LANGUAGE:
(Mark 13:24-32)
I invite you to open your Bibles to Mark chap 13, vs24-32. Folks, I want you to know that I have it on good authority that Jesus is coming back. V24, But in those days after that tribulation . . . v26 they will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory.
Follow me for a moment . . . we are told by Jude, a bond-servant of Jesus Christ and brother of James (v1) that a fellow by the name of Enoch, 7th generation from Adam prophesized these words 14 “Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of His holy ones, 15to execute judgment on all and to convict all the ungodly of all their deeds of ungodliness that they have committed in such an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things that ungodly sinners have spoken against him.” (Jude 14–15 (ESV))
For those of you who are into history, Enoch lived 622 yrs after God created Adam. That would be before the days of Noah. I don’t know how far back that is from today. It could be 10 thousand years; it could be 15 thousand years. The point is, since the days of Enoch it has been prophesied that there is coming a day when Jesus will return to execute judgment on all and to convict all the ungodly of all their deeds of ungodliness that they have committed . . .
In Mark 13:24-26 Jesus tells us that when He returns 24“ the sun will be darkened, the moon will cease to shine, 25the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 26Then they will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. Matthew 24:30, then all the tribes of the earth will mourn . . . To mourn is to be in great despair. To mourn has the idea of physically beating one’s self . . . of wounding one’s self . . . because of a great agonizing reality. When people see the Lord coming in all His wondrous glory, people will be in such remorse that they will inflect pain on themselves.[i] The Bible says that out of His mouth ‘will go’ a sharp sword, that with it He will strike the nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. (Revelation 19:15).
Folks, the end is certain, and when it happens there will be great cosmic turmoil, making His return obvious to all. There will be no secret appearances, meaning people will not need to search here and there.[ii] For those of you who want to know when time as we know it comes to an end, we’ve got the direct word from the King Himself.
Let’s pray: -- Heavenly Father, we live in tumultuous times. The nations are in an uproar. Help us to understand what Jesus said, and to believe it, and to obey it. In the name of King Jesus, Amen.
Follow as we read the word that God has for us today and this week.
24“But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, 25and the stars will be falling from heaven, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken. 26And then they will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. 27And then he will send out the angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven. 28“From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts out its leaves, you know that summer is near. 29So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that he is near, at the very gates. 30Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. 31Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away. 32“But concerning that day or that hour, no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.
Jesus words take us back to vs3-4(ESV) where Jesus told the disciples that the Temple would be destroyed. So the disciples ask Jesus, 4“Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign when all these things are about to be accomplished?” In Matthew’s gospel their question is more specific, Tell us . . . what will be the sign . . . of the end of the age. For the disciples the destruction of the temple pointed to one thing, the end of time as they knew it.
And so they asked the question: when are You going to establish Your kingdom? When will judgment come, and when does this age end?” Our Lord answers their question by telling them that there is going to be an intervening period of time before He sets up His kingdom. In vs5-13 Jesus describes the intervening period of time in terms of wars, ethnic tensions, earthquakes, famines, persecution, mistrust, false Christ’s and prophets . . .
That brings us to Vs24-25. You’ll know the end because there will be a great cosmic uproar 24“in those days, after that tribulation, THE SUN WILL BE DARKENED AND THE MOON WILL NOT GIVE ITS LIGHT, 25AND THE STARS WILL BE FALLING from heaven, and the powers that are in the heavens will be shaken. When Jesus comes there will be total chaos in the cosmos. There will be terror and confusion as never known when the Lord of Host steps into the world. The universe will be submersed in deep darkness—the lights will be turned off, setting the backdrop to the Lord’s return—total darkness, brilliant light of His glory.
V26, It is then (all men/women everywhere) will see THE SON OF MAN COMING IN CLOUDS with great power and glory.
Notice the first word of v26, Then! When the universe is wrapped in darkness, the glory of Christ will shine brighter than the noon day sun. Jesus’ return will have an enormous impact on all of creation. The description takes us back to the warnings of the coming of the Day of the Lord in the Old Testament.
V24 comes right out of Isiah 13; v25 comes right out of Isaiah 34; v26 comes right of Daniel 7.
