Today’s scripture: Mark 13:28-37 (ESV-text and audio) (KJV) (The Message)
As you read, consider: What might God be saying to me? Summarize your thoughts in a sentence or two.
My thoughts (Jeff Miner):
What is the purpose of end-time prophecies? I’ve often asked myself that question.
I grew up in a church tradition where great emphasis was placed on prophecy. As a teenager, I remember going to the Indiana Fairgrounds to hear Rev. Jack Van Impe. He specialized in dissecting Bible verses about the end-times and telling people exactly what each meant.
Mark 13:30 figured big in his preaching. There, Jesus says, “I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all these things have taken place.” Some Bible scholars believe Jesus was referring to his own generation. When interpreted this way, all the signs Jesus refers to in Mark 13 correlate to events that occurred in the decades immediately following Jesus’ death and resurrection (about 33 A.D.), culminating in the destruction of the temple by the Romans in 78 A.D.
But Jack Van Impe (and many others) have taken a different approach. After all, unless we missed it, Jesus has not yet come in the clouds to gather all the elect, as stated in Mark 13:27. So, the events of Mark 13 must still be in the future, right? For Jack Van Impe, the fig tree in verse 28 represents Israel. He reasoned that the fig tree “became tender and put forth its leaves” when Israel came back together as a nation in 1948. By this interpretation, all the signs Jesus refers to in Mark 13 (including the second coming) will occur within a generation of 1948. Van Impe concluded that a generation equaled 30 years. Thus, the second coming had to occur by 1948 + 30 = 1978!
I heard that sermon in 1973, when I was 15 years old. I was convinced and remember thinking, “Wow! I’ve only got a few years left; I’ll never even reach age 20!” I set my expectations accordingly. Then 1978 came and went, and I was still here — and I learned a lesson I would never forget.
Nobody has this end-times stuff figured out — and nobody ever will!
Jesus says as much in verse 32, “But about that day or hour no one knows, neither the angels in Heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.” Which brings me back to my original question: What is the purpose of end-times prophecies? Jesus answers that question in this passage: “keep alert” (verse 33); “keep awake” (verse 35).
In my view, the Bible tells us there will be an end, and gives us certain vague but intriguing signs, for one purpose alone — to keep us living with expectation that the end could come at anytime. This world in which we live is not our permanent home. We shouldn’t get too comfortable.
Thought for the day: “The day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, and then the heavens will pass away . . . , and the elements will be dissolved. . . . Since all these things are to be dissolved in this way, what sort of persons ought you to be . . . ?” II Peter 3:10-11.
We encourage you to include a time of prayer with this reading. If you need a place to get started, consider the guidelines on the How to Pray page.