{"id":911,"date":"2021-11-05T03:00:00","date_gmt":"2021-11-05T09:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/reflectivebiblestudy.com\/gospeladventure\/?p=911&2021"},"modified":"2021-11-02T18:02:03","modified_gmt":"2021-11-03T00:02:03","slug":"surprise-return-mark-13-32-37","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/reflectivebiblestudy.com\/gospeladventure\/surprise-return-mark-13-32-37\/","title":{"rendered":"Surprise Return: Mark 13:32-37"},"content":{"rendered":"
Focus Passage: Mark 13:32-37 (CEV)<\/div>
\r\n

32\u00a0<\/sup>No one knows the day or the time. The angels in heaven don\u2019t know, and the Son himself doesn\u2019t know. Only the Father knows. 33\u00a0<\/sup>So watch out and be ready! You don\u2019t know when the time will come. 34\u00a0<\/sup>It is like what happens when a man goes away for a while and places his servants in charge of everything. He tells each of them what to do, and he orders the guard to keep alert. 35\u00a0<\/sup>So be alert! You don\u2019t know when the master of the house will come back. It could be in the evening or at midnight or before dawn or in the morning. 36\u00a0<\/sup>But if he comes suddenly, don\u2019t let him find you asleep. 37\u00a0<\/sup>I tell everyone just what I have told you. Be alert!<\/p>\r\n

Read Mark 13:32-37<\/a> in context and\/or in other translations on BibleGateway.com!<\/p><\/div><\/div>\r\n

During one of the times Jesus was teaching His followers, He shifts His attention onto the time of His return when the disciples ask Him when the end will come. After Jesus describes what the world would be like leading up to His return, He tells the disciples something that may have even shocked them, and it is something that could easily shock us as well if we truly understand its implications.<\/p>\r\n

After sharing His description of the end time, Jesus tells His followers, \u201cNo one knows the day or the time. The angels in heaven don\u2019t know, and the Son himself doesn\u2019t know. Only the Father knows.<\/strong>\u201d (v. 32)<\/p>\r\n

Let this idea sink in for a moment. The angels and Jesus Himself don\u2019t know when the second coming will be, and if Jesus is speaking truth here, it would be incredibly arrogant for someone (a human) to think they have figured out a code or secret that the Holy Spirit inspired into the pages of the Bible. If only the Father knows, then the Holy Spirit would be speculating if He inspired clues on the specific date and time of Jesus\u2019 return.<\/p>\r\n

Some people might point to the \u201cpresent tense\u201d nature of Jesus\u2019 words. In theory, Jesus and some angels could know this information now while they didn\u2019t know it back then. However, this is also complete speculation, because nothing I\u2019ve read in the scripture implies that this information will be shared before the Father announces it and pulls heaven together for the trip to earth at the end of time.<\/p>\r\n

Jesus\u2019 key point for us to remember comes in the next five verses: \u201cSo watch out and be ready! You don\u2019t know when the time will come. It is like what happens when a man goes away for a while and places his servants in charge of everything. He tells each of them what to do, and he orders the guard to keep alert. So be alert! You don\u2019t know when the master of the house will come back. It could be in the evening or at midnight or before dawn or in the morning. But if he comes suddenly, don\u2019t let him find you asleep. I tell everyone just what I have told you. Be alert!<\/strong>\u201d (v. 33-37)<\/p>\r\n

Jesus\u2019 return will be a surprise to almost everyone. About the only people who won\u2019t be surprised will be the ones who are alert and living as though He could come back today. This does not mean that they know this, but that they are prepared for Him to come back at every moment in their lives.<\/p>\r\n

If Jesus comes suddenly, we should not let Him catch us asleep or away from what He has called us to. Jesus calls us to \u201cBe alert\u201d and this means that we should be alert at every moment. While the passage doesn\u2019t say that Jesus will return suddenly, the flip side of this idea is that our lives may end suddenly.<\/p>\r\n

If our lives end before Jesus has returned, then will our last breaths be ones where we are \u201calert\u201d and moving forward on the mission He has for our lives, or will they be breaths that sound like snoring as we are fast asleep?<\/p>\r\n

The big idea I see in Jesus\u2019 words is that we should live as though He is returning today, while also balancing the likelihood that He might not come this year. Jesus only has to return once, and since no one knows when that will be, we must embrace and manage the tension that comes with living like He will arrive today (which would be nice), with the wisdom that directs our daily decisions in a way that is smart if He were to delay another year or more. No one in the universe knows the day or the time of Jesus\u2019 return. The angels in heaven don\u2019t know, and the Son himself doesn\u2019t know. Only the Father knows.<\/strong><\/p>\r\n

This thought was inspired by studying the Walking With Jesus<\/strong> \u201cReflective Bible Study\u201d package. To discover insights like this in your own study time, click here<\/a> and give Reflective Bible Study a try today!<\/em><\/p>

Subscribe<\/a> to this blog and never miss an insight.<\/em><\/p><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"During one of the times Jesus was teaching His followers, He shifts His attention onto the time of His return when the disciples ask Him when the end will come. 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