What this means is, the power that holds the heavenly bodies in place will be altered, the universe will tremble--the earth will wibble wobble.
V27, “then He will send forth the angels, and will gather together His elect from the four winds, from the farthest end of the earth to the farthest end of heaven. Notice the sequence. V26, Then they will see . . . v27, then He will send forth His angels.
Matthew records Jesus as saying He will send forth His angels with A GREAT TRUMPET and THEY WILL GATHER TOGETHER His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other. (Matthew 24:31 (NASB95)). With a great sound of a trumpet the angels will scatter, gathering up the elect. In Luke Jesus said, when these things begin to take place, straighten up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.” (Luke 21:28 (NASB95)) Upon His return to earth, Jesus will send His holy angels out to gather together His elect from all across the world. Nobody will be overlooked or lost in the chaos. The manifestation of the angels and the gathering of the people will gloriously mark the end.[iii]
Keith Getty and Stuart Townsend capture this moment in their song Jesus Is Lord. There will be shouts of joy, or a cries of anguish at Christ’s return as every knee bows.[iv] When the Son of Man descends in the clouds, and we will see Him, and give a winning shout, “Hosanna, Blessed is He who comes in the Name of the Lord”!” (John 12:13), or we will weep in dismay and terror, with no prospect of hope.
That brings us to v28,(ESV) 28“Now learn the parable from the fig tree: when its branch has already become tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near. 29“Even so, you too, when you see these things happening, recognize that He is near the door.
The disciples, like anyone living in Palestine, and like anyone one today, knew how to forecast the coming of summer after winter. When you see the fig tree branches beginning to sprout leaves, know this—my time is near, I’m near the door. In the same way that they could interpret the season by the leaves on trees, so the disciples could know the significance of the events. When they saw these things (referring to the events described in 13:5–23), they would know that the destruction of Jerusalem would soon follow. [v]
What Jesus has just covered--wars, ethnic tensions, earthquakes, famines, persecution, mistrust, false Christ’s and prophets . . . He is saying that they are signs leading to the second coming, but they are not the sign of the second coming. As David Garland points out for us, The earth is overrun by enough troubles to make believable excited claims that the Messiah is about to come. Putting all our focus on the signs only agitates Christians, sidetracking us from the important business at hand—heralding the Gospel of the Kingdom, The Gospel of the Kingdom is a call to repentance and to believe on the good news of Jesus paying the penalty for sin.[vi]
Vs31-32, 31“Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away. 32“But of that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone.
So many people today are worried about the present and the future. According to American Psychological Association the majority of Americans are riding at an unprecedented level of stress.[vii] There is a sense that we are living on borrowed time. I am told that the worst kind of fear is the uncertainty of the unknown—not knowing what’s going to happen. As Jesus Followers we have a sure word. 2 Peter 1:19 (NASB95) So we have the prophetic word made more sure, to which you do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star arises in your hearts.
What God has determined and prophesied, He’s going to carry thru. Whatever God has said He’s going to do. Jesus said in John 14:29, I have told you before it come to pass, that, when it is come to pass, ye might believe. Heaven and earth shall pass away, but My words shall not pass away”. Knowing Jesus Christ and His Word . . . that’s what’s going to carry us through. The vision of what’s coming gives us the faith to believe God and the courage to launch out and march victoriously through the pressures, fears and the stresses of life.
Let’s pause at this point.
In the three gospels, Matthew 24, Luke 21, and Mark 13, Jesus gives some of the most graphic descriptions of events to come. After giving a long list coming signs of the end, He tells us, “When you see these signs, look up, for your redemption draws near.” (Luke 21:28)
Follow as I close our study this morning with a couple of applications meant to shape our lives.
If we want to strengthen our purity of life, we must long, actively long for Christ’s return. That’s what John tells us here in chap 3:1See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him. 2Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. 3And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.
Don’t miss vs2-3. I find Tony Reinke’s summary so very helpful. John’s point is that our entire future is bound up in Christ. When we see our future in Him, Christ becomes for us the model of our holiness, the goal of our holiness, the end of our holiness, and the motivation for our holiness. “We can’t put our hope in all that God promises to be for us in Christ and live like everyone else who depends on money, security, and prestige for contentment.” We cannot, because our future is bound up with Christ. One day we shall see him face to face to be fully glorified. This future hope does not make us lazy; this future hope propels us to purity.[viii]. To long for Christ’s return propels us to purity.
