SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 12/22/2012 10:13
AM
My Worship
Time Focus: Two Parables
about Christ’s Return
Bible
Reading & Meditation Reference: Mark
13:28-37
Message of the verses: “28
¶ "Now learn the parable from the
fig tree: when its branch has already become tender and puts forth its leaves,
you know that summer is near. 29
"Even so, you too, when you see these things happening, recognize
that He is near, right at the door. 30
"Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all
these things take place. 31 "Heaven
and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away. 32 "But of that day or hour no one knows,
not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone. 33 "Take heed, keep on the alert; for you
do not know when the appointed time will come. 34 "It is like a man away on a journey, who
upon leaving his house and putting his slaves in charge, assigning to each one
his task, also commanded the doorkeeper to stay on the alert. 35 "Therefore, be on the alert-for you do
not know when the master of the house is coming, whether in the evening, at
midnight, or when the rooster crows, or in the morning- 36 in case he should come suddenly and find you
asleep. 37 "What I say to you I say
to all, ’Be on the alert!’"”
In this section of Mark’s
Gospel we see two parables that Jesus gives to two different groups of
people. The first parable about the fig
tree and also all trees as seen in Luke’s Gospel is for those who will be in
the tribulation while the last parable is about those who are alive at all
different parts of the Church age. With
that said I want to now write about the Church age as to when it began and when
it will end. The Church age began on the
Day of Pentecost as recorded in Acts chapter two with the great sermon given by
the Apostle Peter and with the result of that sermon 3000 people were born
again and thus were members of the Church.
When speaking about the Church we see that the Bible speaks about the
local church, which has the most said about it from Scripture and also the “universal
Church,” which means all members of the church.
Jesus mentions the church once in His teachings that are found in the
Gospels, but in the book of Revelations He mentions it different times in the
first three chapters. After the third
chapter of Revelations the Church is never again mentioned. The Church age came after the rejection of
Jesus Christ and will exist until He comes in the clouds of the air to take the
Church, (His Bride) home with Him in what is called the “rapture of the Church.” The last parable found in the section we are
looking at is for those in the Church age as we are to be ready at any time for
the return of the Lord Jesus Christ.
There are three main portions of Scripture that speak directly about the
rapture of the Church and others that imply it.
Perhaps the main portion of Scripture that speaks of the rapture is
found in 1Thes. 4:13-18, “13 ¶ Now we
don’t want you, my brothers, to be in any doubt about those who "fall
asleep" in death, or to grieve over them like the rest of men who have no
hope. 14 If we believe that Jesus died
and rose again, then we can believe that God will just as surely bring with
Jesus all who are "asleep" in him. 15
Here we have a definite message from the Lord. It is that those who are
still living when he comes will not in any way precede those who have previously
fallen asleep. 16 One word of command,
one shout from the archangel, one blast from the trumpet of God and the Lord
himself will come down from Heaven! Those who have died in Christ will be the
first to rise, and 17 then we who are
still living will be swept up with them into the clouds to meet the Lord in the
air. And after that we shall be with him forever. 18 So by all means use this message to encourage
one another.” (Philips) The reason that I used the Philips is because
you can see that fallen asleep means Christian death. Paul writes these words to bring comfort to
the early church for some of their members had died and this brought fear to
their hearts as to what exactly happened to them and so Paul writes and tells
them that those who had already died in the Lord would have their bodies taken
up to Jesus a split second before those who are alive at the time when Christ
comes for His Bride, the Church.
Paul writes to the
believers at Corinth in the fifteenth chapter of 1Corinthians, which is
commonly known as the resurrection chapter something similar, “51 ¶ Behold, I tell you a mystery; we will not all
sleep, but we will all be changed, 52 in
a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will
sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.
53 For this perishable must put on the
imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality. 54 But when this perishable will have put on the
imperishable, and this mortal will have put on immortality, then will come
about the saying that is written, "DEATH IS SWALLOWED UP in victory.
55 "O DEATH, WHERE IS YOUR VICTORY?
O DEATH, WHERE IS YOUR STING?" 56
The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law; 57 but thanks be to God, who gives us the
victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Paul calls this event a mystery, which means that this event had never
been revealed before, but is now being revealed.
Let’s look at one more
passage from John’s Gospel “1 ¶ "Do
not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. 2 "In My Father’s house are many dwelling
places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place
for you. 3 "If I go and prepare a
place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am,
there you may be also (John 14:1-3).” In
this passage Jesus is comforting His disciples telling them that even though He
is going away that while He is away He will prepare a place for them and take
them to be with Him forever. That place
is heaven, and He will take them along with all members of the Church at the
rapture of the Church.
There are those who
think at the rapture will take place at the end of the age or the middle of the
tribulation, but my view and many others is that it will happen sometime
shortly before the tribulation period begins, for God will be dealing with
preparing the Jewish nation to repent and come to Him in repentance and faith
during the tribulation period. I wrote
an earlier SD about the 70 week prophecy that is found in the book of Daniel
explaining that there was one week remaining in that prophecy, or seven years
left, and that seven year period is what is called the tribulation period, and
it was during the first 69 weeks or 383 years that God was dealing with the
nation of Israel, and so the last week or seven years he will also deal with
the nation of Israel. I also mentioned
that in Revelations chapters 1-3 mentions the word church many times, but after
the third chapter it is not mentioned at all.
For more information on the subject of go online and look up a book
entitled “The Rapture Question,” written by John Walwood.
I want to write a bit
about the first parable, in which Jesus speaks about the tribulation period and
in particular verse thirty. “"Truly
I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take
place.” The things that He is talking
about are the things that will happen in the tribulation period. This verse has had many interpretations involved
with it. I can only tell you what I
believe the verse means. Jesus is
talking to those who are in the tribulation period and is speaking mostly to
the nation of Israel who will be involved in this period of time. Now the word generation can also be
translated as race, and so since Jesus is speaking to the generation that will
be involved in the tribulation period I believe that He is stating that that
race of people will survive the horrors of that period, and that race of course
is the Jewish race.
At the end of the
tribulation period the Lord Jesus Christ will return to the earth during the
height of the battle of Armageddon riding on a white house with many
accompanying Him as seen in Revelations 19: 11-21. I believe that the ruptured
saints will be the ones coming with Him and also riding on white horses.
Spiritual meaning for my life today: Prophecy is a wonderful subject to study for
it gives us the hope that one day life on this earth will be over and those of
us who have accepted the Lord Jesus as Savior and Lord have that hope of His
return to take us to be with Him.
Dr. Wiersbe concludes
this chapter that he has written on the thirteenth chapter of Mark with these words,
“While Christians today will not experience the terrible sufferings described
in this chapter, we will have our share of persecution and tribulation in this
world before the Lord returns (John 16:33; Acts 14:22). But the warnings of this message in Mark 13
may be applied to our own lives: ‘Take heed that you are not deceived’ (Mark
13:5, 23); ‘Take heed that you do not become discouraged and quit’ (Mark 13:9);
‘Take heed, watch and pray’ (Mark 13:33).
“’And what I say unto
you, I say unto all ‘Watch’’ (Mark 13:37).”
My Steps of
Faith for Today: Live my life in a way that I will not be
ashamed when my Lord comes to receive me unto His own. Continue to learn contentment and to have my
life transformed by the renewing of my mind with the Word of God.
Memory verses for the week:
Psalm 121:1
1 I will lift up my eyes
to the mountains; From where shall my help come?
12/22/2012 11:37 AM
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