Mark 13:1–13

¹As [Jesus] came out of the temple, one of his disciples said to him, “Look, Teacher, what wonderful stones and what wonderful buildings!” ²And Jesus said to him, “Do you see these great buildings? There will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.”

³And as he sat on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter and James and John and Andrew asked him privately, ⁴“Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign when all these things are about to be accomplished?” ⁵And Jesus began to say to them, “See that no one leads you astray. ⁶Many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am he!’ and they will lead many astray. ⁷And when you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed. This must take place, but the end is not yet. ⁸For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places; there will be famines. These are but the beginning of the birth pains.

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⁹“But be on your guard. For they will deliver you over to councils, and you will be beaten in synagogues, and you will stand before governors and kings for my sake, to bear witness before them. ¹⁰And the gospel must first be proclaimed to all nations. ¹¹And when they bring you to trial and deliver you over, do not be anxious beforehand what you are to say, but say whatever is given you in that hour, for it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit. ¹²And brother will deliver brother over to death, and the father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death. ¹³And you will be hated by all for my name’s sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.”

According to Scripture, the end times will be anything but fun times. As Christians, we ought to notice the signals that the end is approaching. The wars and rumors of wars with nation against nation, earthquakes, famines, and as the Old Testament prophet Daniel writes, “a time of trouble, such as never has been since there was a nation till that time” (12:1).

However, there are dangers and temptations that might lead us astray while considering the signs of the times. The fact is deception has been the pitfall of humans since the fall of man. Satan deceived our first parents, introducing sin, trouble, and death into the world. Deceit tricks and robs people of their faith and eternal salvation. These days, people have deceived and drawn away believers from their Lord by using the very signs in the text as reasons to follow them and their doctrines.

The only true defense Christians have for avoiding the devil’s deceptions is the Word of God. The Bible tells us that instead of troubling us, the signs of Judgment Day ought to cause us to remember that “This must take place, but the end is not yet” (7b). The reports of catastrophes and wars are the symptoms of the world’s illness, its sin.

No, the end times are not fun, but they are blessed times. They are blessed because they lead us to trust in Jesus Christ, the Blessed One alone. All the tough times of life in this world are meant to fix our eyes on the Faithful One whose promise is sure and forever: “I will never leave you or forsake you. I will uphold you and no one will snatch [you] out of My hand. My Father who has given [you] to Me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch [you] out of [His] hand” (cf. John 10:28-29).

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