: we must watch for his soon coming, clothed in his righteousness.  If we are not clothed appropriately in his holiness, we are hopelessly lost.  If we are still clothed in earth-bound clothing of good works and self-aggradisement, we will never be accepted by a holy God.  Dear friends, the Spirit would say to you: "If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping.  What I say to you, I say to everyone: ‘Watch!’”

How do we know we are waiting and watching as Jesus asked us to do?  If we are watching as He has asked us to do, we will always be prepared, wearing the appropriate garments of righteousness and doing the Father's will.  We will have accepted Jesus' righteousness for our own righteousness.  We will not believe that doing good or obeying the law through our own abilities will grant us entry into the kingdom of Heaven.  As the prophet Isaiah wrote: All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away.  (64:6)  Good works will not span the gulf between a righteous God and sinful men.  As those who know our purpose on Earth is to display the glory of God, we will shine brightly for him.  We will be as the five wise virgins who took oil for their lamps so they were ready when the cry came: Here’s the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!  (Matthew 25:6)  Yes, we are truly light, and we are salt to the world.  Just as Jesus was a servant to everyone, we serve in his name.  Knowing our lives are HIDE IN CHRIST, we are always his ambassadors.  Our lives should constantly reflect the Lord: our voices and actions are to be different from the world's voices and actions.  As redeemed people, we are to reveal a good God, who deserves to be worshipped as the one and only God who created all things.  If we live as his followers as we watch for Jesus, we will do all we can to help people find God and be filled with his Spirit.  We will lead them away from their sinful nature and a body that turns dust at death and lead them to Christ, for life IN CHRIST IS LIFE EVERLASTING IN THE SPIRIT with a new body in heaven.  Breakfast companions know this for sure, life comes only through Christ.  There is no other way, no other gate, to life eternal.  Live today as if this is the last day, the day you will see the Lord.  For if you do, out of your innermost being will flow living water: the life-giving water of the Spirit; the water of love that will heal the wounded, the broken hearted, the dying.  Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm.  Let nothing move you.  Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.  (1 Corinthians 15:58)  

Mark 13:24-31 Jesus Will Come For His Children!

Mark 13:24-31  “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.’  At that time men 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.  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.  I tell you the truth, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened.  Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away." 

We see similar words to these: 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 in the Old Testament about the disciplining and destruction of Babylon, Egypt, and Israel.  The prophet Isaiah warned: Listen, a noise on the mountains, like that of a great multitude!  Listen, an uproar among the kingdoms, like nations massing together!  The LORD Almighty is mustering an army for war.  They come from faraway lands, from the ends of the heavens — the LORD and the weapons of his wrath — to destroy the whole country.  And he went on to say, See, the day of the LORD is coming — a cruel day, with wrath and fierce anger — to make the land desolate and destroy the sinners within it.  The stars of heaven and their constellations will not show their light.  The rising sun will be darkened and the moon will not give its light.  I will punish the world for its evil, the wicked for their sins.  I will put an end to the arrogance of the haughty and will humble the pride of the ruthless.  (Isaiah 13:4-5 & 9-11)  The natural disasters are a precursor to God's judgment.  As with the nations of old, He will judge all people.  Their works will be tried by holy fire.  If they are good, righteous works, God will reward the people; but if their lives have been lived for the self, with selfish motivations behind all their activities, God will judge them harshly.  Today's passage confirms that God is all powerful.  No nation, people or individual can escape the judgment of God, for He controls all things as illustrated by his authority to shake everything in existence.  His judgment will come upon those who are not safe in the grace of the Lord.  Jesus is telling his disciplines to live upright lives for God, to watch for his coming, to be ready, and not asleep. 

