NOTES for Mar 13:5-7

Buildings are collapsing again; once more, as in every age, wars break out and rumours of wars spread. Well, even now this is not the end, but still only the beginning of birth pangs. Yet, as in past centuries, we who know neither the day nor the hour are advised to beware of spiritual counterfeits coming from those who put on a pious mask. After all, those who bring death in our own day are also convinced that they serve God... Perhaps it is no coincidence that Christ's warning about impostors who will come in His name stands alongside His words about the need not to confuse the Second Coming with the cataclysms of earthly history. For even today we constantly encounter false teachers who claim a special spirituality, and many of them preach that the end of the world is near.
In any event, we must watch ourselves and be ready to answer for the character of our faith and deeds.