LIFE SCRIPTS

As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter, James, John and Andrew asked him privately, “Tell us, when will these things happen? And what will be the sign that they are all about to be fulfilled?” Jesus said to them: “Watch out that no one deceives you. Many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am he,’ and will deceive many. When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places, and famines. These are the beginning of birth pains. “You must be on your guard. You will be handed over to the local councils and flogged in the synagogues. On account of me you will stand before governors and kings as witnesses to them. And the gospel must first be preached to all nations. Whenever you are arrested and brought to trial, do not worry beforehand about what to say. Just say whatever is given you at the time, for it is not you speaking, but the Holy Spirit. “Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child. Children will rebel against their parents and have them put to death. Everyone will hate you because of me, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved.
Mark 13:3‭-‬13 NIV
https://bible.com/bible/111/mrk.13.3-13.NIV.

The four disciples teach us something: to go before God and ask for wisdom…to seek insight into spiritual things. And this is the place of prayer. When we pray, we should tarry in God’s presence and seek to hear from Him. Remember that the rest of the disciples were gone. But these four took their curiosity further and inquired of the Lord. He then revealed to them astounding truths about the last days. So what will be the hallmarks of these days? From verse 5, Christ talks about an increase in deception. False teachers and prophets will rise up pretending to speak God’s truth and deceive many in the process. In fact some will have the boldness of stepping into the ‘shoes’ of the Messiah by making blasphemous declarations. Aren’t we seeing much of this stuff today especially on our TVs? But in verse 7, He mentions a second sign… Conflict. Wars and rumors of war. Nation will rise against nation and kingdom against another. Conflict and threats to conflict pervade our world today. But not only that. Environmental disasters will increase. Christ talks of earthquakes, famines among others. Things will start to take a downturn when it comes to man’s surroundings. He mentions that these will be the beginnings of birthpains. Many will make false claims of the day Christ will appear but still not yet. We must guard against deception about Christ’s second coming. Anytime we hear of speakers mentioning dates, seasons or times to expect Christ we must be wary of it because no one knows the time nor the hour. What we see are the signs to alert us as believers to be ready. In verse 9, Christ talks of another sign… Increase in persecution of Christians. He talks of being handed over to authorities… Being flogged and tried. Probably this might not happen in all places but we see nations where it is easy to confess Christianity but hard to live a Christian life because of rampant corruption. These are very difficult but true signs of an approaching end time season. But Christ reminds us that His spirit will speak for us and be our witness during such times. Situations that force us to deny Christ will suddenly convert into opportunities to witness for Him. From verse 12 He talks of family breakdown. Brother rising up against brother… Father betraying child to death. It’s no longer news how the family is currently being hit with all sorts challenges from murders to deception… From incest to scheming. A place which had been set aside by God as a haven of comfort has suddenly converted into a tough place for many. Children rebelling against parents… Parents abusing their kids. These are the signs of an approaching season just as Christ says. Hatred of the saints will be the order of the day. People will despise the Christian faith. Isn’t it so in the west? People have a softer spot for Islam than for the Christian faith. Nations which were founded on Christian foundations are at the forefront of resisting anything Christian. Christian missionaries, many of whom came on their own volition, learnt the local cultures and lived well among the locals are being compared to colonialists who came with an imperialist agenda. Christianity is under fire. But whoever chooses to stand will overcome.