Key Passage
“I tell you the truth. All these things will happen while people of this time are still living.”
— Mark 13:30 ERV (Read Full Text)
Key Thought
There are many ways this statement has been interpreted: (1) Some understand this to mean that all of Mark 13 is referring to the destruction of Jerusalem—which occurred in the Jewish war with Rome in A.D. 66-70. (2) Others see it to mean that all these events happened in the first generation of believers and that we have been on the edge of Jesus’ return ever since. (3) Some even declare that Jesus was wrong and this promise wasn’t fulfilled. (4) Others even claimed that Jesus returned and many Christians missed him. While I believe the second is the more probable (and the third and fourth seem ludicrous to me), the point is that Jesus’ own word, his assurance, stands behind his promised return. He has triumphed over death once through his resurrection. He will triumph a second and final time completely, when he returns and destroys death and brings immortality to life. And the unfolding of this promise begins at any moment!
Prayer
Father, give me faith to believe that your Son’s return is always imminent! In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.
Related Scriptures
And I always pray for all of you with joy. I thank God for the help you gave me while I told people the Good News. You helped from the first day you believed until now.
— Philippians 1:4-5
The person that reads the words of this message from God is blessed (happy). And the people who hear this message and do the things that are written in it are blessed. There is not much time left. Look, Jesus is coming with the clouds! Every person will see him, even the people who pierced him. All people of the earth will cry loudly because of him. Yes, this will happen! Amen.
— Revelation 1:3, 7
It is important for you to understand what will happen in the last days. People will laugh {at you}. Those people will live following the evil things they want to do. Those people will say, “He (Jesus) promised to come again. Where is he? Our fathers have died. But the world continues the way it has been since it was made.” But those people don’t want to remember what happened long ago. The skies were there, and God made the earth from water and with water. All this happened by God’s word. Then that world was flooded and destroyed with water. And that same word {of God} is keeping the skies and the earth that we have now.
The skies and the earth are being kept to be destroyed by fire. The skies and the earth are kept for the day of judgment and the destruction of all people who are against God. But don’t forget this one thing, dear friends: To the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years is like a day. The Lord is not being slow in doing what he promised—the way some people understand slowness. But God is being patient with you. God doesn’t want any person to be lost. God wants every person to change his heart and stop sinning. But the Day when the Lord comes again will be a surprise like a thief. The sky will disappear with a loud noise. All the things in the sky will be destroyed with fire. And the earth and everything in it will be burned.
— 2 Peter 3:3-10
Devotional provided by Heartlight®
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