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Mark 13 - Devotion · The Five Minute Bible Podcast

• 0:00
  Welcome to Five Minute Bible in our journey through the New
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  Testament. In each episode, we take just a
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  few minutes to focus on one chapter of the New Testament,
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  exploring the truths God is teaching us through His Word and
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  expanding our view of who He is. Before you listen, make sure
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  you've gone straight to the source, either by reading
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  today's chapter of the Bible yourself or listening to today's
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  read along episode in this podcast feed.
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  If you haven't done that yet, feel free to pause and do that
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  now. When you're ready, let's dive
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  into God's Word together. In Mark chapter 13, several of
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  Jesus disciples asked him to tell them what signs they can
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  look for, that the end is near, that his Kingdom will come in
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  full on earth. Jesus begins to expound to them
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  what is to come. He tells them that there will be
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  many people that come in his name attempting to deceive them,
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  but that they should not be deceived.
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  He tells them that they will. They will hear of wars and
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  rumors of wars, but this is not yet the end.
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  He tells them that they will be persecuted, they will be
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  delivered over to the courts, they will be flogged in the
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  synagogues, and they'll go before government officials
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  because of Jesus. And this will be a testimony to
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  those leaders and those persecutors.
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  He tells them that the gospel must be preached to all the
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  nations. In other words, the news of the
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  Gospel will expand globally before Christ returns.
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  Jesus then tells them that families will be broken up,
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  brothers will betray one another, and a period of intense
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  turmoil and calamity will come on the earth.
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  And what is the responsibility of the believer in all of this?
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  What should the Christian do as he sees the world crumbling
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  around him? Because the reality is, we have
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  seen these signs. We've seen wars and rumors of
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  wars. We've seen persecution.
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  We've seen betrayal, we've seen false Christs and deceivers,
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  we've seen calamity and turmoil. So what should be our response?
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  Well, the text is clear. We should stand firm amidst
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  persecution, participate in gospel proclamation, rely on the
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  power of the Holy Spirit during times of uncertainty.
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  But all of these things can be summed up with verse 33, which
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  says take heed, keep on the alert, for you do not know when
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  the appointed time will come. In other words, be ready.
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  That's Jesus instruction to his disciples and that is his
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  instruction to us. Three times in the last three
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  verses he tells them to be on the alert.
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  We must stay awake. We must not be lulled to sleep
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  by either the pleasures or the pain of this world.
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  Jesus is coming soon, so stand firm in him.
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  Live for him with boldness and without reservation.
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  Proclaim the good news of the gospel wherever you go, and do
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  not be shaken when the world appears to be falling apart
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  around you. The King is coming soon.
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  Be ready.