Hey y'all, you're listening to the Join the podcast with your host, Emma Daughter.

To learn more about today's reading or to read along with us, check out jointhejourney.com.

Thanks for joining. How should we think about the end times? When is Jesus coming back?

If you live in Texas, around July 1st, you're already ready for fall because it's about

a thousand degrees. And at the end of August, when school's about to start, all the ads show

kids wearing jeans and hoodies, typical fall clothes. But in Texas, it's still 100 degrees. Same thing

in September. And honestly, same thing in October. Every once in a while, we'll get a glimpse of cool weather and ask, is this a sign that fall is finally here? But most of the time, it's not.

Nonetheless, every time the smallest of cold fronts blow through Texas, we're always asking, is fall here? Should I get out my sweaters or will I be sweating

at the end of the day? Is now really the time? And if not, when is? And that exact question is what

Jesus' disciples were asking in Mark chapter 13, verse 4. They say, tell us when these things happen.

What will be the sign that they're about to be

fulfilled? Is there a slight breeze or the morning school or the leaves changing? What will be the sign?

But the disciples, they weren't asking about the weather. They were asking about the end times.

And the weather, it's a cheesy example, but I think it's the closest I can get

to understanding what they must have felt when asking those questions. And Jesus's response,

it seems kind of scary. It's like asking about the weather and being told there will be a

hurricane or an earthquake. In fact, the disciples didn't ask about the weather. They asked about when the temple

would be destroyed, and Jesus said there would be earthquakes and famines and wars. Christians will be

hated, and that those things, they're just the beginning. So what are we to make of this chapter?

Today, Jody wrote a great devotional on these questions and gave us some really encouraging

things to think about.

Let me read some of it for us.

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