Stay Awake
For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform signs and wonders, to lead astray, if possible, the elect. But be on guard; I have told you all things beforehand. ~ Mark 13:22-23 ESV
In today’s Bible reading, Mark 13:14-37, we encounter a series of urgent warnings urging us to stay awake, be on guard, and remain vigilant. These messages are crucial and should not be overlooked, as we may be living in the final days. Each moment is significant, and any one of us could face our Creator today. It’s essential to approach this with seriousness and a heightened sense of awareness.
We need to watch out for the false Christs, and false prophets and be on our guard against every deception, and temptation, and to make use of all means for our perseverance. Read and study your bible so not to be deceived. Christ warned believers to stay vigilant in two main ways: “watch” means to stay awake and be aware of potential dangers; and “pray” highlights the need for God’s help in this effort. Believers alone do not have enough strength to recognize spiritual threats that can catch them off guard.
Read / Listen / Video
Numbers 8:1-9:23
Mark 13:14-37
Psalm 50:1-23
Proverbs 10:29-30
New Testament
Mark 13:14-37
Summary
The Abomination of Desolation
The Coming of the Son of Man
The Lesson of the Fig Tree
No One Knows That Day or Hour
What is the abomination of desolation?
“For those days will be a time of tribulation such as has not occurred since the beginning of the creation which God created until now, and never will.
~ Mark 13:19
But of that day or hour no one knows
“But of that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone. “Take heed, keep on the alert; for you do not know when the appointed time will come. ~ Mark 13:32-33
Listen to John MacArthur on today’s scripture below:
Mark by John MacArthur
He’s going to protect His own. So, you have a word on election, and you have a word on perseverance – there’s a word on perseverance here. Run, flee, don’t believe the wrong thing – that’s the perseverance aspect of it.
The doctrine of perseverance means that you obey, and you act, and you respond; you flee false teachers, you flee deceivers; you don’t believe them – that’s our side, that’s the perseverance of the saints. The back side of that – or the front side of that – is that you’re the elect, and He holds you, and He keeps you, and He protects you. And the false Christ, as I said, will be very, very powerful; they will have all the forces of Satan behind them to be able to do signs and wonders. We don’t know what the nature of those things are, but they will apparently be very convincing, but not to the elect – why?
John 10 verse 5 – listen to this – speaking of the elect, “They will by no means follow a stranger, but will flee from him, because they do not know the voice of strangers” – John 10:5. Jesus put it on the positive side: “My sheep hear My voice, and they know Me.” You don’t have to be fearful of false teachers; you know your Shepherd’s voice, you know the truth. False Messiah is apparently going to actually infiltrate the ranks of those who flee. They’re going to be saying, “Look, here’s Christ” – according to Matthew 24:26 – “Here’s Christ,” “There’s Christ,” “Christ is in the desert,” “Christ is in the inner room.”
They’ll all be lies – don’t believe, don’t come out, don’t expose yourself to death. So, how are we going to know when the truth Christ comes? Oh, you’ll know; you’ll know, because in verse 24, the sun’s going to go black, the moon’s going to go black, the stars are going to go black. The whole powers of the heaven are going to be shaken, and then you will see the sign of the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. And by the way – Revelation 1:7 says, “Every eye will see Him” – so don’t worry.
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Mark 13:14-37 by Dr. J. Vernon McGee – Thru the Bible
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