Early signs of the End. Mark 13:5-8.
And Jesus began to say to them, “See that no one leads you astray. “Many will come in my name saying, ‘I am he!’ and they will lead many astray. And when you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed. This must take place, but the end is not yet. “For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places; there will be famines. These are but the beginning of birth pains.”
Dear Aliens and Strangers in the World,
Jesus’ reply to his disciples is typical of the nature of prophecy about future events. Often, events that are related only to the fact of the future but which may be millennia apart are spoken of together. The disciples asked Jesus about the destruction of the temple but in his teaching, he told them a lot more.
Impostors (v 5-6). One feature that would repeat itself over and over is that of false teachers and false Christs. Many people are led astray by these impersonators and liars. One way to identify them is the fact that they seek to draw attention and devotion to themselves. Some even claim to be Christ. Keep it in mind – anyone who draws attention to himself and away from Christ is false.
Insecurity (v. 7-8a). War, it seems, will not end until the very end. The efforts of individuals and nations to forge alliances and eliminate conflict will fail. War should be expected and should not surprise the followers of Jesus. It is noteworthy that since Jesus spoke these words two millennia ago, there has not been a day when there was not some war somewhere in the world. This is not to say that we should give up on peacebuilding, but we must keep in mind that all our efforts will have only limited success.
Incidences (v. 8b). In addition to the social disruptions of war and unrest, there also will be natural calamities like earthquakes and famines. Generally, famines are caused by unfavorable weather. There is increasing concern in the modern world about the effects of climate change. Again, while we may put in every possible effort to slow down and mitigate the effects of such change, we must never forget that our success will be limited. All these things are just the beginning of labor pains. As exciting as it all maybe, a lot more has to happen before the end comes. What this means for us as believers is that we must not be distracted in our service. We must continue to do what Jesus commanded us to do – make disciples (Matthew 28:19) and leave the ordering of events to him. Are you doing your part?
Your Loving Pastor Chris.