(Mark 13:32-36)
This is probably the most important lesson of all of the prophecies of the Lord’s return that he gave to us. Right throughout these few scriptures he hammers home the message to watch for his return. Watch for the signs and know that he is on the way soon.
One thing we need to take heed of is the when the Lord tells us to do something, we should do it. He provides this same insight in the parable about the wise and foolish builders in Luke 6:46-49. The wise man dug deep and laid his foundation upon the rock. But the foolish man just built on the ground without a foundation. Then when the floods and storms came and the floods broke against the two houses, the wise man’s house withstood the flood for it had been well built. But the foolish man’s house collapsed, fell and was destroyed and the ruin of that house was great.
The one distinction the Lord makes between these two builders is that the wise man came to the Lord AND listened to his words AND did them. He acted upon what was heard. He was solidly grounded in the word of truth and the application of that word in his life.
But the foolish man by contrast also came to the Lord and heard his words, but he did not apply them in his life. He did not grow strong through the application of the word in his life and so when he was tested, he fell.
We must certainly hear the words of the Lord, but we must also apply his teachings in our life. Thus when he tells us to watch for his coming and to note the signs of his imminent return, the we must keep an eye out for those signs.
Look at what is going on in the world around you and I today. Earthquakes, tsunamis, wars and rumours of wars, famines, insurrections and so on. All of these are some of the signs that the end is coming soon. These are what Jesus calls the birth-pangs. They are like a pregnant woman who is just entering labour and getting the first few birth pangs. As time rolls on the pangs will become more pronounced and severe until the final event occurs: a baby is born in one case and Jesus returns in the other.
Watch, he said and watch we must. Learn what the prophecies of his coming are and keep an eye out for the completing of them. There are still many things to happen, but I believe they signs are commencing now and we will see them progress in the coming years.
As he also said in this section, no man knows the day and hour of the Lord’s return, but in the signs there are trigger events that can give us a clue to when this will occur. I covered one of the key ones in my last post. When that will occur I do not know, but if we do not watch for the events leading up to his return, we too will be caught out, for he will come like a thief in the night. Thus we must watch.
(Picture sourced from stock.xchng https://www.sxc.hu/ taken by Kati Garner)
Hi! I’m John, the owner, author, and editor of this site. Over the past 50+ years as a Christian I have been teaching, preaching and writing about the Bible to help Christians gain a deeper insight into the scriptures that are easily understood. I also answer specific Bible related questions, so feel free to contact me.
