COMMENTARY ON MARK
LESSON NUMBER 142
“ Mark 13:24 But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, 25 And the stars of heaven shall fall, and the powers that are in heaven shall be shaken. 26 And then shall they see the Son of man coming in the clouds with great power and glory. 27 And then shall He send His angels, and shall gather together His elect from the four winds, from the uttermost part of the earth to the uttermost part of heaven.”
(Mark 13:24-27; Matt 24:26-31; Lk 21:25-27)
THEY WILL SEE THE SON OF MAN COMING
INTRODUCTION
Although the hour in which Jesus will be betrayed is fast approaching, and His consequent death in which He will be made sin and cursed by God, Jesus is speaking to His disciples concerning the judgment of Jerusalem and the end of the world. The very fact that He is addressing these subjects at this time confirms their importance. Jesus never spoke aimlessly, or engaged in profitless and meaningless exchanges with men. It seems to me that one of the unquestionable evidences of unbelief is a disinterest in the words to which we are now being exposed. It is inconceivable that a person could have any significant faith in Christ and yet be able to ignore these words. The sobriety with which they are spoken, and the tones of urgency and alertness that are found in them forbids them to be ignored or treated as though they were only relevant for specific people living at a certain time. The fact that evil men have managed to confuse people concerning the last times is no reason for texts like this to be thrown into the arena of human opinion, or treated as though they were nothing more than matters beyond our understanding. Jesus is not even capable of speaking things that are irrelevant or have nothing to do with God’s eternal purpose. Such speaking falls into the category of vanity, which can in no way be associated with Jesus. The relevancy and cruciality of the words Jesus now speaks are very obvious. The coming of which He speaks can only refer to one event, and cannot possibly have a dual application or meaning. The fact that He speaks these words here confirms that they are in some way related to the destruction of Jerusalem. It should be obvious that the association does not have to do with the time its destruction.
DISTURBANCE IN HIGH PLACES
“ Mark 13:24 But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, 25 And the stars of heaven shall fall, and the powers that are in heaven shall be shaken.”
AFTER THAT TRIBULATION. Jesus makes a sudden leap from the destruction of Jerusalem until another time, when disruption will be on a global level, as compared with a regional one. Matthew provides the bridge to the subject of Christ’s coming. After warning His disciples to not give heed to those who say they know where Jesus can be found, he records the Lord saying, “For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be” (Matt 24:27). That is, the next time Jesus is actually seen, “every eye shall see Him” (Rev 1:7). There is no such thing as a private or secret return of the glorified Savior. The fact that He is “glorified” renders it impossible for Him to in any way leave heaven without it being known throughout the universe. Those who would have His glory in any way or at an y time concealed after His enthronement have only betrayed their ignorance.
The phrase “those days” is associated with the destruction of Jerusalem itself, and the time during which it would be trodden down by the Gentiles. The destruction itself extended over several years, and the invasion of Jerusalem by Gentiles has already continued for approximately 2,000 years. Jesus said, “Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled” (Luke 21:24). Paul referred to this period as the time when “the fulness of the Gentiles be come in,” or “the full number of the Gentiles has come in” (Rom 11:25). Earlier, when Jesus was leaving the Temple, He said, “For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord” (Matt 23:39). These words indicated that the ending of those days would be related to Israel engaging in an earnest quest for the Savior they rejected when He walked among them. Paul also dealt with the turning of Israel to the Lord (Rom 11:11-29; 2 Cor 3:16).
Matthew also refers to the time “immediately after the tribulation of those days” (Matt 24:29). The word “immediately” is not to be understood as referring to time. It rather signifies that the next matter to be considered would relate to the return of Jesus. Now, therefore, Jesus turns our attention to matters relating directly to His return.
A TIME OF GREAT DARKNESS. The language here is to be taken in a figurative sense, and describes a moral and spiritual darkness that descends upon the earth. Following the destruction of Jerusalem a great cloud of spiritual darkness pervaded the earth, commencing around 400 A.D., and continuing with relatively few interruptions until this day. This condition was the direct result of many falling from the faith as Jesus said: “And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold” (Matt 24:12). This is the “falling away” of which Paul wrote (1 Thess 2:3; 1 Tim 4:1-3; 2 Tim 3:1-5; 4:3-4). Peter also spoke of such a time (2 Pet 2:1-2, and John as well (1 John 2:18; 4:1-3). This darkness is of such a subtle nature, most of those living in it do not even know they are in the dark.
DISTURBANCE IN HIGHER REALMS. Jesus now traces the source of this darkness to great agitation and conflict in higher realms – “the powers that are in heaven.” A specific upheaval of this sort is revealed in the book of Daniel. There the overthrow of the Persian Empire, and its replacement by the Grecian Empire is credited to a fierce conflict that took place between two principalities that governed those nations (Dan 10:20). Social and national agitation will be experienced, and it will be amidst an environment of moral and spiritual darkness or ignorance. In other words, the conditions will largely be the result of truth falling in the street, and the church failing to be the pillar and ground of the truth. When the love of professing Christendom waxed cold, and it turned from truth to fables, giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of demons, it unleashed a wave of delusion and danger that staggers the mind. There is no human laws or form of political power than can manage to stay the overflowing of the trouble. On the surface, it looks like a world out of control, but it is not. It is rather a world that has repudiated its Maker and refused its Savior.
