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March 27 - Mark 13 · A Chapter a Day Bible Reading

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  Hello friends, it is shown here. It's Wednesday, it's the 27th of
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  March and we are getting real close to the Easter weekend
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  here, only for two more sleeps to go until it is Good Friday.
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  It's not long at all, is it? And today?
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  Today we have a reading from Mark that really causes a bunch
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  of consternation. It's it's a chapter where Jesus
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  talks about the future. And there are a lot of very,
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  very wise bowlers who have spent their careers dissecting this
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  chapter, trying to work out exactly what Jesus meant in each
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  of the the things that he talks about and looking for evidence
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  to support the fact that what he said has come true or will come
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  true and what historical things he might be referring to.
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  And that's great because they have achieved many PHD's doing
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  that. But I think the the purpose of
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  Mark writing this chapter is for us to know, not not to get
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  freaked out, but for us to know without a shadow of a doubt that
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  Jesus holds the future in his hands and he knows everything
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  that happens throughout time. So we don't need to get bogged
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  down by all the details, because all the smartest people in the
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  world haven't been able to work that out with any kind of
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  cohesion or collective clarity. But we can sit at the feet of
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  our Saviour and be in awe. The fact that he lives outside
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  of time and space and knows everything?
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  Ohhh let us read it together. Let's read together.
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  Mark chapter 13 as Jesus was leaving the temple
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  that day, one of his disciples said.
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  Teacher, Look at these magnificent buildings.
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  Look at the impressive stones in the walls, Jesus replied.
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  Yes, look at these great buildings, but they will be
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  completely demolished. Not one stone will be left on
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  top of another. Later, Jesus sat on the Mount of
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  Olives across the valley from the temple.
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  Peter, James, John and Andrew came to him privately and asked
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  him, tell us when will all this happen?
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  What sign will show us that these things are about to be
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  fulfilled? Jesus replied.
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  Don't let anyone mislead you, for many will come in my name
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  claiming I am the Messiah. They will deceive many, and you
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  will hear of wars and threats of wars.
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  But don't panic. Yes, these things must take
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  place, but the end won't follow immediately.
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  Nation will go to war against nation and Kingdom against
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  Kingdom. There will be earthquakes in
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  many parts of the world, as well as famines, but this is only the
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  first of the birth pains, with more to come.
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  When these things begin to happen, watch out.
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  You will be handed over to the local councils and beaten in the
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  synagogues. You will stand trial before
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  governors and kings, because you are my followers, but this will
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  be your opportunity to tell them about me.
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  For the good news must first be preached to all nations.
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  But when you are arrested and stand trial, don't worry in
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  advance about what to say. Just say what God tells you at
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  that time, for it is not you who will be speaking, but the Holy
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  Spirit. A brother will betray his
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  brother to death, a father will betray his own child, and
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  children will rebel against their parents and cause them to
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  be killed. And everyone will hate you
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  because you are my followers. But the one who endures to the
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  end will be saved. The day is coming when you will
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  see the sacrilegious object that causes desecration, standing
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  where he should not be. Remember, pay attention then.
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  Those in Judea must flee to the hills.
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  A person out on the deck of a roof must not go down into the
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  house to pack. A person out in the field must
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  not return, even to get a coat. How terrible it will be for
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  pregnant women and for nursing mothers in those days.
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  And pray that your flight will not be in winter, for there will
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  be greater anguish in those days than at any time since God
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  created the world, and it will never be so great again.
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  In fact, unless the Lord shortens that time of calamity,
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  not a single person will survive.
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  But for the sake of his chosen ones, he has shortened those
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  days. Then if anyone tells you, look,
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  here is the Messiah or there he is, don't believe it.
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  For false messiahs and false prophets will rise up and
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  perform signs and wonders so as to deceive, if possible, even
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  God's chosen ones. Watch out.
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  I have warned you about this ahead of time.
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  At that time, after the anguish of those days, the sun will be
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  darkened, the moon will give no light.
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  The stars will fall from the sky, and the powers and the
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  heavens will be shaken. Then everyone will see the Son
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  of Man coming on the clouds with great power and glory, and he
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  will send out his angels to gather His chosen ones from all
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  over the world, from the farthest ends of the earth and
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  heaven. Now learn a lesson from the fig
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  tree. When its branches bud and its
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  leaves begin to sprout, you know that summer is near.
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  In the same way, when you see all these things taking place,
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  you can know that his return is very near, right at the door.
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  I tell you the truth, this generation will not pass from
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  the scene before all these things take place.
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  Heaven and earth will disappear, but my words will never
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  disappear. However, no one knows the day or
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  hour when these things will happen, not even the angels in
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  heaven or the sun himself. Only the Father knows, and since
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  you don't know when that time will come, be on guard, stay
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  alert. The coming of the Son of Man can
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  be illustrated by the story of a man going on a long trip.
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  When he left home, he gave each of his slaves instructions about
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  the work they were to do, and he told the gatekeeper to watch for
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  his return. You too must keep watch, for you
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  don't know when the master of the household will return in the
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  evening, at midnight, before dawn, or at Daybreak.
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  Don't let him find you sleeping. When he arrives without warning,
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  I say to you what I say to everyone.
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  Watch for him, Lord, reading these predictions
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  about the future, it's it's enough to bring any of us
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  anxiety. And Lord, as we think about our
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  futures, there is so much about them that can fill us with
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  anxiety. But here you give us such clear
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  instructions. Just set our hearts on you,
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  Follow you. Everything else is secondary.
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  You are our priority. Help that clarity sink deep into
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  our souls so that as we walk through our days here in our
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  lives, it can be you who always remains our true North Star.
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  We love you, and we know, we know that you are the most
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  glorious thing in our lives. But sometimes the other voices
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  are so loud and they're hard to ignore or hard to put into their
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  place beneath your sovereign throne and our lives.
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  So once again we offer our lives to you.
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  We place everything below your throne, and we worship you above
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  all others. For you hold the universe and
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  all time and all things to come in your powerful, loving,
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  gentle, sacrificial hands. Thank you.
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  Thank you that you hold all of this, and you hold us so gently
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  with so much love, and we pray all of this in your name.
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  Jesus, oh man.