Jesus said in V29, when you see these things happening, recognize that He is near the door.
Matthew 24:37–39 “For as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of Man be. For as in the days that were before the Flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage”—that is, business as usual “until the day that Noah entered into the ark, and they knew not until the Flood came and swept them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of Man be”
Who didn’t know? The unbelievers who mocked and ridiculed Noah. But who knew what was coming? Noah! He knew what was going to happen; he was expecting it. So Jesus tells us in Matthew 13:11, “For unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God. Learn to read the signs, study the fig tree.
Some years ago I came across an illustration from Francis Schaeffer which I have found very helpful. It was the lesson of the Apple. And don’t overlook the Apple rhyme—an apple a day keeps the doctor away. Initially it went like this: “Eat an apple on going to bed, And you’ll keep the doctor from earning his bread.”[ix]
Anyway, back to the Apple Lesson. The Apple I hold in my hand represents the world we live in. Basically it is the sum total of how we perceive, think, know, and do. It symbolizes the framework through which we make sense out of life and the world.”[x] The problem is, the majority of us live only in half of the Apple.
Let me illustrate what I mean. To help us, there is a fascinating story in 2 Kings 6 about Elisha, his servant, and the city of Dothan. As the story unfolds, the King of Aram was warring against Israel, but the war wasn’t going so well. The problem was, the King of Israel was receiving warnings about Aram’s entrapments. As the story unfolds, Aram became very angry, thinking there was a spy in his camp. So he questions his officers, V12 (GW) 12One of them told him, “No one, Your Majesty. But Elisha, the prophet in Israel, tells the king of Israel everything you say—even what you say in your bedroom.”
Right then and there King Aram decides to kidnap Elisha. He zips over to the city of Dothan. We pick up the story in V14 So the king sent horses and chariots and a large fighting unit there. They came at night and surrounded the city. 15When the servant of the man of God got up in the morning and went outside, he saw troops, horses, and chariots surrounding the city, and runs to Elisha in desperation, “Master, what should we do?” 16Elisha answered, “Don’t be afraid. We have more forces on our side than they have on theirs.” 17Then Elisha prayed, “Lord, please open his eyes so that he may see.” The Lord opened the servant’s eyes and let him see. The mountain around Elisha was full of fiery horses and chariots.
You see, Elisha’s servant saw only half the apple. He only saw a partial reality. There was another reality that he was totally unaware of.
Now let’s turn over to Daniel 10. Daniel is in prayer. Gabriel comes to him. We pick up the story in v13(GW) 13The commander of the Persian kingdom opposed me for 21 days. But then Michael, one of the chief commanders, came to help me because I was left alone with the kings of Persia. V20, 20. . . Now I will return to fight the commander of Persia. When I go, the commander of Greece will come.
Here’s what I want us to understand . . . there is more to the war between Putin and Zalinsky, between Russia and Ukraine than appears to our naked eyes. Before there was a Russia/Ukraine war, there was a war unfolding in the heavenlies. That war spelled over onto earth. I believe that every major struggle here on earth has its roots in the heavenlies. I think that is in part what Paul had in mind when he wrote these words in Ephesians 6:12-13: 12We are not in a wrestling match against human opponents. We are wrestling with rulers, authorities, and the powers who govern this world of darkness, and spiritual forces that control evil in the heavenly world. 13For this reason, take up all the full armor of God. Then you will be able to take a stand during these evil days.
1 Thessalonians 5:4-8, 4Brothers and sisters, we do not live in the dark. That day will not take us by surprise as a thief would. ` 5We belong to the day and the light, not to the night and the dark. “6Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober.” We are not supposed to be sleepy and asleep when things happen. We are children of the day, children of light so we’re supposed to be wide awake and have the light on these things”. We’re supposed to know what’s happening and when it’s going to happen. And living life in the fullness of the apple will help us stay the course.
