Mark 13 -

My days have been very heavy the last week, and it all came to climax this morning.  Last night I had the honor of doing photography for the funeral of man in our church- John Williams.  I wrote about it on my photography blog here.

   It seems quite fitting to talk about Mark 13.  Things are starting to heat up and the Pharisees are looking for ways to kill Jesus.  So Jesus is starting to have serious talks with his disciples and prepare them for a time when they won't have him around.  In Mark 13:1 it says...

"As he walked away from the Temple, one of his disciples said, "Teacher, look at that stonework! Those buildings!"

 ²Jesus said, "You're impressed by this grandiose architecture? There's not a stone in the whole works that is not going to end up in a heap of rubble."

This impressed on me the message that get your priorities right.  I have these dreams of traveling to Europe and taking in the grand landscapes and wonderful architecture, but really landscape can change so fast these days and architecture can crumble and fall - World Trade Center for instance.


  How fast the tsunami came and swept away a third of Japan last month, and along with it I'm sure alot of people's dreams.  Jesus knew that one day all the grand architecture they were looking at would be buried under the ground one day.  I'm excited that I'll have a chance to see all these ruins, but I'm positive that it will be nothing compared to what it once was. 

It's scary to even write this, because I remember when there was time when this was the stuff that movies were made of. Have you noticed how everything seems to escalating? Since about 1998/99 the movies are more apocalyptic - weather patterns are increasingly more violent. How quickly 9/11 came and turned our world upside down.   And with 2012 coming so close, people are wondering if this might be the end.  

This is what Jesus has to say..

^5-8Jesus began, "Watch out for doomsday deceivers. Many leaders are going to show up with forged identities claiming, 'I'm the One.' They will deceive a lot of people. When you hear of wars and rumored wars, keep your head and don't panic. This is routine history, and no sign of the end. Nation will fight nation and ruler fight ruler, over and over. Earthquakes will occur in various places. There will be famines. But these things are nothing compared to what's coming.

 ^9-10"And watch out! They're going to drag you into court. And then it will go from bad to worse, dog-eat-dog, everyone at your throat because you carry my name. You're placed there as sentinels to truth. The Message has to be preached all across the world.

 ¹¹"When they bring you, betrayed, into court, don't worry about what you'll say. When the time comes, say what's on your heart—the Holy Spirit will make his witness in and through you.

 ^12-13"It's going to be brother killing brother, father killing child, children killing parents. There's no telling who will hate you because of me.

   "Stay with it—that's what is required. Stay with it to the end. You won't be sorry; you'll be saved.

This totally got me thinking - I had to even reread this.

Do I have the guts to stand up for Jesus?  

What if it really came to that?  We - I take forgranted our religious freedom.  I have tried for many years to be ignorant of the persecution that is going on in the world, but no matter how hard I try, it is still happening.  For instance this woman...so sad.  Seeing those two girls at the beginning of the video made me think of my girls.  

^21-23"If anyone tries to flag you down, calling out, 'Here's the Messiah!' or points, 'There he is!' don't fall for it. Fake Messiahs and lying preachers are going to pop up everywhere. Their impressive credentials and dazzling performances will pull the wool over the eyes of even those who ought to know better. So watch out. I've given you fair warning."


There is so much that I could say about this topic - in fact I will probably do a whole post about it. 

 ^24-25"Following those hard times,

   Sun will fade out,
      moon cloud over,
   Stars fall out of the sky,
      cosmic powers tremble.

 ^26-27"And then they'll see the Son of Man enter in grand style, his Arrival filling the sky—no one will miss it! He'll dispatch the angels; they will pull in the chosen from the four winds, from pole to pole.

 ^28-31"Take a lesson from the fig tree. From the moment you notice its buds form, the merest hint of green, you know summer's just around the corner. And so it is with you. When you see all these things, you know he is at the door. Don't take this lightly. I'm not just saying this for some future generation, but for this one, too—these things will happen. Sky and earth will wear out; my words won't wear out.

 ^32-37"But the exact day and hour? No one knows that, not even heaven's angels, not even the Son. Only the Father. So keep a sharp lookout, for you don't know the timetable. It's like a man who takes a trip, leaving home and putting his servants in charge, each assigned a task, and commanding the gatekeeper to stand watch. So, stay at your post, watching. You have no idea when the homeowner is returning, whether evening, midnight, cockcrow, or morning. You don't want him showing up unannounced, with you asleep on the job. I say it to you, and I'm saying it to all: Stay at your post. Keep watch."

So good news for all those scared about 2012.  The most important thing is that Jesus says that, "the message has to be preached in all the earth."  That means when every people group has heard the message, then Jesus will come back to get his bride.

 Last weekend my pastor talked about this, and his take on it is not just every people group - as in nations, but different groups of people.  We as humans group with people of like interests.  And that Jesus will come back when every kind of person and interest has had a chance to hear about Jesus.

 I'm encouraged more than ever to keep writing this blog, because if I can be a light in anyway I want to be.  We are called to be salt and light.  To not hide, but to proclaim the message of a risen Saviour.  I don't want to be found asleep, worrying about things of this life, I want to be found doing the things of my Father.  And if I get called to heaven early, I pray that my life will be of some impact.

  I have made peace with the first question, do I have the strength to stand up for Jesus?  I think I do, and pray that I don't have to be tested in this.   I'm mature in my Christian walk to know when God is speaking to me and I had the feeling of not obeying.  So when He asks me to do something - even if it is hard or awkward (which it usually is) that I would rather do that, than have that awful feeling in my stomach wishing I could stop time and turn it around.  To me that would be Hell, trying to put that behind me and forgive myself.  I'm sure Peter had to go through that when he denied knowing Jesus not just once, but three times!

But I have one question for you.

 What will you do with Jesus? 

 Will you ignore Him and pass it off as a fairytale or just a story, or will you take it seriously and make Him number one in your life? The Bible says all you have to do is love the Lord with all your heart, your passion and strength and you'll be saved.