[Jesus said to the disciples], “In those days . . . the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken” (Mark 13:24-25).

Jesus is using dramatic imagery here to speak about “the day of the Lord,” or the coming judgment. We habitually skip over passages like this, partly because they seem so strange, and partly because we don’t want to think about the judgment.

But Jesus didn’t flinch from doing so. He didn’t dwell on it, but neither was he in denial about it.

If you were to be more aware that someday God will “judge the living and the dead” (Nicene Creed), what difference would it make in your life?

–Mark Galli
This is part of Mark Galli’s guided journal, “Discovering the Untamable God,” a 12-week journey through the Gospel of Mark. Twice a week, you’ll receive a new journaling prompt encouraging you encounter the wild, untamable Jesus of the Gospel of Mark and let his radical sayings and actions transform your life. Use these prompts in your own journal or in group discussion. If you’re joining this journal mid-way through, you can start journaling at any time, and stay subscribed at the end, when the journal will restart and you can receive the prompts that you missed.