These scriptures also represent a marvelous passage for all believers as it reminds us of our blessed hope in Christ Jesus our Lord.  We must all watch and judge the times and the seasons.  In Jude, we see the words of Jesus repeated, In the last times there will be scoffers who will follow their own ungodly desires.  Jude warns the people: But you, dear friends, build yourselves up in your most holy faith and pray in the Holy Spirit.  Keep yourselves in God’s love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life.  (Jude 18 & 20-21)  There are scoffers and unbelievers in every generation.  There are temptations and the cares of life that lead us away from the truths of God's word.  We must remember to look at the fig tree, learn its lesson, and know when summer is near.  We should be aware of what God wants to do in our lives and be aware of the needs in the lives of those around us.  We who are alive IN CHRIST by faith will one day see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory.  Some of us will see his coming as we take our last earthly breath and pass from this life to the next at the time of our physical demise.  Others will actually see him coming in the clouds of glory.  He, who is known as the eternal bright morning star of heaven, will be seen by all of us as He is known in heaven.  As we wrote in the last breakfast, we are to comfort each other with the thought of his coming--that amazing time when we who are alive will be caught up to meet him in the air.  (See I Thessalonians 4:15-18)  

We know Jesus is life: all life originates IN HIM.  Jesus is light.  As He said: I am the light of the world.  Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.  (John 8:12)  He is the light that brightens all of heaven.  No sun or stars need to shine in the heavenly realm.  Because He is our peace and all we need on the day of his coming, perfect peace will rest upon every believer.  As Paul wrote, For he himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility.  (Ephesians 2:14)  Isaiah said, He will swallow up death forever. The Sovereign LORD will wipe away the tears from all faces; he will remove the disgrace of his people from all the earth.  (Isaiah 25:8)  No more questions, doubts, or restlessness will linger within us, for the answers to life will find a home in our thoughts.  His revelation of truth will comfort and satisfy our hearts when we see him face to face.  Outside of Jesus there is no truth or answers to life.  Only eternal darkness and decay rest outside of the Creator, Jesus Christ.  In that day of his final coming, the full body of Christ will be evident.  The roar of the redeemed, shouting his glory and praising his name will be heard in every part of heaven.  He is alive and we are alive in him will be our victory shout: Worthy is the Lamb!  The redeemed will know in a twinkling of an eye the truth of existence since they are no longer bound by the strictures of frailty and death.  They will understand the Holy Spirit's work in them and realize their ability to interact with God constantly.  As children of God in his image, they will inherit what God planned for them from the beginning of time.  As the stars of heaven, they will shine brightly for God's glory.  Their brightness will manifest the plan of God: changed from death to life, from darkness to light.  AS JESUS SHINES, SO WILL THEY.  All of this life, this glory, was purchased by the blood of Jesus on the cross.  Rejoice, dear children!  

Mark 13:14-23 Hope for the Last Days!

Mark 13:14-23  “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 mountain.  Let no one on the roof of his house go down or enter the house to take anything out.  Let no one in the field go back to get his 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.  At that time if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or, ‘Look, there he is!’ do not believe it.  For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform signs and miracles to deceive the elect — if that were possible.  So be on your guard; I have told you everything ahead of time." 

There are many theories about the above passage.  Some believe the fulfillment of Daniel's prophecy, that Jesus was referring to at this time, had already begun in 167 BC when a representative of Antiochus IV, Epiphanes, defiled the temple by sacrificing a pig.  This defilement opened the door to future calamitous events that Jesus is referring to in his teaching.  Other people believe that Jesus is referring to the events that took place in 70 AD when the Roman Empire destroyed Jerusalem and tore down the temple.  At that time, the Christians did flee in haste into the desert.  Also, the Jewish people were scattered throughout the world following those events.  Many in our day believe that Jesus' words refer to the very last days before the end of time.  At this time, Jerusalem will once again be surrounded by hostile countries, determined to wipe the Jewish nation off the face of the earth.  But God will intervene to save his chosen people of Abraham's lineage.  Daniel's prophecies and the book of Revelation are used to support this supposition.  Regardless of one's belief about Jesus' words, we know that in the above passage, He is describing trying times, times when one needs a savior, a safe harbor.  We also know concerning what Jesus said about the last times and his return, No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.  (Matthew 24:36) 

As believers, we have hope in the darkest nights.  This hope comes through faith in Jesus Christ.  As Paul told the church, May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.  (Romans 15:13)  Some people fear the end; but when the end comes, Jesus will appear.  As a child, Dad often wondered why mature Christians, who supposedly wanted to see Jesus, were so afraid of the end times.  In fact, many seemed to infer in their teachings that we should be better people so that the end times would not come on us so quickly.  After the preaching, many people would be at the altars rededicating their lives so the end times would be postponed, keeping Jesus from arriving so soon.  Yes, we all should be rededicating our lives to Jesus daily, and all of us should not be looking forward to calamity, but we need to understand that Jesus is even greater than death.  There should be no weeping but rejoicing if the return of our Lord is near.  Paul told Titus to live a righteous and godly life, Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ.  (Titus 2:13 KJV)  

