Mark 13:24-25
If
you have ever been to a place with lots of mountain peaks, you have probably
discovered something. When you look at some of the peaks, it can be hard to
tell if they are part of the same mountain, two different mountains, and maybe even
which peak is closer. Keeping perspective can be difficult. You can often think
a peak is closer than it actually is. With very large mountains, they can be
seen for twenty or more miles away. They almost seem to grow as you approach.
Jesus
describes these two peaks, these two distinct events in our passage. The closer
event is the destruction of Jerusalem in 70AD. Many of the people reading Mark’s
Gospel would be still alive when these events took place. Perhaps even some of
those who heard Jesus speak these words were also alive, although far fewer.
Much of what has been said up to this point points primarily to the events of
that time, although they will also occur before Jesus’ return.
We
must remember that these things were written to help us understand, not to make
us more confused. They might have been written in a political climate that
prevented saying things more directly, but they aren’t written to hide things
from us. The reason we know there must be two events is that Jesus didn’t
return after the 70AD events. Only part of what Jesus shared has happened. The
word “but” at the beginning of verse 24 marks the beginning of the second peak.
The things described after this pertain primarily to Jesus’ Second Coming, not
the destruction of Jerusalem.
So
we read about the sun and moon not giving their light and the stars falling
from the sky. If I were trying to come up with a natural, non-God intervention
explanation of this, I would say a volcano erupts and spews so much ash that it
filters the light. Perhaps a volcano local to Jerusalem spews molten rock from
the sky. This would explain this at least for a local, natural event. But I
think this is more than a natural event. I know it is. This is a God-timed,
God-generated, God-sanctioned, God-empowered event. It is not a coincidence
that it will happen at this specific future time. Whatever it is, the LORD is
behind it and in it.
People
around the world see these kinds of events and think it is the end of the
world. Even in countries that are ‘educated’, people fear for their lives when
earthquakes and volcanoes happen. They wonder if this is “the end” of life.
So
what should we take out of these verses?
On top of the distresses of deceivers, wars, persecution, arrest, trials,
betrayal, and destruction, there is a time when everything, including what we
think about the stability of the universe, will be shaken. But that is not the
end.
We
will be kept through any and all of what happens. Even if we die, we are safe
with Him. Nothing can break the connection we have with Him. That is why it is
so important for us to nurture that relationship. We need to be on guard,
watching, attentive, listening to the moving of the Holy Spirit now, so that
when more difficult times come, we will be ready. Fellow Believers around the
world are today experiencing many of the difficulties outlined here. They are
enduring for the sake of the Good News. Are we ready to do the same?