Mark 13:14 But when ye shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing where it ought not, (let him that readeth understand,) then let them that be in Judaea flee to the mountains:
Mark 13:15 And let him that is on the housetop not go down into the house, neither enter therein, to take any thing out of his house:
Mark 13:16 And let him that is in the field not turn back again for to take up his garment.
There will come a day when nothing else will matter, but escaping the wrath of the antichrist. Jesus repeated the vision of the prophet Daniel who described the final wickedness. Jesus warned them not to return “into the house” and not to turn back for a garment, meaning that no material possession or comfort will have any use.
The Lord’s prophecy was exampled in the house of Mary and Martha. While Mary sat at the feet of Jesus, Martha was busy doing necessary chores, but not the one thing of consequence. Jesus said, “Mary has chosen the one needful thing which will not be taken from her.” The scene displays the vast, but often cloaked difference between what is necessary and what is needful. They look similar, but they are far removed in substance. Necessary things are the cares of the this life, but the one needful thing is our time with Jesus.
If your first instinct is to protect possessions or comfort, or to do the necessary things, you must reevaluate the One Needful thing. The scripture calls the final moment of time as “that great and terrible day of the Lord.” Jesus addressed the matter when He spoke of people who work for the temporal things. The “Barn Builder” is anyone who lays treasures up on this earth. Luke 12:20 But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided?
I write with a sober spirit as I see the day approaching. Put away from you all trivial conversations, complaints, petty pursuits and minimal ambitions. Seek the Kingdom of God. Ask what you can do for the Lord and then reach for the lost. Give yourself completely toward worship and make your investment in the church. Finally, make a personal declaration that there is no turning back now! Jesus is coming and we must be about the Father’s business.
Pastor Jeffrey Harpole