In Luke’s account of this, He relates the impact of these events upon men. “And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken” (Luke 21:26). Notice, all of these effects are traced back to the shaking of “the powers of heaven.” Such things as natural disasters ought not to be graced to a mythical global warming, but to the shaking and disruption of heavenly powers. Just as surely as such shaking has caused political turmoil, so it can cause natural instability.
Keep in mind that Jesus is giving the disciples “signs” that are signposts for the elect. The presence of these things is intended to promote sobriety, vigilance, and readiness.
CHRIST’S APPEARING WILL BE EVIDENT
“ 26 And then shall they see the Son of man coming in the clouds with great power and glory.”
THEN. Remember, Jesus has warned of those who will say they know secret places where Jesus can be seen. Here Jesus accents that His appearing will be so evident that even in the midst of turmoil, disruption, and fear, not a soul will miss His manifestation.
THEY SHALL SEE. Rather that Christ’s return escaping their attention, as when He first appeared on earth, “they shall see!” Furthermore, everyone will know who it is that they are seeing – “the Son of Man.” John refers to Christ’s return in this way, also mentioning the association of the clouds with that occasion. “Behold, He cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see Him, and they also which pierced Him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of Him. Even so, Amen” (Rev 1:7). Not only will all souls know who they are beholding, they will at once recall their response to Him., Saints will be shouting with joy, and all who rejected and opposed Him will become acutely aware of what they have done, yet will not be able to do a thing about it. Matthew says, “and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn” (Matt 24:30b).
Matthew also says that the appearing of Christ will be a sign – the ultimate sign: “And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven” (Matt 14:30a). There will be sufficient time for a reaction among those who failed to receive Christ. The Revelation paints a most vivid picture of that time, when the entire natural order will be shaken down. “And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places. And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; and said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of Him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: for the great day of His wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?” (Rev 6:14-17).
WITH GREAT POWER AND GLORY. There is no sense in which the return of Jesus will be attended by obscurity, or shrouded with mystery. He will not come to sneak His people out of the world undetected. What glory would that bring to Him – to have His people remain basically unknown and unrecognized when they leave the world that hated and maligned them?
The fact that He will return “with great power and glory” means that His return cannot possibly be hidden. Both Matthew and Mark also make a point of saying the Son of Man will be seen coming “with power and great glory” (Matt 24:30; Lk 21:27). This is not said to be a trait of one of His comings, but of His coming (singular). There is not a statement in all of Scripture that suggests Jesus is coming more than one more time. There are eighty-two references to Christ’s return. None of them suggest multiple returns. The singular words “coming,” “come,” “appearing,” and “show” are used in these references. None of them say He is coming to reign. They do say He will come “to reward every man according to His works” (Matt 16:27). It is also said He will come to bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and to make manifest the counsels of the heart (1 Cor 4:5). It is written that He will judge the living and the dead “at His appearing” (2 Tim 4:1). Those who “love His appearing” will receive “a crown of righteousness” at that time (2 Cor 4:9). Jesus said when He comes He will be ashamed of those who were ashamed of Him (Lk 9:26). Paul taught that “when He shall come,” Jesus will punish the wicked and reward the righteous (2 Thess 1:9-10). John declared that when Jesus is seen, the sons of God will “be like Him,” for they will “see Him as He is” (1 John 3:2).
All of this requires that Jesus come in “great power and glory,” with no part of His Person hidden. It is at that time that God will show Him, unveiling to the assembled universe what He is right now: “the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords, who only hath immortality” (1 Tim 6:15-16).
The manner in which the return of the Lord is chronicled accents the magnitude of the glory in which He will appear. Jesus Himself said, “For the Son of man shall come in the glory of His Father with His angels” (Matt 16:27). Again He said, “When the Son of man shall come in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then shall He sit upon the throne of his glory” (Matt 25:31). Once again He said, “He shall come in His own glory, and in His Father's, and of the holy angels” (Luke 9:26). The glory of the Father, together with the glory of all the holy angels will accompany the Son when He comes in all of His own magnificent glory.
This is the next event on which the children of God are to set their minds. They are not to look for a rapture, but for Christ’s appearing! They are not to shape their thinking by the considerations of an antichrist and the mark of the beast, but rather around the time when Jesus will come in power and great glory. That is the next thing on the Divine agenda! While a falling away and revealing of the man of sin are very real happenings, they are not integral to the purpose of God itself. That is why they cannot be at the center of our reasoning.
THE GATHERING OF THE ELECT
“ 27 And then shall He send His angels, and shall gather together His elect from the four winds, from the uttermost part of the earth to the uttermost part of heaven.”
