“1 As He was going out of the temple complex, one of His disciples said to Him, “Teacher, look! What massive stones! What impressive buildings!”

2 Jesus said to him, “Do you see these great buildings? Not one stone will be left here on another that will not be thrown down!”

3 While He was sitting on the Mount of Olives across from the temple complex, Peter, James, John, and Andrew asked Him privately, 4 “Tell us, when will these things happen? And what will be the sign when all these things are about to take place?”

5 Then Jesus began by telling them: “Watch out that no one deceives you. 6 Many will come in My name, saying, “I am He,” and they will deceive many. 7 When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, dont be alarmed; these things must take place, but the end is not yet. 8 For nation will rise up against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places, and famines. These are the beginning of birth pains.

9 But you, be on your guard! They will hand you over to sanhedrins, and you will be flogged in the synagogues. You will stand before governors and kings because of Me, as a witness to them. 10 And the good news must first be proclaimed to all nations. 11 So when they arrest you and hand you over, dont worry beforehand what you will say. On the contrary, whatever is given to you in that hour — say it. For it isn’t you speaking, but the Holy Spirit. 12 Then brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child. Children will rise up against parents and put them to death. 13 And you will be hated by everyone because of My name. But the one who endures to the end will be delivered.”

Mark 13:1-13

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Things that will happen:

– Destruction of the temple complex

– False teachers and pseudo-Christs

– War, natural disasters, famine

– Public scrutiny of believers

– Gospel is shared globally 

– Family strife experienced for belief

– Believers hated

Now, most of these have been happening since the birth of the church. The Temple complex was destroyed in AD 70 by the Romans, but pretty much everything else has been happening repeatedly, in different places at different times. The Gospel being shared globally is the final ingredient that has not been fulfilled, but it draws closer. 

Human turmoil and family strife over the belief in Christ has been a dividing factor since Pentecost. All the social ills that Jesus listed are also age-old issues for the church. So, if so much here is common, then what do we focus on? 

Two things: 

– Getting the gospel to all nations

– Enduring to the end

Those are the two things we have any part in and control over anyway, right? We could spend our days worried and fretting over things we cannot fix or change, or we could do the two things that seem to matter most.

It seems like a simple choice to me, and Jesus told us that He would be with us always, to the very end of the age, so that includes His part in seeing these things done is us and through us. We simply need to trust in Jesus. We focus on these areas of priority and trust Him to handle everything. 

So, GoLove people in His Name, do whatever you can to get the gospel message out there and you concentrate on sticking with Jesus in the process, growing and maturing in Him. There are about 6,500 dialects that lack a copy of the scriptures in their native language. So, funding for those ministries who translate and the missionaries who go there should be our primary concern. Meanwhile, we make sure the Gospel is preached where we are and we endure all things in Christ. 

That’s the plan, that’s the part we can handle being a part of, too. Leave all the big, cataclysmic stuff to God, trust Him to handle it well, and see you through. He is more than capable.