And they all Fell Down – Mark 13:1,2

As (Jesus) was going out of the temple, one of his disciples said to him, ‘Teacher, look! What massive stones! What impressive buildings!’ Jesus said to him, ‘Do you see these great buildings? Not one stone will be left upon another – all will be thrown down.’ ~Mark 13:1,2

I wonder what the disciple’s reaction was. It wasn’t like it was the first time that disciple had seen the temple, but I get this sense he was pointing out to Jesus how impressive humankind’s abilities were. We do the same thing. ‘Look, Jesus! See what we can do! We can build temples and skyscrapers! We can create digital worlds and explore others in space! We can make beautiful music and jaw-dropping art! Look at us!’

The temple was impressive, no doubt. It took decades to build, and its impressiveness awed those who went to worship there. Our modern buildings are even more architecturally astounding. Our ability to manipulate the digital world is incredible, and the art that is produced is wonderful.

Yet…

In the end, all these things will come down. No stone, no blueprint, no musical note or painted figure will be left standing at the power of the Lord’s return. For the people of Israel, they would see the Temple of Jerusalem left in ruins by the Romans. The shock and embarrassment of the destruction of such a mighty building would have left them in bewilderment. For us, when the internet fails or the digital world crumbles underneath of us, we might feel the same way.

Jesus knows that for us to experience him fully, all our preconceived notions about how God can work will be thrown down. God will show us how he does work: through Jesus, the Rock of our Salvation, and the Holy Spirit, the power of our future.

God’s might is greater than we could ever imagine. It will be an awesome day when God’s final Word is spoken on that last day.

What do you think it will look like?

Pastor Reid Matthias