Tag Archives: tribulation

Marching into Mark, Passage, Meditation, Coloring, Music and Video

Marching into Mark Chapter 13

Marching into Mark Chapter Thirteen

(c)2023 M. Christine Wildman

Marching into Mark Registry,
the collection of these studies
(First 100 days of 2023, day 86, March 27 )

On Facebook, you can join us at Itty Bitty Bible Study Group.

Passage
Mark Chapter Thirteen

It doesn’t matter which version you choose. It can be digital or paper. You can use one of those fancy coloring bibles and do a page or coloring along with the passage.

I will mostly do Holman Christian Standard Bible because of their copyright freedoms.

The Images that I use are from Knowing Jesus and are available as downloads in every format that I can imagine for screen savers and wallpapers.

  • Mark 13 (Parallel Stories in Matthew 24)
    • Mk 13:1-2 The Temple
    •  As He was going out of the temple complex, one of His disciples said to Him, “Teacher, look! What massive stones! What impressive buildings!”
    • Mk 132 Jesus said to him, “Do you see these great buildings? Not one stone will be left here on another that will not be thrown down!”
    • Mk 13:3-13 The End Times
      • Mk 136 Many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am He,’ and they will deceive many.
      •  Mk 138 For nation will rise up against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places, and famines.[a] These are the beginning of birth pains.
      • 9 “But you, be on your guard! They will hand you over to sanhedrins,[b] and you will be flogged in the synagogues. You will stand before governors and kings because of Me, as a witness to them.
      •  11 So when they arrest you and hand you over, don’t worry beforehand what you will say. On the contrary, whatever is given to you in that hour—say it. For it isn’t you speaking, but the Holy Spirit.
      • 13 And you will be hated by everyone because of My name. But the one who endures to the end will be delivered.
    • Mk 13:14-22 Great Tribulation
    • Mk 13 14 “When you see the abomination that causes desolation[e] standing where it should not” (let the reader understand[f]), “then those in Judea must flee to the mountains! 15 A man on the housetop must not come down or go in to get anything out of his house. 16 And a man in the field must not go back to get his clothes. 17 Woe to pregnant women and nursing mothers in those days! 
    • Mk 1319 For those will be days of tribulation, the kind that hasn’t been from the beginning of the world,[h] which God created, until now and never will be again!
    • Mk 1320 Unless the Lord limited those days, no one would survive.[i] But He limited those days because of the elect, whom He chose.
    • Mk 1322 For false messiahs[j] and false prophets will rise up and will perform signs and wonders to lead astray, if possible, the elect.
    • Mk 13:24-27 AFTER THE TRIBULATION
    • Mk 1324 “But in those days, after that tribulation:
    • Mk 13:24 The sun will be darkened,
      and the moon will not shed its light;
    • Mk 13:25 the stars will be falling from the sky,
      and the celestial powers will be shaken.
    • But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven nor the Son, but only the Father. Mark 13:32
    • Mk 1326 Then they will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory.
    • Mk 13 27 He will send out the angels and gather His elect from the four winds, from the end of the earth to the end of the sky.
    • Mk 13:28-31 Parable of the Fig Tree
    • Mk 1329 In the same way, when you see these things happening, know[k] that He[l] is near—at the door!
    • Mk 1331 Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will never pass away.
    • Mk 13:32-37 No One Knows
    • Mk 1332 “Now concerning that day or hour no one knows—neither the angels in heaven nor the Son—except the Father. 
    • Mk 1333 Watch! Be alert![m] For you don’t know when the time is coming.
    • Mk 1335 Therefore be alert, since you don’t know when the master of the house is coming—whether in the evening or at midnight or at the crowing of the rooster or early in the morning. 36 Otherwise, he might come suddenly and find you sleeping. (Remember the 10 Virgin Parable)
    • Mk 1337 And what I say to you, I say to everyone: Be alert!”
    • WATCH AND BE ALERT!

More discussion about these stories in Mindfully Meditating in Matthew 24.

A good place to see the four gospels compared is from Synoptic Gospel Parallels.

Mindful Meditating

  1. choose a verse,
  2.  set a timer for 5 minutes, or whatever works for you.
  3.  example: Mark 13:33
  4. repeat to yourself, and at each word, enunciate the next word in the sentence starting with the first word…

example:

  • Mk 1333 Watch! Be alert![m] For you don’t know when the time is coming.
  • WATCH! Be alert! For you don’t know when the time is coming.
  • Watch! BE ALERT! For you don’t know when the time is coming.
  • Watch! Be alert! FOR you don’t know when the time is coming.
  • Watch! Be alert! For YOU don’t know when the time is coming.

and so on.  This will cause you to look at the verse more intently, and may have you memorize it before your five minutes are done.

