Verse 33 says, “Be on guard, keep wake.” Verse 34 says the man of the house “commands the doorkeeper to stay awake.” Verse 35 says, “Therefore stay awake.” Verse 37 says, “And what I say to you I say to all: “stay awake.” The repeated command to wakefulness and watchfulness is the dominating theme of the Olivet Discourse. As Jesus left the temple in Jerusalem for the last time, he predicted it would be destroyed. When they reached the Mount of Olives, Peter, James, John, and Andrew asked follow-up questions. Verse 4 says, “Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign when all these things are about to be accomplished.” They asked a time question and a sign question. Verses 5-37 record Jesus’ answer to...

When I was young, there was a “psychic” whose commercials regularly played on TV. Miss Cleo gave assurances she could reveal your future over the phone. There were clips of phone sessions to prove her assertions. Then she would say in a Jamaican accent, “Call me now!” The caption read: “First 3 minutes of each call free. Must be 18. For Entertainment Only.”  Many make bold predictions about the future. Their prognostications are only useful for entertainment. Jesus is not a part of that list. You can live with confidence in what Jesus says about the future. That’s the message of Mark 13:28-31.  It was Wednesday of Passion Week – Jesus’ last visit to...

Some Christians are fanatical about biblical prophecy. They have an unhealthy fixation with the future, end-times, and Second Coming. It is easy to mock the caricature of the person who goes overboard about prophecy. But those who fit that category are few and far between. There are many more Christians who ignore the subject altogether. They have their heads in the sand, unable or unwilling to look up. The neglect of biblical prophecy is as bad as the abuse of it, maybe worse.  The Old Testament is filled with prophecies of the coming of Christ. Did you know it is also filled with prophecies of his second coming? There are 1,845 predictions of the second coming in the Old Testament. There are 318 references to the second coming in the 260 chapters of...

After Jesus departed the temple in Jerusalem for the last time, a disciple pointed out the remarkable temple complex. Jesus responded by predicting the destruction of the temple. When Jesus stopped on the Mount of Olives, the “inner circle” asked follow-up questions in Mark 13:4: “Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign when all these things are about to be accomplished?” The disciples asked two different questions:  A Time Question: “When will these things be?” A Sign Question: “What will be the sign when all these things are about to be accomplished?” Verses 5-37 records the Lord’s answer. It is called “The Olivet Discourse.” This is the fullest answerJesus gave to...