“7And when you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed. This must take place, but the end is not yet. 8For 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 the birth pains. 9But be on your guard…” – Mark 13:7-9 (ESV)
I find it interesting that there have been and will continue to be those that believe they know when Jesus is coming back, even when He indicates that only the Father knows.
In these verses, Jesus is discussing of the “signs of the close of the age”. I pay particular attention to the end of verse 8 where He says, “the beginning of birth pains”. When Lori was pregnant with Bryson, our oldest son, we went to the hospital as instructed at 6 am to begin for the process of C-section later that day. When we arrived and she was hooked up to the machines (I know that sounds so futuristic), we were informed that she had been in labor for some time already. We were told to get everyone here that we wanted because the birth would be happening in the next hour or so. We had done all of our preparations for Bryson’s birth, but were still surprised when we were told it was happening so quickly.
The story of Bryson’s birth is in no way to be similar to the returning of Christ, however it does show us that what Jesus says in the above verses makes sense. We can prepare and prepare and prepare for His return, but when the time is upon us his arrival will be quite the event.
We are to prepare for, however not worry about His return. When Jesus returns, we will know.
“13…But the one who endures to the end will be saved.” – Mark 13:13 (ESV)
Are you spending your days trying to calculate when Christ will return? Have you thought about just living with knowing He will return? Are you prepared to know when He is returning?
Trevor's Thoughts 