Tuesday, July 2, 2013

Mark 13:24-27

Passage

After the days of the persecution have passed, the sun will be darkened.  This will cause the moon to no longer reflect the light of the sun.  Things will be falling from the sky.  Heaven will be shaken.  Then the Son of Man will come in His glory and all shall see Him.  Then the angels will be sent throughout the world and throughout heaven and God’s people shall be gathered together. 

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

After the world has had their day persecuting the things and the people of God, the sun will be darkened.  The moon will not reflect the light of the sun.  The stars will fall out of the sky.  Quite literally, the world will lose its natural source of light.  Then the world will see the true source of light.  The world will be shaken to its core before being presented once more with the image of Christ.  When He comes again, there will be no denying His superiority.

Why do you think the Lord won’t appear until after the world has had its day?  Why do you think God will strip the world of its ability to see (natural light) prior to Christ’s return?

Second Thought:

Perhaps the greatest lesson of this passage is that Jesus will come again.  He tells us that the Son of Man will come again.  When the Son of Man comes, then He will gather the faithful unto him.  As dark and as challenging as the past few days of study have been, what an incredible moment of anticipation this is.  I often wonder how Jesus must have struggled to endure the pain of crucifixion.  Oh how He must have dwelled on the time when it would be over and God’s grace will have come freely to mankind!  The same thought must be with us through whatever life should bring.  Persecution may come unlike we’ve ever seen.  But there will come a day when we shall be gathered with Jesus and this world shall be put behind us.  What an incredible hope for the future!

How does this passage inspire you to think about the future?  What can this passage teach us about where we should be placing our focus in life?

Third Thought:

God’s people shall be gathered together.  Imagine standing with Abraham.  Imagine standing beside Moses.  Imagine standing beside Luther and Bonheoffer.  Imagine standing beside Paul and Peter.  Imagine standing among a sea of faithful people whose stories you do not know but you have an eternity to learn.  But even better than all of this, imagine communing with God and knowing that the experience shall never end.

When you think about eternity, about what do you think?  When you picture yourself being gathered by the angels to Jesus’ side, what emotions do you feel?


Passage for Tomorrow: Mark 13: 28-31

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