Take heed, keep on alert

Mark 13:24-37    

The Return of Christ

²⁴ “But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun will be darkened and the moon will not give its light, ²⁵ and the stars will be falling from heaven, and the powers that are in the heavens will be shaken. ²⁶ Then they will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. ²⁷ And then He will send forth the angels, and will gather together His elect from the four winds, from the farthest end of the earth to the farthest end of heaven.

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!’”

 But of that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone. I think it's important that when we read scripture concerning the return of Christ that we always keep that in mind. If it is true that no one knows, then we should not read or study scriptue to try to determine the date or time of Christ's return. Even more, we should reject any teaching or teacher who claims to know the date and time. What we should understand about the time of Christ's return is that it is imminent and could be very soon.

The early church, led by those who had seen and heard  Jesus,  lived with an attitude of daily expectation of His return. That expectation of Christ's return was a driving force behind the rapid growth and expansion of the church. They took Jesus at His word and responded to His commission to share the good news, to preach the gospel of the kingdom of God. We are called to continue in that same attitude of expectation.

Jesus message to us in today's text is: “Take heed, keep on the alert; for you do not know when the appointed time will come... be on the alert—for you do not know when the master of the house is coming... What I say to you I say to all, ‘Be on the alert!’”  Jesus wants us to be alert, to be watching for His return. Part of that being alert and living in expectation is for us to live rightly. We should  be watching for His return with expectation not watching out in fear that we will get caught unprepared. Our preparation is not a physical preparation. It's not about building a secure place to be and obtaining supplies to get us through the time before Jesus returns. In verses 15 and 16 of this chapter in Mark Jesus says:

 The one who is on the housetop must not go down, or go in to get anything out of his house; ¹⁶ and the one who is in the field must not turn back to get his coat. 

When Jesus returns, He is coming for His people.  He will send forth the angels, and will gather together His elect from the four winds, from the farthest end of the earth to the farthest end of heaven.      His return is a time of excitement. It isn't the end of the world. It is the beginning of the Lord's eternal kingdom here on earth. When John was given a prophetic revelation of the kingdom of heaven and the kingdom of earth, this is what He saw and heard: Revelation 21

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea. ² And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband. ³ And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them, ⁴ and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.”

⁵ And He who sits on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” And He *said, “Write, for these words are faithful and true.” ⁶ Then He said to me, “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give to the one who thirsts from the spring of the water of life without cost. ⁷ He who overcomes will inherit these things, and I will be his God and he will be My son.

 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain.  There is nothing to dread about the return of Christ. Rather, we are to be alert. We are to live with the expectation of His return and as the early church did, we are to proclaim the good news of the coming kingdom of God. Our message should be good news. If we will shine the light of Christ and share the love of God with the world, if we will live rightly in expectation of His return, then the light of Christ and the love of God will reveal the darkness in men. The Holy Spirit will convict them of their sin. We are to share a message of repentance to the world. Repentance though means to more than change behavior, it means to change your mind. We can tell them all that's wrong with them and hope some will change or we can,

 Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.(Matthew 5:16)

They glorify the Father in heaven as they repent, responding to the good news of the soon return of Christ.

In today's text Jesus says: “Take heed, keep on the alert; for you do not know when the appointed time will come."           In Revelation 22 He says:

¹⁶ “I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you these things for the churches. I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star.”

¹⁷ The Spirit and the bride say, “Come.” And let the one who hears say, “Come.” And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who wishes take the water of life without cost.

¹⁸ I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues which are written in this book; ¹⁹ and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his part from the tree of life and from the holy city, which are written in this book.

²⁰ He who testifies to these things says, “Yes, I am coming quickly.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.

²¹ The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all. Amen.

Amen