End-Time Insights

SYNOPSIS  -  Jesus taught several parables about the kingdom of God, its unexpected ways of expansion, and its status in the world  -  Mark 4:21-34 .  The  gospel of Mark  provides only a few examples of the many parables taught by Jesus, his primary method of teaching - (“ Apart from a parable he did not speak to the crowds ”). While his parables covered several topics, his overarching theme was the “ Kingdom of God ,” the reign of God that commenced in his ministry.

Just as the unprepared were destroyed by the Flood, so unrepentant men and apostates will be overtaken by destruction when Jesus returns .  Jesus compared the final years before his return to the period leading up to the Great Flood. “ As it was in the days of Noah, so shall it be .” Some take this as a prediction of a return to the same conditions that existed in Noah’s time, the repetition of the moral anarchy and violence that prompted God to send floodwaters. The final days will be marked by chaos and catastrophes - [ Flood - Photo by Chris Gallagher on Unsplash ].

Both Revelation and Daniel proclaim the absolute sovereignty of God over the course of history and the fate of nations .  In  Revelation ,  the “ beast ” is “ GIVEN ” the authority to operate for a period of “ forty- two months ,” power over the nations, and the right to “ wage war against the saints and overcome them .” Satan’s creature cannot wreak havoc upon the earth or against the church until authorized to do so, and only for the time allotted - [ Photo by  Giammarco  on Unsplash ].

Phrases from Daniel’s vision of four “beasts ascending from the sea” are applied to Jesus and his saints in the New Testament .  Phrases and imagery from Daniel’s vision of “ four beasts rising ” from the chaotic sea occur in key passages in the New Testament, often in contexts concerning the future return of Jesus at the end of the age, the kingdom of God, and the royal authority he received from his Father. For example, Jesus foretold how “ all the tribes of the earth ” will see the “ Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven .” - [ Photo by  Joshua Earle  on Unsplash ].