Pastor Barry's  "Chapter & Verse"  Day 195

July 14;    Mark 13:36;    41/260(III);    ‘Don’t Sleep’

Mark 13:36 lest, coming suddenly, he find you sleeping.

The Lord Jesus is answering His disciples’ questions concerning end times.  Jesus is talking about the second coming of the Lord, not the rapture of the church.  The second coming of Jesus is at the end of the seven year period of time we call the tribulation.  At the rapture the Lord appears in the clouds and every Christian alive is taken to heaven with Him.  Only Christians will see Jesus.  On our way to heaven, our bodies are changed to glorified bodies adapted for heaven.  The bodies of Christians who have passed away will rise, be changed into glorified bodies and be united with the spirits of those Christians already in heaven.  At the second coming everyone will see Jesus, the anti-Christ and his army will be destroyed and all unbelievers will be removed from the earth.  Only those, who accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior during the tribulation will remain.  This verse, teaching that we must not be sleeping when the Lord returns has two meanings.  The tribulation will be extremely challenging for believers.  Those who accept Jesus during the tribulation must be diligent to protect themselves, their loved ones and others.  No believer should be ‘sleeping’ during this incredible time, but keenly aware of circumstances and dangers.  Additionally, I believe this verse means that all believers, always, must not be ‘sleeping’, but awake, fulfilling the Lord’s will for their lives.  How desperately the lost need Jesus.  Stay awake and minister to them.