Songs for Meditation

I wish we’d all been Ready – Larry Norman

This is the Kingdom – Elevation Worship

We Declare that the Kingdom of God is Here – Ron Kenoly

Coloring – I use coloring to help me focus on the fullness of a verse.

Mark Coloring page – Ministry to Children – simple enough to finish in an hour or less

Jesus Returns in the Clouds – Sermons4Kids

Quick Questions – if  you have time, or to think about over the course of the day, and jot down thoughts later.  Some thoughts to dig deeper.

  1. What does this discussion about the tribulation and collecting of the chosen tell us about the end?
    1. NeverThirsty gives a few views on the Rapture and Tribulation. They maintain a PreTribulation Rapture.
    2. GotQuestions discusses the aspects of MidTribulation Rapture
    3. GotQuestions goes over a general understanding of the four views of when the Rapture happens.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hi!
My hope in the midst of despair and my joy in the face of depression is because of my relationship with Jesus Christ. If you do not have one, or are not sure you will join him in heaven, please check out these links:

Thanks for joining me in this journey,
In His hands and under His wings,
~Christi
Ps 63:7 Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings.

Older woman with shades of coral in jewelry and sweater, glasses, silver and brown hair.

M. Christine Wildman

“The Lord does not give me rules, but He makes His standard very clear.
If my relationship to Him is that of love, I will do what He says without hesitation.
If I hesitate, it is because I love someone I have placed in competition with Him, namely, myself.” – from My Utmost for His highest

Copyrights and Legal-eze
There are many organizations that support children and families. Here are ones that we are blessed to be a part of. Please consider sponsoring a child – the life you change could be your own.

Bible open to Matthew

Mindfully Meditating on Matthew chapter 24 or MMM24

Mindfully Meditating on Matthew Chapter Twenty Four

(c) 2023 M. Christine Wildman

Mindfully Meditating on Matthew Catalogue , the collection of these studies
(First 100 days of 2023, day 55, Feb 24)

Passage Matthew Chapter Twenty-Four

It doesn’t matter which version you choose. It can be digital or paper. You can use one of those fancy coloring bibles and do a page or coloring along with the passage.

I will mostly do Holman Christian Standard Bible because of their copyright freedoms.

  • Matthew 24
    • Mt 24:1-2 Destruction of the Temple foretold
      • 2 Then He replied to them, “Don’t you see all these things? I assure you: Not one stone will be left here on another that will not be thrown down!”
    • When will these things happen and what will be the sign of Your coming and of the end of the age Matthew 24:3Mt 24:3- 35 When are these things going to happen?
      • 4 Then Jesus replied to them: “Watch out that no one deceives you. 5 For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and they will deceive many. 
        • wars and rumors of wars
        • nation rise against nation
        • famines
        • earthquakes
      • BIRTHPAINS
        • . 8 All these events are the beginning of birth pains.
      • PERSECUTIONS
        • 9 “Then they will hand you over for persecution,[b] and they will kill you. You will be hated by all nations because of My name.
        • false prophets
        • lawlessness
        • love of many grow cold (believers)
        • 1 Peter 4:14
          • If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you.
        • MMM5
      • 13 But the one who endures to the end will be delivered.
        • 14 This good news of the kingdom will be proclaimed in all the world[d] as a testimony to all nations. And then the end will come.
      • ABOMINATION THAT CAUSES DESOLATION
        • Flee to the mountains
      • GREAT TRIBULATION
        • 21 For at that time there will be great tribulation, the kind that hasn’t taken place from the beginning of the world until now and never will again! 
        • 22 Unless those days were limited, no one would[i] survive.[j] But those days will be limited because of the elect.
      • FALSE PROPHETS AND FALSE MESSIAHS
        • 24 False messiahs[k] and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders to lead astray, if possible, even the elect. 25 Take note: I have told you in advance. 
      • RETURN OF CHRIST
        • 27 For as the lightning comes from the east and flashes as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.
      • AFTER TRIBULATION
        • The sun will be darkened,
          and the moon will not shed its light;
          the stars will fall from the sky,
          and the celestial powers will be shaken.
        • 30 “Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the peoples of the earth[m] will mourn;[n] and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
        • 31 He will send out His angels with a loud trumpet, and they will gather His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other.
        • This passage alone supports the post tribulation rapture of the saints.
      • Heaven and earth will pass away but my word will never pass away. Matthew 24:35The Fig Tree lesson
        • 33 In the same way, when you see all these things, recognize[o] that He[p] is near—at the door!
        • 35 Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will never pass away.
    • Mt 24:36-44 No one knows the time
      • 36 “Now concerning that day and hour no one knows—neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son[q] —except the Father only.
      • I wish we’d all been ready tells this passage of scripture
      • 42 Therefore be alert, since you don’t know what day[s] your Lord is coming.
      • Be ready for the Son of Man is co ming at an hour when you do not think he will come. Matthew 24:44 This is why you also must be ready, because the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.
    • Mt 24:45-51 be the faithful Slave/Servant
      • Faithful
        • 46 That slave whose master finds him working when he comes will be rewarded. 47 I assure you: He will put him in charge of all his possessions. 
      • Evil
        •  50 that slave’s master will come on a day he does not expect and at an hour he does not know. 51 He will cut him to pieces[u] and assign him a place with the hypocrites. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
    • One place where I’ve written my thoughts on the end times is in IBBS Habakkuk , about the tribulation and signs of the End.
    • When I had Covid, I wrote about whether it was one of the final plagues of the End – Covid and Me

