Tabitha (Dorcas) was a Christian woman in New Testament times who some presently regard as having had the ministry of a deaconess. She died and Peter was instrumental in raising her from the dead. Jesus healed a woman with a bleeding disorder when he said to her “take heart, daughter, your faith has healed you,” as well as he told a blind man who asked for healing, “Receive your sight; your faith has healed you,” and Jesus healed a paralytic when he said to him, “Get up, take your mat and walk.” So, when Jesus spoke these words to me, it was a combination of the words spoken to a man who was blind, a woman suffering a bleeding disorder, a paralytic who could not walk and a Christian woman and servant of the Lord who had died and whom Peter brought back to life.
I knew the Lord did not heal me for me to just take the rest of the evening off, so I got into the word to hear from the Lord. I read Mark 12 first about the parable of the tenants. And, I took notes on that chapter. But, then the words to the song came back into my mind… “You are such an awesome God who loves us so much, You implore us to follow You each moment of the days we have on earth…” I knew that the passage the Lord would have me read and write about must be related to God imploring us to follow Him each moment of the days we have left on this earth, so I kept reading. The next chapter, Mark 13, fit to the tee the idea of God imploring his children to live for him during the days they have yet remaining on the earth. So, I knew this is where I was to focus my time and attention.
Keep Watch!
Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening. I read Mark 13 for my quiet time with the Lord. Since this chapter is 37 verses long, I will summarize some of it and quote some. Jesus told his disciples of the coming destruction of the temple. On the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, some of Jesus’ disciples inquired of him privately concerning the signs that these things are about to be fulfilled. Jesus told them of the signs of the end of the age. He began with the words “Watch out that no one deceives you.” At least seven times during this talk the Lord Jesus had with his disciples he used phrases such as “watch out,” “be on your guard,” “be alert,” “keep watch,” etc. Obviously there was much danger that even Jesus’ own disciples could be deceived, so he was warning them ahead of time, which we are also warned about in other passages in the New Testament. So, it is possible for us, as well, to be deceived, which is why it is so imperative that we keep watch and that we are alert.
Jesus told his disciples that there would be many deceivers, some of which would claim to be the promised Messiah of the people. I have found that the deception is greater if the claim is not so obvious but more subtle and comes more stealthily, escaping notice. Many raise themselves up as saviors of the people without literally declaring themselves to be such, but by their words and actions they give off the impression that is what they are claiming, and the greater deception lies there because people are more apt to follow them.
Jesus said there would be wars and rumors of wars; nation against nation; kingdom against kingdom; and earthquakes and famines. He said these were the beginnings of birth pains. He was relating the events of the last days to the pregnancy of a woman and these things being only the beginning of her pains associated with the birth of her child.
He told his disciples that they would be handed over to local councils and flogged in the synagogues. They would stand before governors and kings as witnesses to them. “And the gospel must first be preached to all nations.” Family members will betray other family members and even have them put to death. We will be hated because of our faith in Jesus Christ, “but he who stands firm to the end will be saved.” Many of these things, if not all of them, have taken place since Jesus left the earth to go back to heaven. We, in America, have not yet had to face this kind of persecution, but it is coming. The gospel has gone far and wide, but I don’t know if it has reached every nation yet. The phrase, “but he who stands firm to the end will be saved,” is repeated in various forms throughout the New Testament. True faith is faith that endures, continues and overcomes to the end.
The Abomination
Mark 13:14-23: “When you see ‘the abomination that causes desolation’ standing where it does not belong—let the reader understand—then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. 15 Let no one on the roof of his house go down or enter the house to take anything out. 16 Let no one in the field go back to get his cloak. 17 How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers! 18 Pray that this will not take place in winter, 19 because those will be days of distress unequaled from the beginning, when God created the world, until now—and never to be equaled again. 20 If the Lord had not cut short those days, no one would survive. But for the sake of the elect, whom he has chosen, he has shortened them. 21 At that time if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or, ‘Look, there he is!’ do not believe it. 22 For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform signs and miracles to deceive the elect—if that were possible. 23 So be on your guard; I have told you everything ahead of time.
Abomination (definition) – “something that is immoral, disgusting, or shameful; an object of intense disapproval or dislike” (Encarta); “refers to foreign gods, their images, or related worship practices; denote improper ways of worshiping God” (Harper's Bible dictionary; 1985); “of idols and things pertaining to idolatry” (Strong’s Concordance).
There are many opinions as to what the “abomination that causes desolation” means. It is mentioned in Old Testament and New Testament passages of scripture. Matthew’s gospel states: “So when you see standing in the holy place ‘the abomination that causes desolation,’ spoken of through the prophet Daniel…”
Daniel 11:31-32: “His armed forces will rise up to desecrate the temple fortress and will abolish the daily sacrifice. Then they will set up the abomination that causes desolation. With flattery he will corrupt those who have violated the covenant, but the people who know their God will firmly resist him.”
