Signs of Christ’s Coming

Introduction

Samantha and her research team were on a remote island studying fossilized dinosaur tracks near a beach when they began feeling the ground beneath them shake. Through the day as the tremors began to feel more like earthquakes, they started noticing wave after wave of small island animals taking to the water. Birds and butterflies began deserting the place. Frogs and other critters left in droves. Forest animals became agitated and noisy. When Samantha heard a strange roaring noise after one of the tremors, she turned around and saw smoke billowing out of the mountain on the other side of the island. At that point, she realized that all the pieces fit together – the tremors, the animals leaving or acting fearful, the noises – they were signs of an imminent volcano. She decided the research would have to wait. The team gathered their equipment and headed for the boat. They weren't a moment too soon. They were only yards from the island when angry orange flames started shooting from the mountain. Before they were too far to see the beach they’d been working on, the volcano had erupted sending lava flows and steam across the island. In Mark 13:1-27, Jesus tells us about things that are going to happen before His second coming. Study the passage to learn what these signs are and what your action plan should be.

Observation

Pray

Before studying His Word, ask the Lord to help you understand and believe it so that you can live it.

Read Focus Verses

Read Mark 13:1-27 and try to find the main idea these verses talk about.

Main Idea

What would you say is the main idea in these verses?

Setting 2

Where does the first part of the conversation take place according to verse 1?

Characters 1

Who are the characters in verse 1?

First Comment and Response

What did the disciples say to Jesus and how did He respond in verses 1-2?

Setting 2

Who are the characters in verse 3?

Question

What question did Peter, James, John, and Andrew ask in verse 4?

A Warning

What warning does Jesus give in verses 5-6 and 21-23?

World Events

What kind of world events will be signs of Christ's imminent return according to verses 7-8?

Treatment of God's People

How will God's people be treated in the time leading up to Christ's return according to verses 9-13?

Troubled Days

What sign does Jesus mention in verse 14 that will cause the troubled days and reaction He describes in verses 14-20?

Final Signs

What are some of the final signs that Christ's second coming is about to happen according to verses 24-25?

The Second Coming

How does Jesus describe the Second Coming in verses 26-27?

The Son of Man

How does Jesus describe how He will come in verse 26?

Keyword - Coming

Marking the word coming in verse 26 will help it stand out as a key to understand the theme of these verses.

Coming

Mark the word coming in Mark 13:26.

Keyword - Jesus Christ

By marking the reference to Jesus you'll continue to see just how much He's at the center of everything in the Gospel of Mark.

Jesus Christ

Mark each time Jesus is named or referenced (He, Him, His) in Mark 13:1-27.

Interpretation

The Temple

This video will give you some idea of how huge the temple that Jesus and His disciples were talking about was.

Fulfilled

It is said that when Jerusalem was destroyed, the soldiers set the Temple on fire which caused the immense quantities of gold to melt and run between the stones. Because of this, they literally pried apart all of the stones to retrieve the gold. The result was that not a single stone was left connected to another just as Jesus said in today's passage.

Christ

When Jesus says that others will come claiming to be Christ, it doesn't mean they will be claiming to be Him. Christ is a title that means Messiah or Promised One. It is the title used for the Savior God promised all through the Old Testament. Since Jesus is that One, He is the Christ. But others deny that Jesus is the Christ and claim that they or someone else is. You can learn more about the title Christ from the definition in Easton's Bible Dictionary.

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Response

How does Jesus tell us to respond when people claim that another Christ or Savior has come?

Many of them

Note what 1 John 2:18-19 says about these fake christs.

Hold the Truth

A few verses later, 1 John 2:24-26 tells us how to stay true to Jesus Christ and not fall prey to the deceptions of antichrists.

How to Stay True

How should a Christian stay true to Jesus Christ and avoid being deceived by false christs?

How to Know

In Matthew 7:13-23, during the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus gives us a very important warning about false religious leaders.

Wolves Who Look Like Sheep

Do false prophets always seem evil, or will some of them look like good Christians at least for awhile? (Hint: Matthew 7:15, 21-23 has the answer.)

By Their Actions

If some of them look good on the outside and some will even do false miracles according to today's passage, how are you supposed to tell if they are real or fake according to Matthew 7:16-20?

Lusts

1 John 2:15-17 gives us a good checklist of things that should not characterize God's people.

Characteristics

What three things does 1 John 2:15-17 highlight as being opposed to God?

In Practice

What kinds of things that people do would tell us that they are not true followers of Christ based on 1 John 2:15-17?

The Antichrist

Revelation 19:20 tells us what will happen to the final antichrist of the Tribulation.

Just Judgment

What will happen to the antichrist?

Many Saved

In verse 20 of today's passage, we see that many will be saved even during the time of God's intense judgment in the Tribulation. Revelation 7:9-17 gives us a glimpse of how many just a part of these people will be.

About God

What does it teach us about God that even in a time of His judgment He is still saving people?

Family Strife and Betrayal

In today's passage Jesus tells us that family members will turn on Christians more and more as the time for His coming gets closer. Look back at what Jesus promised to Christians in this situation in Mark 10:29-30.

Promise

What promise does Jesus make to people whose family members turn on them for their faith?

Darkness

Look how similar the prophesy in Isaiah 13:10-11 is to what Jesus says will happen just before His second coming.

For Real

In Revelation 6:12-14 we read about when that will be fulfilled.

Escaping these Things

Some of the things Jesus describes will happen more and more as the end times progress, but most of what Jesus is talking about will happen during the seven year tribulation right before His second coming. 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 describes what will happen before that time of judgment.

Not Appointed to Wrath

The beginning of the next chapter, 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11, also talks about the rapture and how it relates to God's judgment of the unbelieving world. Read what 1 Thessalonians 5:8-11 says about how Christians should respond.

Personal Response

According to 1 Thessalonians 5:8, how should Christians live since they know that Jesus could come at any moment?

Community Response

According to 1 Thessalonians 5:11, how should Christians relate to and help each other since they know that Jesus could come at any moment?

Christ's Second Coming

The coming of Christ spoken of directly in today's passage is frequently called His second coming. (His first coming was when He was born as a baby, grew up, was crucified and resurrected, and then ascended to heaven.) Read the glorious description of it in Revelation 19:11-16.

Jesus

What will Jesus look like when He appears at the Second Coming?

With Him

Who will be with Jesus when He comes to Earth the second time?

Rapture vs. Second Coming

The rapture and the Second Coming are similar in many ways. This list points out some of the differences between the two.

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More Questions?

Extra: If you have more questions about today's passage and how it relates to Christians today, this article is helpful in explaining how it all fits together.

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Once More

Read Mark 13:1-27 once more in light of what you've seen from the rest of the Bible.

About Jesus

What do we learn about the Lord Jesus and His power and glory in this passage?

How to Live

How should the truths in these verses change a person's life?

Application

Escaping the Coming Wrath

Some of the things described in this passage are pretty terrible. But you saw that Christians will escape the worst of it. Have you turned from your sin, believed that Jesus Christ died and rose again for you, and asked Him to save you? If not, won't you do that today so that you, too, can escape the wrath to come?

Living Like It

If you have turned from sin to Christ, are you living like it or would someone have to wonder whether you're like the false religious leaders who talk big but whose lives don't line up? Is there something in your life you should change to fix that?

Witnessing

How should the truths in these verses change the way you think about sharing the gospel with other people?

Wrapup

Closing

We hope this study plan has helped you understand the signs of Christ's return and has challenged you to live in light of it.

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