Thank God we have the preparation that prepares us for anything that’s going to happen. No matter what happens, even sudden death is sudden glory! No matter what anyone does to you, even if they kill you, Jesus said they have no more that they can do” (Luke 12:4–5).
Are you prepared?
Have you personally received Jesus into your heart? 9If you declare that Jesus is Lord, and believe that God brought him back to life, you will be saved. 10By believing you receive God’s approval, and by declaring your faith you are saved. 11Scripture says, “Whoever believes in him will not be ashamed.” (Romans 10:9–11 (GW) )
Let’s pray . . . Heavenly Father, Sovereign Lord, Holy Spirit, help us to hear your voice. Help us to learn the truth of this passage, and to believe your Word. Help us to grasp that life is rooted in Christ. For it was He who said, “I am come that [we] might have life.” Help us to grasp that when you said, “Come to me, all you who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest,” that you promise that to all who come. Help us to grasp that when you said that you would go and prepare a place and come back for us, that you meant exactly what you said, and you will. Heavenly Father, Sovereign Lord, Holy Spirit help us now to believe you. Help us to know that if we end up separated from you from all of eternity, it is because we’ve had to step over your offer of mercy, do an end run around your cross, turn our backs on a love that drew the plan of salvation. Remind us of how frail we are, how brief life is. “Teach us to number our days that we may [gain] a heart of wisdom.” For we pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.
[i] Gustav Stählin,
“Κοπετός, Κόπτω, Ἀποκόπτω, Ἐγκοπή, Ἐγκόπτω, Ἐκκόπτω,”The body c ed. Gerhard Kittel, Geoffrey W. Bromiley, and Gerhard Friedrich, Theological Dictionary of the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1964–), 831. It is common to Gk. and many other languages of East and West that verbs with the basic sense of “to beat” take on the secondary sense “to mourn.” The Heb. ספד, the Lat. plangor, the Gothic flōkan all have senses par. to those of the mid. of κόπτω. κόπτομαι, orig. “to beat oneself,” has in the NT4 only the one sense of “to mourn,” “to lament,” and the noun κοπετός has everywhere the derived sense of “mourning,” “lamentation for the dead.” These linguistic relationships are enough to show that some kind of beating is one part of mourning, if not the part. In fact, when death entered a house, one would see “women sorrowfully beating on their breasts, wan and with their hair unloosed,” not merely on the border between East and West as in Schiller’s Siegesfest, but on both sides of the border, and on the eastern side almost everywhere right up to our own times.
[ii] David E. Garland, Mark, The NIV Application Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1996), 500.
[iii] Bruce B. Barton, Mark, Life Application Bible Commentary (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 1994), 388.
[iv] Keith Getty and Stuart Townend, “Jesus Is Lord” (2003).
[v] Bruce B. Barton, Mark, Life Application Bible Commentary (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 1994), 389–390.
[vi] David E. Garland, Mark, The NIV Application Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1996), 506.
[vii] https://ifhp-news.com/news/americans-are-besieged-by-stress-poll-finds/According to the results, 87 percent of those surveyed cited rising costs of everyday items, such as groceries and gas, as a “significant source of stress.” The same high percentage said their mental health was greatly affected by what has felt like a “constant stream of crises without a break over the last two years.” And 84 percent said the Russian invasion of Ukraine is “terrifying to watch.” The shared feeling of stress among so many Americans was “startling,” said Lynn Bufka, a clinical psychologist and the APA’s associate chief for practice transformation. Beyond pinpointing the sources of stress for Americans, the poll also delved into how that stress impacted their physical health. Nearly a quarter of the respondents said they tried to cope with pandemic stress by drinking more alcohol. And 58 percent had undesired weight fluctuations, either gaining or losing more weight than they’d wanted.
[viii] Tony Reinke, Hope That Purifies, https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/hope-that-purifies. Cf., John Piper, A Godward Life: Savoring the Supremacy of God in All of Life (Multnomah, 1997), 209
[ix] https://wordhistories.net/2019/05/24/apple-keeps-doctor-away/
[x] Kenneth Samples, What in the World is a Worldview? https://reasons.org/explore/blogs/blog_channel/what-in-the-world-is-a-worldview