Jesus said to be alert and warned everyone about a few warning signs. One tangent to being alert is to nit be gullible, falling for the trendy thinking of the day, not be gullible to traditions that may not always hold truth. But how can we know if what we are seeing in the news or reading is credible? How can we avoid getting swept up with a mob mentality of our day? Jesus promised that the Holy Spirit will guide us and teach us, especially from the Scriptures. Carefully weighing out the issue of the day with His wisdom prevents us from the hype of turmoil. Living a quiet life, demonstrating His love as He shows us how, will keep us on the journey, even though there may be persecution and trials ahead.
“If God were to end history and reign forever in a distant Heaven, Earth would be remembered as a graveyard of sin and failure. Instead, Earth will be redeemed and resurrected. In the end it will be a far greater world, even for having gone through the birth pains of suffering and sin—yes, even sin. The New Earth will justify the old Earth’s disaster, make good out of it, putting it in perspective. It will preserve and perpetuate Earth’s original design and heritage.” - Randy Alcorn, Heaven: A Comprehensive Guide to Everything the Bible Says About Our Eternal Home
“Do not believe it” (Mark 13:21). Following false messiahs and false prophets was living out of the yeast of the Pharisees and Herod—hierarchal, power-over thinking. The domination they experienced could not be overcome by using power over, down against the other. Their efforts to overcome their domination by using the ways of domination would only prolong the suffering, pain, and destruction.
The word of warning was “Be alert” (Mark 13:23).” - Excerpt, Following Jesus: Discipleship in the Gospel of Mark by Steve Langford
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