Mindful Meditating

  1. choose a verse,
  2.  set a timer for 5 minutes, or whatever works for you.
  3.  example: Matt 24:13
  4. repeat to yourself, and at each word, enunciate the next word in the sentence starting with the first word…

example:

  • 13 But the one who endures to the end will be delivered.
  • NIV but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved.
  • BUT the one who stands firm to the end will be saved.
  • But THE one who stands firm to the end will be saved.
  • But the ONE who stands firm to the end will be saved.
  • But the one WHO stands firm to the end will be saved.
  • But the one who STANDS firm to the end will be saved.
  • But the one who stands FIRM to the end will be saved.

…and so on.  This will cause you to look at the verse more intently, and may have you memorize it before your five minutes are done.

Coloring

Matthew the Book coloring page by Ministry to Children

no tribulation coloring pages, sorry

Song to Meditate upon

I wish we’d all been ready – Larry Norman

Quick Questions – if  you have time, or to think about over the course of the day, and jot down thoughts later.

  1. What do you think Jesus meant by the temple being torn down?
    1. Bible Ref gives some historical information about this being true.
  2. Have you heard of false Prophets of those calling themselves Messiah?
    1. your answer
  3. Have you done much reading on the Great Tribulation?
    1. In IBBS Habakkuk I talk about some theories.
  4. How do you feel about the second coming of Christ?
    1. In Covid and Me I talk about fear and faith

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hi!
My hope in the midst of despair and my joy in the face of depression is because of my relationship with Jesus Christ. If you do not have one, or are not sure you will join him in heaven, please check out these links:

Thanks for joining me in this journey,
In His hands and under His wings,
~Christi
Ps 63:7 Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings.

Older woman with shades of coral in jewelry and sweater, glasses, silver and brown hair.

M. Christine Wildman

“The Lord does not give me rules, but He makes His standard very clear.
If my relationship to Him is that of love, I will do what He says without hesitation.
If I hesitate, it is because I love someone I have placed in competition with Him, namely, myself.” – from My Utmost for His highest

Copyrights and Legal-eze
There are many organizations that support children and families. Here are ones that we are blessed to be a part of. Please consider sponsoring a child – the life you change could be your own.

Itty Bitty Bible Study – Habakkuk 2

My thoughts for the Itty Bitty Bible Study group on Facebook. (join if you’d like to get these in fb!)

IBBS Habakkuk Introduction
IBBS Habakkuk 1

Habakkuk 2

In IBBS Habakkuk 1, we discussed that sometimes bad things happen to discipline us. that is not always the case.

Sometimes, it’s to test us…(though we are told not to blame God for our temptations!

James 1:12-15 Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
12 A man who endures trials[a] is blessed, because when he passes the test he will receive the crown of life that God[b] has promised to those who love Him.

13 No one undergoing a trial should say, “I am being tempted by God.” For God is not tempted by evil,[c] and He Himself doesn’t tempt anyone. 14 But each person is tempted when he is drawn away and enticed by his own evil desires. 15 Then after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin, and when sin is fully grown, it gives birth to death.

There are those that fall because of their own lusts…and they need Psalm 38

The truth is, that there are those that are refined by the fire, and that refining has a higher purpose!

Habakkuk is not happy with the answers by God in the first chapter…

Habakkuk 1:13 Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
13 Your eyes are too pure to look on evil,
and You cannot tolerate wrongdoing.
So why do You tolerate those who are treacherous?
Why are You silent
while one[a] who is wicked swallows up
one[b] who is more righteous than himself?

He decides to:

Habakkuk 2 Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
Habakkuk Waits for God’s Response
2 I will stand at my guard post
and station myself on the lookout tower.
I will watch to see what He will say to me
and what I should[a] reply about my complaint.