2 Thessalonians 2:3-4: Don’t let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction. He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God’s temple, proclaiming himself to be God.The “holy place” used to be in a physical temple in which God’s Spirit dwelled. And, the temple of God used to be a physical building. Yet, when Jesus Christ died on the cross for our sins, that curtain that divided the people from direct access to God was torn in two. When Jesus ascended into heaven, he sent His Holy Spirit to indwell his followers, so that now the temple of God lives inside of those who truly put their faith and hope in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord (master) of their lives. And, now the “holy place” is in our hearts. And, we, the people of God, are his temple.
So, if the “abomination that causes desolation” is standing (holding to a particular attitude, viewpoint or opinion) in the “holy place,” i.e. if it is taking a firm position in our hearts (the hearts of believers in Jesus), and “abomination” is directly related to idolatry, then this is speaking of God’s people, his church, living in idolatry against their holy God, with a refusal to repent, which is what brought destruction to God’s people all throughout Biblical history. The goal of the antichrist is to destroy the church. He will exalt himself over everything that is called God so that he sets himself up in God’s temple. So, if the temple is our hearts and collectively we are the church, then this is speaking of a person or entity of some kind that has taken a position in the church in authority over the authority of God. I can’t speak for other nations, but I do know that, in the USA, most institutional churches are under the authority of the government of the USA, and that authority supersedes God’s authority where God would tell his shepherd’s to speak on an issue that the government would forbid. So, in this sense, the US government has set itself up in the church in the USA in a position of authority that is over the authority of God and is followed over God’s authority.
“With flattery he will corrupt those who have violated the covenant…” The covenant is our covenant relationship with Jesus Christ. We violate that covenant through continued, unrepentant sin, in particular the sin of spiritual adultery and idolatry (being worshipful toward other things or people over or in place of true worship of God). The government of the USA asks us for this kind of worship when they ask us to put our hands over our hearts and pledge allegiance (commitment; faithfulness; fidelity) to the government of our nation, and we do this inside the confines of the institutional church. Yet, this is not confined merely to the government and to their authority, though it is highly possible that they have been behind much of the transition that has taken place within the church over the years.
The institutional church of the 21st Century in America has been taken over (most, if not all) by man’s philosophies, marketing schemes, programs, goals, visions, purpose statements, etc., which are all based off of Marketing 101 classes that we now call “church planting seminars” or “church growth seminars.” Churches are run just like businesses and they use the same techniques, to gain people, as do worldly businesses, which definitely use “flattery” to gain people’s attention and acceptance. The gospel has been watered down in many churches to where it has no resemblance at all to the true gospel of Jesus Christ. The word “sin” has been replaced with “I messed up,” which feels as though it has a lesser offense to it. It is being taught that repentance and obedience to Jesus Christ are not necessary for salvation and that God is pleased with you no matter what you do. These are all deceptions.
“His armed forces will rise up to desecrate the temple fortress and will abolish the daily sacrifice.” What if his armed forces are preachers and teachers in our modern-day churches? And, they are desecrating (insulting and defiling) the temple fortress (our salvation found in the true gospel of Jesus Christ) and are abolishing the daily sacrifice (our bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God, no longer conformed to the pattern of the world, but transformed by the renewing of our minds)? Remember that Jesus was speaking to his disciples and that the Bible teaches that even the elect could be deceived. Deception is not obvious. It is stealthy, and it comes at us slowly and subtly. That is why we need to watch, to be on our guard, and to be alert, because our enemy is a lion prowling around seeking whom he may devour (1 Peter 5:8). We need to be in God’s word daily!
Mark 13:35-37: “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!’”Don’t let him find you spiritually asleep because you have fallen into deception. Daniel 11:32b: “…but the people who know their God will firmly resist him.” Be alert! Keep watch! Be on your guard! Ask the Lord for much discernment so that you are not deceived. Allow him to bring healing to your lives and to bring you back from the dead. Repent of your sins today, and turn to walk with Jesus Christ in faith and obedience and your faith will heal you.
Our Awesome God / An Original Work / May 25, 2011
I praise and adore You, Father,
I worship and praise You, Lord.
You are such an awesome God,
Who loves us so much, You implore
Us to follow You each moment
Of the days we have on earth,
So that we might live forever
With You, ‘cause of our new birth.
I praise and adore You, Jesus.
You died on a cruel tree,
So that we might be forgiven
Of our sins; You set us free
To love and obey You only,
While we bow on bended knee,
As we humbly walk before You,
Serving freely; You to please.
I praise and adore You, Spirit,
You came in to live with me.
Jesus sent You to abide
Within us, and our comfort be.
You guide and direct and counsel
Us in all of our God’s ways,
So that we can live for Jesus,
To follow Him all our days.
Song Lyrics @ Public Domain
https://sites.google.com/site/psalmshymnssongs/home/songs/our-awesome-god
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