Be Ready Jesus Is Coming Again
Jesus is coming again. Personally and visibly, He is coming back. In power and celebrity, He volition return to consummate His redemptive mission and to establish His eternal kingdom. Bible-believing Christians may disagree on some details surrounding the end times, but on this nosotros can concord: Jesus is coming again.
This calendar week's Explore the Bible lesson examines Jesus' teachings most His return in Mark 13. Equally we approach this passage, permit's first remind ourselves that the primary purpose of the Bible's teachings on end time events is not merely to satisfy our marvel. Rather, it is to reveal how to live now in light of future events.
As y'all read through Mark 13, look for the exhortations—watch out, be on guard, stay awake! Annotation especially the final verse of the chapter, where Jesus said this: "And what I say to y'all, I say to anybody: Exist alarm!" (v. 37). The Greek word translated "be alarm" ("stay awake," "scout") is the very terminal word of the affiliate, and Jesus' terminal give-and-take on this subject area in Mark'south Gospel. It is where the emphasis lies in Marking 13. The recurring theme of Scripture apropos the second coming is to be set, and Scripture is not silent on how to fix:
i. Live in the lite of His first coming.
Do yous desire to exist prepared for Jesus' second coming? And then live similar His commencement coming mattered.
Jesus spoke parables about His return. In Luke 19:eleven-27, He told about a nobleman who traveled to a far country to become king. This nobleman chosen ten of his servants, gave them each a mina (coin), and told them: "engage in my business until I come back" (v. 13). After an unspecified duration of time, the nobleman returned as male monarch and summoned his servants to requite an account of their faithfulness. The get-go two servants had been productive with what was entrusted to them. Merely some other servant had done nothing. He simply wrapped his mina in a textile and hid it. His mistake was that he didn't act on what he professed to believe. He professed something about his master but didn't live past his profession, and lost his reward (vv. 21-23).
Those who profess Christ as Lord and live according to their profession will receive bang-up reward when Jesus returns.
2. Be discerning.
Twice in Mark 13 Jesus warned His disciples not to be led off-target by false merits: "Spotter out that no ane deceives yous… false prophets will arise and will perform signs and wonders to pb astray, if possible, the elect" (vv. 5-6,21-22). Paul warned, "Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to him…. Don't allow anyone deceive you in any manner" (2 Thess. 2:1-3).
The warning of Scripture is consistent: use discernment in listening to those who claim to have all the details of the cease times figured out, and ignore those who resort to date setting end time events.
3. Take the uncertainties.
"At present apropos that day or hr no 1 knows—neither the angels in heaven nor the Son—merely only the Father. Lookout! Be alert! For you don't know when the fourth dimension is coming" (Mark 13:32-33). If Jesus was content non to know the mean solar day or 60 minutes, then let's stop speculating about it. Be content with "no one knows … only the Father."
4. Don't lose hope.
Paul reminded Titus that Jesus' offset coming brought salvation and it instructs us how to live "sensible, righteous, and godly" lives in this nowadays age. Information technology is our "blessed hope"—the expectation of Jesus' return—that compels u.s.a. to exercise and then (Titus 2:11-13).
5. Encourage one some other.
The promise that "the Lord will descend from heaven with a shout" in 1 Thessalonians 4:16 is followed by a control: "Therefore encourage one another with these words" (1 Thess. 4:eighteen). Once again, the affirmation that "the twenty-four hour period of the Lord volition come up merely similar a thief in the night" (1 Thess. 5:2) is followed by the exhortation: "Therefore encourage one some other and build each other up" (five. eleven).
Scripture's teachings about the 2nd coming are not given to satisfy our personal fascination with future events merely that the body of Christ might encourage ane some other with the promises.
6. Live as if today was the mean solar day.
If we're not careful, the filibuster in Jesus' return will pb us to complacency. Living in the expectation that He could render today compels us to live every 24-hour interval for what really matters—for eternity.
7. Keep on doing the piece of work Jesus left us to exercise.
Jesus warned of troubling events as we near the end of the age, including persecution of believers (Marker 13:7-9). So He added that nix—not even persecution—should distract us from the 1 necessary thing: preach to the gospel to all nations (v. x).
Before ascending into heaven, Jesus gave the church its marching orders: "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come on yous, and you volition be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth" (Acts i:eight). The very next verses report that the disciples simply stood at that place looking upwardly into the heaven. Ii angels appeared and spoke the words the church today needs to hear: Why are you continuing at that place gazing into heaven? Jesus is coming back—and so get busy! (vv. ix-xi).
Mike Livingstone works at Lifeway Christian Resource as content editor for Explore the Bible materials.
Source: https://explorethebible.lifeway.com/blog/adults/7-ways-to-prepare-for-jesus-return-session-11-mark-1324-37/
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