THE STORY OF JESUS: Mark 13:24-27
“At that time people will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory.” (Mark 13:26)
Jesus now shifts His focus to the last days when He will return.
He quotes Isaiah 13:10 (or Isaiah 34:4), the final judgment, the “day of the Lord”.
On that day the Son of Man will gather His followers from the ends of the earth.
The day is coming when Jesus will return and make things right.
“‘Look, he is coming with the clouds’ (Daniel 7:13) and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him, and all peoples on earth ‘will mourn because of him.'(Zechariah 12:10) So shall it be! Amen.” (Revelation 1:7)
If we think this life is hard, wait until the day when God finally unleashes justice.
The point of this is not revenge or payback, this is meant to encourage persecuted believers.
Keep looking up, even when you suffer, even when you are persecuted, even when you are dying.
Stay focused on Jesus, He will have the last word, He will restore all things – and you!
It may be difficult to hang on to Jesus when your world is crashing around you.
But hang on anyway – desperate faith is still better than despair and defeat.
The “day of the Lord” is coming, you will see Jesus again, and He knows your name!
“I know that my redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand on the earth. And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God; I myself will see him with my own eyes—I, and not another. How my heart yearns within me!” (Job 19:25-27)
What do you sense the Lord saying to you?
PRAYER
Lord, I am not going through extreme hardship right now, but even now I am forgetting to look up. Help me to start now, so that when tougher times come, I am in the habit of looking up.
Thanks for this reminder. Not working the last few days while facing hardships and a lot of fear of the unknown. It can be extremely hard to look up when you feel you have no reason to. Feelings aren’t right or wrong they just are. I definitely have desperate faith (but then again haven’t I always lol) but I am learning that most of the things that are happening are not even in my control. I’m not even sure if its His control because we live by free will. But I can control how I respond and receive the heartache. Where does my help come from? I lift my eyes to the mountains. He will use our pain and disaster to become a healing testimony for others one day.