Here’s a few of the clarifications that God gives in Chapter 2, for what His purposes are:

Habakkuk 2
8 Since you have plundered many nations,
all the peoples who remain will plunder you—
because of human bloodshed
and violence against lands, cities,
and all who live in them.

11 For the stones will cry out from the wall,
and the rafters will answer them
from the woodwork.

13-14 Is it not from the Lord of Hosts
that the peoples labor only to fuel the fire
and countries exhaust themselves for nothing?
14 For the earth will be filled
with the knowledge of the Lord’s glory,
as the waters cover the sea.

16 You will be filled with disgrace instead of glory.
You also—drink,
and expose your uncircumcision![i]
The cup in the Lord’s right hand
will come around to you,
and utter disgrace will cover your glory.

Bottom Line?

Habakkuk 2:20 But the Lord is in His holy temple;
let everyone on earth
be silent in His presence.

God sees us, even in the midst of darkness!
Here’s some examples:

Daniel and the Three Hebrew Children

Daniel 1 Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
6 Among them, from the descendants of Judah, were Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. 7 The chief official gave them other names: he gave the name Belteshazzar to Daniel, Shadrach to Hananiah, Meshach to Mishael, and Abednego to Azariah.

Daniel and the three Hebrew children and many others were taken away in Babylon and they were made eunuchs, which to be very graphic and specific means they were neutered. Everything that they understood from their religion was taken away from them and they had a reason to cry out like Habakkuk!

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego
Daniel 3

The three Hebrew children were thrown into the fiery furnace, because they would not bow down and choose fleshly comforts in exchange their lives.

Daniel 3 – their declaration of faith.
16 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego replied to the king, “Nebuchadnezzar, we don’t need to give you an answer to this question.
17 If the God we serve exists,[f] then He can rescue us from the furnace of blazing fire, and He can rescue us from the power of you, the king.
18 But even if He does not rescue us,[g] we want you as king to know that we will not serve your gods or worship the gold statue you set up.”

The rest of the story is that they were not delivered from the fiery furnace, but another walked with them who was like the son of God. later in the Bible we find out it was the pre incarnate Christ that walked with them and protected them from the fire while they were in the furnace. Those that were unrighteous and had been trying to destroy the righteous Hebrew children, thought they had one, and those that cranked up the fire were actually swallowed with the heat. The three Hebrew children were pulled out. When they were not consumed, Nebuchadnezzar declared praises to their God, and freedoms to serve their own God!

Dan 3
28 Nebuchadnezzar exclaimed, “Praise to the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego! He sent His angel[m] and rescued His servants who trusted in Him. They violated the king’s command and risked their lives rather than serve or worship any god except their own God. 29 Therefore I issue a decree that anyone of any people, nation, or language who says anything offensive against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego will be torn limb from limb and his house made a garbage dump. For there is no other god who is able to deliver like this.” 30 Then the king rewarded Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the province of Babylon.

Would that have happened if the Three men had not endured this fire?

Daniel in the Lions den.
Daniel 6
Daniel was recognized as being a very gifted leader, and he actually served under a couple of the leaders of his day. And then there were those people that set him up that he should not pray to any God other than Darius. Not only did he continue to pray, it says he opened his window, and knelt by his window to pray to God. Daniel didn’t go into hiding!

It horrified the king that he had been duped to put this law into effect and he worried about Daniel being thrown into the lions den. The rest of that story is the unrighteous thought they were winning the day as they threw Daniel in, but God sent the angel of the Lord to keep the Lions from eating Daniel. So the righteous was pulled out of the Lion’s Den and the unrighteous were thrown in afterwards.

The end of this chapter has Darius, not a Hebrew, God worshiper, giving God, Yahweh, YHWH, Jehovah, praise!
Daniel 6:25-28

Would that have happened if Daniel had not endured this trial?

Jesus and Judas

Judas was one of Jesus’s top 12. Judas was given the responsibilities of finances. He went out with the others and apparently was able to do the same Miracles that the others. If he didn’t, whoever he was sent out with would come back and say

“yeah well whenever we go with Judas he just can’t do anything! I have to do all the work!”

The thing about the story at the Last Supper was that no one had any idea that it was Judas that was going to turn in Jesus.
So we have the Last Supper and then some very ugly days of thinking everything has gone wrong and that the wicked have won!
We, as Christians, know that the rest of the story is that on that third day Jesus rose from the dead and some days after that He rose to sit beside his father and to intervene, and to pray on our behalf. They didn’t have this Bible from which to draw strength!

