Imagine it’s the end of the world. How will it be reported in the media? The Wall street Journal would report: “DOW JONES PLUMMETS AS WORLD ENDS”. Rolling Stone would report, “THE GRATEFUL DEAD REUNION TOUR”. Inc. magazine would report: “TEN WAYS YOU CAN PROFIT FROM THE APOCALYPSE”, and of course Lady’s Home Journal would report, “LOSE 10 LBS BY JUDGEMENT DAY WITH OUR NEW “ARMAGEDDON” DIET!”
When we can see the big picture, it makes it easier to know what to do today. It makes it easier to learn to live in the present. I just told my wife this morning that I wish I knew how long I had to live on this earth so that I could better prepare for our future. Knowing the date and time is of course futile. But what we choose to do with our “today” is not futile.
Mark 13:3-4 (TNIV)
3 As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter, James, John and Andrew asked him privately, 4 “Tell us, when will these things happen? And what will be the sign that they are all about to be fulfilled?”
As we begin and continue studying the Olivette Discourse (the only place in the Bible where Jesus is asked about the end times other than briefly in Acts 1:6 …and He answers!), let me share a few things. If you are interested in reading more about the beginning of this journey, Click Here.
When we teach our children about the importance of going to school, it is so they will not only think about their future, but also so that they will learn to live wisely in the present.
There are two questions that the disciples ask Jesus:
1. “Tell us, when will these things happen?” Here, they are especially asking about the destruction of the temple that Jesus just recently predicted.
2. “…what will be the sign that they are all about to be fulfilled?” This second question refers to the end of the age….the end times.
In the disciple’s minds, these events would happen one, right after the other. Similar to Old Testament prophecy (this is important), Jesus predicted both these event (near and far) without putting them in any chronological order.
The best way to picture this, I believe was best said like this:
“In order to understand the prophecy, picture yourself standing on a mountaintop looking across a distant mountain range. The mountain peaks appear to be next to each other, while in reality they are miles apart because of the valleys in between. Jesus’ prophecy pictured ‘mountain peaks’ (significant future events) as though they would occur together, when in reality they may be thousands of years apart. Some of the disciples lived to see the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70, while some of the events Jesus spoke of have not yet—to this day—occurred. But the truth of Jesus’ prediction regarding Jerusalem assured the disciples (and assures us) that everything else Jesus predicted will also happen.”
Here is the key: Jesus answered these questions about the end times, questions about the future, so that we could learn to live in the present. He didn’t tell us these things so that we could calculate and try to determine and predict the exact day and hour they would happen. Jesus wasn’t us to be spiritually alert and prepared for His return. But, just as important, he wants us to live in “today”.