As a teenager, I was fascinated by the thought that one day Jesus will come back and everything will be changed. At that time there were books with titles like '1980s – Countdown to Armageddon', and I devoured them. I wanted to know what will happen in the future. And it seems I'm not alone. Since then there have been various other books, particularly the 'Left Behind' series.
Jesus talks about his return to earth:
32 "But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 33 Be on guard! Be alert! You do not know when that time will come. 34 It's like a man going away: He leaves his house and puts his servants in charge, each with their assigned task, and tells the one at the door to keep watch.
35 "Therefore keep watch because you do not know when the owner of the house will come back—whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or at dawn. 36 If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping. 37 What I say to you, I say to everyone: 'Watch!'" Mark 13:32-37 [NIV]
At the age of 13, this was a very important passage for my journey of faith. I had grown up in a church-going family, and I knew the Bible well thanks to the Sunday School at our Baptist Church. I had been going through a time of searching and exploring – was this church thing just something my family did, or was it for me? I had come more and more to the conclusion that it made sense, and I was more and more aware of God's presence – I knew about God, and I was getting to know him.
This passage told me I needed to take action – was I really ready for Jesus' return?
Our youth group showed a film called 'A Thief in the Night', which brought it home very powerfully. That night I knelt by my bedside, and I prayed 'God, I don't know if I've got things sorted with you – but I want to. I'm sorry for everything that has come between me and you – everything I've done, thought and said that was anything less than completely good. Thank you for coming and dying for me. Please come into my life as my friend and the leader of my life'. From that moment on I have always known God in my life, and a greater sense of his purpose for me.
'Watch' is what Jesus says to us all in regard to his second coming. He says that we cannot know the detail about when this will all happen, but are we ready for his return and are we living as his friends and followers …or not?
Tim Norman
Read the Bible in a year: Psalm 31:1-8, Leviticus 15:1-16:34, Mark 13:32-14:16
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