This morning Dad was singing some words as he moved through the house, emptying wastebaskets into a trash bag.  He was singing the words from this breakfast: "In the darkest of nights there will be hope."  These words are not from any song he knows, but the Spirit was singing to him through his consciousness and his lips.  How true and blessed those words are.  Even if heaven and earth were obliterated today, there would be hope in Christ our Lord.  God's word extends beyond what we see and know.  His word is eternal, lasting beyond the sun and the stars, the galaxies, and more than we can imagine.  God is and was and is to come.  Yes, heaven and earth will pass away but his words will never pass away.  What is the hope of a Christian, who is but a biological entity, existing for a moment in time as a wisp of fog on one of a million mornings?  What is the hope of a saint who labors out his last breath this day, never to fill his lungs again with the air of this earth?  That saint will turn back to the dust of this earth, but his spirit will rise, ever to be with the Lord, known as his child, joint heir with Christ himself, forever in the bosom of the Lord.  

When we think of our impermanence and our feeble estate, we might say with the psalmist, What is man, that thou art mindful of him?  (Psalm 8:4 KJV)  Yet because of God's great love for us and Jesus' death on the cross, our hope rests in Christ alone, our cornerstone.  We do not fear the coming of the Lord because we know the Word: For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.  Wherefore comfort one another with these words.  (1 Thessalonians 4:16-18)  Until the coming of the Lord, we who are alive in him shall never face death.  Yes, we all proceed through the shadow of death, biological extinction.  But our lives are hid with CHRIST in GOD.  (Colossians 3:3)  Jesus ascended; we shall ascend with the same power that was resident in him: the Holy Ghost.  The Holy Ghost has taken up residence in every believer.  In us abides the power to resurrect our lives.  Christ cleansed us; the Spirit now abides in that cleansed temple.  The Spirit's power in us is our hope of Glory, of eternal life.  That is why it is so dangerous to talk against the work of the Spirit.  The Spirit is the eternal life in each of us.  He is not only the Comforter, He is the power of God to save our lives eternally, to deliver us into the presence of God, our Abba Father.  Without him, we are earth-bound.  The message of the last days should terrify us if we have no relationship with Christ, for outside of him, we have no eternal dwelling place with God.  We are then alone in existence, without hope of eternal life.  But we who are IN CHRIST, remember what the Spirit is singing this morning to each of us: "In the darkest of nights there will be hope."  That hope always resides exclusively IN CHRIST.       

  

Mark 13:9-13 In Court Let the Spirit Speak!

Mark 13:9-13  “You must be on your guard.  You will be handed over to the local councils and flogged in the synagogues.  On account of me you will stand before governors and kings as witnesses to them.  And the gospel must first be preached to all nations.  Whenever you are arrested and brought to trial, do not worry beforehand about what to say.  Just say whatever is given you at the time, for it is not you speaking, but the Holy Spirit.  “Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child.  Children will rebel against their parents and have them put to death.  All men will hate you because of me, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved. 

Such passages as the above challenge us with the truth of the gospel: what it means to be a Christian.  Sometimes we want to think the scripture that says all things will work together for good for those who follow Christ means that our lives will be stress free and secure.  We want to believe the vicissitudes and hardships of life will not touch Christians.  We want to believe, as sons and daughters of the Most High, only good and positive experiences will come our way.  Why should sorrows, pain, and frustration be part of our lives?  Why should floggings, arrests, trials, and death be part of following Christ?  Such a life seems incongruous for a child of God, under the authority of the Creator himself.   So much pain and sorrow sounds incompatible with the idea of Jesus saying we are the salt and light of the earth.  We must go to the Word where many scriptures speak of trials and suffering.  Paul reveals the truth of following Christ unreservedly: Rather, as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: in great endurance; in troubles, hardships and distresses; in beatings, imprisonments and riots; in hard work, sleepless nights and hunger; in purity, understanding, patience and kindness; in the Holy Spirit and in sincere love; in truthful speech and in the power of God; with weapons of righteousness in the right hand and in the left; through glory and dishonor, bad report and good report; genuine, yet regarded as impostors; known, yet regarded as unknown; dying, and yet we live on; beaten, and yet not killed; sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; poor, yet making many rich; having nothing, and yet possessing everything.  (2 Corinthians 6:4-10)  Paul recounts his personal journey, but many Christians throughout the ages have experienced such difficulties, and, concomitantly, the same successes Paul experienced.  We are all susceptible to the reality of Christ's words on account of me you will stand before governors and kings as witnesses to them; and all men will hate you because of me.  Our journey might be a relatively easy one, never having to stand before magistrates, defending our allegiance to Christ.  Though we might not be hated by the secular world as Paul was hated, whether we live a safe life or an endangered life, Christ's demands on us remain the same.  As Paul told the Philippians: Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ.  Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in one spirit, contending as one man for the faith of the gospel without being frightened in any way by those who oppose you.  (1:27-28)  