If Judas had not betrayed Christ, there wouldn’t have been the crucifixion and there would not have been the days where everyone questioned their loyalty to Christ.

There are others!

Moses on the back side of the desert – or he would not have experienced the burning bush!
Paul in prison – Purposes for his suffering were to spread the gospel!

I’ve shared this testimony before and some of my stories specifically in IBBS Jonah, but it fits here as well.

My life was rough, but there’s many who had lives worse than mine. I had a very, very difficult ability in pushing for things or believing things that I believed were God’s call for me because I had no one in my life that actually was hearing God’s call and following it. I didn’t know how to embrace God’s calling!

So when I was told to go to Ohio State University for art and music and English, because of varying scholarships for the different schools, I told God He didn’t know what he was talking about, I wasn’t good enough for college. I joined the Navy. I want to get this very clear. I joined the United States Navy in direct opposition to what I knew God wanted me to do. At the time, I was attending churches, I was attending youth groups, I was attending Bible study. My life had gotten very rough in my senior year of high school, and I could not see any way that I could go to college. So I decided (I DECIDED) that I should go in the Navy to get an education and to learn a trade and to serve my country. Also to be clear, I don’t think the serving my country was where I was wrong. Where I was wrong was knowing God’s direction for me, and having probably half a dozen Bibles and even more Bible studies available to me to tell me how to hear God’s voice, and I told God no. I TOLD GOD NO! that is the error, the mistake, the sin. In Jonah, I talk about what happened.

If you look at Moses and the burning bush and God telling him that he is being sent to deliver his people, Moses says “I can’t speak send somebody else!”

If we look at Jonah, which I did in itty bitty Bible study about Jonah, Jonah said “no I’m not going to Nineveh!”

In both of these guys’ lives, God used some very interesting techniques to get their attention. We all know Jonah was thrown over the side of the boat and was swallowed by a fish and was spit up on the shores of Nineveh.

What did God use for Moses? Well for one his brother Aaron showed up having walked all the way across the desert and he finds Moses whom the Pharaoh wanted Dead! There’s also the little thing where Moses is almost being killed on his way back and God speaks to Zipporah who circumcises her sons and throws the foreskins at Moses and says “a bloody husband out art.”

If there was any doubt of the seriousness of God’s call for Moses or Jonah, that would get their attention.
Me, well, I ended up paralyzed from the waist down after a fall the third day of boot camp. I still struggle with the physical ramifications of that choice! Kind of like Jacob walking with a limp because he wrestled with God.

There is a history book that we had when our children were being homeschooled that shared how history when looked at from above from the big picture, can be seen as the varying ways God uses the wicked to orchestrate his greater plan.

Providential History
disclaimer – I do not get any benefit for sharing an amazon link.

One such example is Nazi Germany and the extermination of Jews.
If there had not been such a horrid Event that was documented by photographs and newsreels, the global mentality would not have been such that they would have the outcry to create the nation of Israel. The nation of Israel being reestablished is a crucial point in the Fulfillment of the end time prophecies. The whole aspect of what was done to the Jews was horrific. I don’t know what the spiritual status was of the Jews in the way that we know by God’s word back in the time of Saul and David and Solomon and Josiah and Hezekiah. But I do know that this one event caused sympathy for this one nationality and everyone agreed to the creation of the nation of Israel.

Why does God allow evil? Rabi Ravi Zacharias explains this so well in his answer to Gun violence.

Another of his messages is How could an all-powerful, all-loving God allow evil to exist?

For me, there are two key verses…

Habakkuk 2:4 Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
4 Look, his ego is inflated;[a]
he is without integrity.
But the righteous one will live by his faith.[b]

and

Habakkuk 2:20 Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
20 But the Lord is in His holy temple;
let everyone on earth
be silent in His presence.
But the Lord is in His holy temple;
let everyone on earth
be silent in His presence.

In honor of the three Hebrew children, I’m going to put Even If by Mercy Me here again.

And this is a reminder for us!

The history of this hymn story is huge.

Hi!
My hope in the midst of despair and my joy in the face of depression is because of my relationship with Jesus Christ. If you do not have one, or are not sure you will join him in heaven, please check out these links.

Thanks for joining me in this journey,
In His hands and under His wings,
~Christi
Ps 63:7 Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings.

“The Lord does not give me rules, but He makes His standard very clear.
If my relationship to Him is that of love, I will do what He says without hesitation.
If I hesitate, it is because I love someone I have placed in competition with Him, namely, myself.” – from My Utmost for His highest

Copyrights and Legal-eze
There are many organizations that support children and families. Here are ones that we are blessed to be a part of. Please consider sponsoring a child – the life you change could be your own.