AND THEN. Now Jesus elaborates on what will happen when He appears in power and great glory – His own glory, the glory of the Father, and the glory of the holy angels. Five times we read of Jesus’ “appearing” (1 Tim 6:14; 2 Tim 4:1,8; Tit 2:13; 1 Pet 1:7). Six times we read of the time when He will “appear” (Matt 24:30; Col 3:4; Heb 9:28; 1 Pet 5:4; 1 John 2:28; 3:2). The word “appear” means to become apparent or be made manifest – to make visible or known what was formerly unknown. THAYER There is no possible way that this word can be applied to a secret rapture in which the saints are gathered and removed from the world. This is important to see, because Jesus now states that the gathering of the saints will take place when He appears, or comes in great power and glory, neither of which can be hidden when they are made known. In this world, faith can perceive Christ’s glory while unbelief cannot. But when Jesus comes in great power and glory, faith will not be required to see Him. He will be apparent and known to “every eye” (Rev 1:7).
HE SHALL SEND HIS ANGELS. What a regal picture of the Lord Jesus Christ! The angels are said to be “His.” Peter says of the exaltation of Christ, “Who is gone into heaven, and is on the right hand of God; angels and authorities and powers being made subject unto Him” (1 Pet 3:22). When He came into the world as a Babe, God said, “Let all the angels of God worship Him” (Heb 1:6). And, is it possible that the angels are subject to Jesus, but men are not? How can the greater be under Jesus, but the lesser is not? Angels know their Master, but men do not. However, that does not change the fact that all men are presently subject to the exalted Christ.
THE GATHERING OF THE ELECT. Here Jesus speaks of the angels being sent to gather the elect. At another time He said that they would “first” gather out of the Kingdom “all things that offend, and them, that do iniquity” (Matt 13:41). This, He taught, would be the fulfillment of the parable the tares of the field in which Jesus said the owner said, “Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn” (Matt 13:30). Here, however, Jesus focuses on “the elect” – the ones God has chosen in Christ Jesus, that they should be “holy and without blame before Him in love” (Eph 1:4). These are the ones God knows, for “the Lord knoweth them that are His” (2 Tim 2:19). Of course, the angels know them also, for they have been appointed to minister to these people during their earthly sojourn (Heb 1:13-14).
FROM THE FOUR WINDS. The phrase, “from the four winds,” emphasizes that “His elect” are scattered upon the earth. They were not given an earthly country as Israel, but have rather been dispersed among “every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation” (Rev 5:9). According to circumstance, it appears as though they have been blown about in the world like the early believers who were “scattered” because they were pilgrims in this world (Acts 8:1,4; 1 Pet 2:11). The angels, however, will not miss one of these precious ones to whom they faithfully ministered while they remained in the world that was dominated by their adversary the devil (1 John 5:19).
FROM THE UTTERMOST PART OF EARTH. Other versions read, “the farthest end of the earth,” NASB “the ends of the earth,” NIV and “the farthest bounds of the earth,” AMPLIFIED Matthew reads, “from the four winds,” omitting the reference to “earth” (Matt24:31). These are ones who are “alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord” (1 Thess 4:15,17). They are the ones who will not be raised from the dead, but will be “changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed” (1 Cor 15:51-52). From the remotest part of the earth, whether in the desert like the Ethiopian eunuch (Acts 8:26), or Caesarea like Cornelius (Acts 10:1), in prison like Onesiumus (Phile 1:10), or in Rome in Caesar’s household (Phil 4:22), they will be gathered. They will be found and gathered from every nation, and every social strata. They will be gathered from fields (Matt 24:40), grinding mills (Matt 24:41), and even the bed chambers (Lk 17:36). The “reapers,” who are the angels, will gather the wheat from the Lord’s field, and bring them into the everlasting garner, leaving all of the chaff behind. For the first time, the elect will be “every whit whole,” possessing no weakness.
FROM THE UTTERMOST PART OF HEAVEN. Think of the millions, perhaps billions, of those who lived by faith who have left this world. Some were murdered like Abel (Gen 4:6). Other died of diseases like Elisha (2 Kgs 13:14). Two were translated from the earth, namely Enoch and Elisha (Heb 11:5; 2 Kgs 2:11). Some may have died under the chastening rod of God that their spirit might be saved in the day of the Lord (1 Cor 5:5; 11:32). Ponder all of the infants that have died natural deaths, or those who were slaughtered, like the infants in Egypt (Ex 1:16,22; Acts 7:19), and those around Bethlehem (Matt 2:16). There will be those who passed from this life under vicious assaults by the devil, like the prophets who were slain by Jezebel (1 Kgs 18:4,13), or the godly who refused deliverance, choosing death over life (Heb 11:35). The martyrs who are presently under the altar will be gathered (Rev 6:9), together with Lazarus (Lk 16:22), and Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Lk 13:28). What a marvelous gathering of “His elect” that will be!