The significant focus of the today's passage is not the troubles we might experience, but the reality that we have the indwelling Spirit of God to help us when we are exposed to great difficulties.  When John writes about defeating the spirit of antichrist, he says, You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.  (1John 4:4)  The Spirit is always present with us to comfort support, and guide us through the struggles of life.  When we need to defend ourselves against the lions that roar against us, He will protect us with his power and his words of life.  God has given us words to express the truth of life.  He has given us language so that He might communicate with us in an intimate way.  He reveals himself through powerful words of truth.  The Bible was written for our edification.  The Spirit uses the inspired words of the Bible to talk to our hearts and to defeat the enemy.   He also uses his still, small voice deep in our hearts, expressing in a direct manner his desires and love for us.  This communication allows us to have a constant, ongoing, intimate relationship with him.  We use words to petition him about our needs and the needs of others.  We use this language to rejoice about God's goodness.  We praise him with loud voices, using our god-given ability to exult him.  God has given us words to express his wonderfulness to the world.  Without words we would not know the intimacy that we can have with God.  But God was good to us, He gave us words so that we might know him, appreciate him, love him, and understand that He will never leave us for we are made in his image.  As the psalmist wrote: Let everything that has breath praise the LORD.  Praise the LORD.  (Psalm 150:6) 

Jesus tells us when we stand before our accusers do not worry beforehand about what to say.  He is saying very explicitly that we have within us the Spirit of God who will provide us with the right words for our defense and for the glory of God.  The courtroom will have a personality in it that no one will see, but this personality will be the most important person in the room, for He will speak truth to everyone in that courtroom.  They will know that the man or woman standing before them is speaking words that supersede the person's natural ability and knowledge.  We who are called Christians must believe in the viability of the Holy Spirit within us.  We must be in contact with the Spirit of God daily.  He should be an active voice in our minds.  If He is not, if you cannot hear him, you must pray for that revelation.  When Jesus was preparing for his death, He told his disciples that He had to go away, so the Holy Spirit could come.  He said, But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.  (John 14:26)  Jesus knew we needed this great teacher to prepare us for the world we would face.  For in the time of trouble, you will need that still small voice speaking truth through you to the world.  If you don't know him in an intimate way, you will merely speak from your own experiences, knowledge and wisdom.  God wants to encourage every believer today with his voice.  He wants to tell you that you are his son or daughter.  He wants to express his love towards you, his kindness and mercy.  And He wants you to know that He will never abandon you.  Someday, when you die, your ears will be stopped to all other voices.  Then you will hear the one, true voice, the eternal voice, that will say, "Welcome home, my beloved child."  But please today, seek that voice inside of you.  Let the voices of this world be less real than that quiet voice within you.  He wants to encourage you, lead and bless you.  

Mark 13:1-8 Birth Pains Mean Work Hard!

Mark 13:1-8  As he was leaving the temple, one of his disciples said to him, “Look, Teacher! What massive stones!  What magnificent buildings!”  “Do you see all these great buildings?” replied Jesus.  “Not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down.” As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter, James, John and Andrew asked him privately, “Tell us, when will these things happen?  And what will be the sign that they are all about to be fulfilled?”  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.  When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed.  Such things must happen, but the end is still to come.  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."

The beginning of birth pains has been going on since the beginning of man's existence and fall into sin.  Nothing men and women can see is permanent, nothing is eternal, and sadly nothing temporal will gain God's pleasure as long as sin and decay rule the Earth.  Jesus was not impressed with the magnificence of the temple.  People are impressed by man's creations, but God is not.  All manmade structures are destined for destruction and rubble.  There had been two temples up to the time of Jesus.  The first one, built by Solomon, was the most beautiful and perfect in presenting God and his magnificence to the world.  The decorations and the implements within the temple were made with precious metals and the most beautiful materials.  The temple and its contents were worth billions of dollars, all of it dedicated to God, all for God's glory and honor.  But, because of the sinfulness and the errors of the Jewish kings and their subjects, the temple was destroyed and the valuable contents of the temple were carried off to foreign lands.  The second temple was built by Zerubbabel in 520 BC.  This temple was renovated and expanded by Herod in 19 BC.  This temple that the disciple so much admired, as Jesus predicted, was destroyed by the Romans in 70AD.  Disturbed by the lack of permanency of this temple that Jesus mentions, the disciples asked him when this catastrophe would take place and how they would know when it was going to occur: Tell us, when will these things happen?  And what will be the sign that they are all about to be fulfilled?  These followers of Christ express the curiosity common to human beings as we long to know and understand what lies ahead.  

Jesus does not reply with a specific answer.  Ever since Jesus' teaching on the end times, teachers and Bible scholars have been speculating on what He meant by the signs of the end times.  Many books have been written over the centuries about the last days.  These predictions and conjectures have mostly ended up massively wrong.  But we do know, men are still presenting themselves as the answer to the world's problems, we do know nature is still acting up, and we do know men love wars and conflicts.  The birth pains of existence are still present in our time.  Paul writes of this in his epistle to the Romans: We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time.  (Romans 8:22)  Why is the earth groaning?  The earth  groans about the presentation of new life that will be birthed from this caldron of sin and degradation, groans as it awaits the coming of the King of Glory.  This new life will come from unadulterated faith in the God of Heaven.  This faith in and through Christ will open up eternity to all who believe, known forever after as children of the eternal God.  The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed.  For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God.  (Romans 8:19-21)  Someday a new heaven and Earth will be created, liberated from sin and decay,  just as we who are children of God are liberated.  If heaven and Earth were destroyed today, and if there was no new heaven and Earth, we who are in Christ would live on, for we are alive IN CHRIST.  We have been liberated, we have been placed in the eternal now, in fellowship with our Father forever.  A new heaven and Earth will come, but we who are IN CHRIST ARE FOREVER HOME IN HIS SIGHT, never more to face the trails and struggles of this existence.

The disciples wanted to understand the fate of the temple, but a better question would have been to understand their own fate.  This is the question we must all ask.  Where am I in God's economy?  Where do I fit in?  What is God's will for my life in an unstable world?  If manmade kingdoms crumble, what does that mean for me?  Do I need to know the time when the temple will fall or do I need to know the One who holds the temple and all things in his hands?  We know this because the Bible says, The Father loves the Son and has placed everything in his hands.  (John 3:35)  We often ask God the wrong questions.  When the disciples asked Jesus how they would know when He would return.  He told them, "No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father."  (Matthew 24:36)  Even Jesus did not have that information.  They did not ask him the right question.  Sometimes our prayers are like these questions because we pray only for the things we need and want, selfish prayers for things to make us feel better.  James said, Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts. . .  (James 4:3 KJV)  Jesus waits for us to ask the right questions, to pray the right prayers, to have ears to hear what the Holy Spirit is saying to us.  Jesus was preparing his disciples to go out into the world to spread the gospel, not to worry about the temple.  They obviously were not ready for their appointed task.  Sometimes we are not ready for the work God is calling us to do for him.  When Jesus sent out the 72, He said, "The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few."  (Luke 10:2)  Today, we have the opportunity, no matter where we are or what we are doing, to ask the Lord to use us for his glory.  We can say, "Send me, Lord!"  When we go to work, or to the grocery store, or to visit a friend: every place is an opportunity.  We may hear of earthquakes, deceivers, wars, and famines; but these signs will encourage us all the more to be about our Father's business.  The temple may stand or fall, we will work while it is yet day!         

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